There has been a rise in professional women's sports in Vancouver, with the Vancouver PWHL team set to drop the puck for the first time this fall and the Vancouver Rise FC kicking off its inaugural season in April.
In addition, the WNBA is playing its first regular season game in Canada at Rogers Arena on Aug. 15, when Atlanta Dream take on Seattle Storm.
Vancouver Rise are part of Canada's first professional women's soccer league, the Northern Super League. The other clubs are Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Montr茅al Roses, Ottawa Rapid FC and AFC Toronto.
The inaugural season began April 16 at BC Place, with the Rise facing Calgary Wild. The Rise's Quinn scored the first goal of the league and secured a 1-0 win for the team.
Rise defender Jessika Cowart said the team was blown away when they walked into BC Place Stadium for that first game and saw everyone in the stands waving the gold cards they had been given upon entry. The atmosphere was incredible, Cowart said.
"We expected a great turnout, but that was seriously top-notch," Cowart said. "I think Canada has been waiting for a women's league to support, and you can just tell by the fanfare around the games and the viewership."
Many of the games are shown on TSN+ and ESPN+, and live-streamed on YouTube, which means Cowart's family in the States has been able to tune in and watch.
Cowart, originally from California, said that Canada has long deserved a professional women's soccer league.
"I think it gives so many Canadian players an opportunity to play professionally in their home country and to show off what Canadian soccer is about," Cowart said. "It's incredible the amount of traction it's gotten in such an early stage of the league," she said.
Home matches are played in Burnaby at Swangard Stadium, which is a short walk away from Patterson SkyTrain station.
And they have been so well received by the community in Burnaby and the Lower Mainland, Cowart added.
Burnaby's Mayor Mike Hurley agreed.
鈥淗osting the Vancouver Rise at Swangard Stadium for their inaugural season has been such a positive experience for our community, bringing together new fans and longtime soccer supporters who are thrilled to see professional football at Swangard once again,鈥� said Mayor Hurley.
鈥淭he entire Vancouver Rise organization 鈥� from players, to coaches and support staff 鈥� have gone above and beyond to embrace the fans at each match day. Most importantly, having professional soccer being played locally is incredibly inspiring for all the young athletes in our community.鈥�
Playing for the Rise has been Cowart's favourite experience in her professional career.
"I think for such a brand new league, they've done such a good job preparing to make it a top league, and I think they really tried to take all the best parts of all the top leagues and kind of melded into this one," Cowart said. "In terms of the Rise, I think we're riding the wave and making it our own and kind of creating the culture we want here."
Cowart added that the league has also been excellent at taking into account players' recommendations.
"I think they've done a really good job of bringing in a group of girls that all get along, which is, like, super rare in professional athletics," Cowart added.
I recently attended two Rise FC matches and thoroughly enjoyed them. Vancouver Rise FC matches are the perfect family-friendly activity for a summer evening.
The atmosphere in the stands was friendly and joyous, unless, of course, the other team scored or hurt one of our players.
There was a good variety of food trucks to choose from, as well as some pre-game festivities to take part in. I attended the Bark at the Park, where attendees could bring their dogs to the game, and the Pride match.
Before each match, with information about that day's match, including details about the food trucks and any special events or entertainment scheduled for the game.
The only suggestion I have is to bring a cushion for the hard seats. The bag allowance is different from B.C. Place, so I had no problem bringing it in.
The next home match is on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. at Swangard Stadium.
