One of the newest sports teams in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Rise FC is a professional women’s soccer team that competes in the Northern Super League (NSL).
One of six inaugural NSL teams, the Rise began play in 2025 and won the league championship in their first season! They also led the league in attendance with an average of over 4,000 fans at their home games.
Vancouver Rise FC
Vancouver Rise FC are a recent addition to the growing soccer scene in Vancouver, and are the only current professional women’s soccer team in British Columbia. The team plays its home games at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. The stadium is located at 6100 Boundary Road, inside Central Park.
The Rise have very strong ties to the local soccer community. The club’s majority owner is Vancouver Whitecaps co-owner Greg Kerfoot, while Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair is a minority owner.
The NSL regular season runs from late April to late October, with the playoffs finishing in mid-November. Each team plays 25 games in the regular season, with either 12 or 13 of them being at home.
Going to a Vancouver Rise game is a fun experience! Before each one the team runs the Rise FC Fan Zone at the south end of Swangard Stadium. There, you can find games to play as well as stations for making signs and friendship bracelets, and getting face paint. There’s also often the chance to get an autograph from a player.
Ticket Information
Tickets for Vancouver Rise games start at just $20 (plus taxes and fees). That’s for the Grounds Pass, which are general admission tickets for the fan section behind the net on the north side of the field.
Tickets in the covered grandstand along the west sideline range from around $30 to $60. New for 2026 are the Pitch Patios, which are private seats along the east sideline (where the team benches are). The patios cost $49 per person (with a 20-person minimum for the group) and come with various perks including the ability to pre-order food and drinks.
Season tickets for the 2026 campaign ranged from $259 for the Grounds Pass up to $549 for grandstand seats at midfield.
Another good way to save money over buying individual tickets is to buy a flex pack. The flex packs include tickets to three home games of your choosing, with savings up to 20%, and also (in 2026) a pair of team-branded sunglasses.
Go to the Vancouver Rise website for full details and to buy tickets.
2026 Home Games
Below is the list of all Vancouver Rise home games for the 2026 NSL regular season.
- Friday, April 24th – vs AFC Toronto at 7:00 pm
- Saturday, May 23rd – vs AFC Toronto at 1:00 pm
- Sunday, June 14th – vs Ottawa Rapid at 2:00 pm
- Sunday, June 28th – vs AFC Toronto at 3:30 pm
- Saturday, July 25th – vs Halifax Tides at 1:00 pm
- Wednesday, July 29th – vs Montreal Roses at 7:00 pm
- Saturday, August 8th – vs Calgary Wild at 4:00 pm
- Saturday, August 15th – vs Halifax Tides at 6:30 pm
- Saturday, August 29th – vs Calgary Wild at 3:00 pm
- Saturday, September 5th – vs Halifax Tides at 4:00 pm
- Sunday, September 13th – vs Ottawa Rapid at 1:00 pm
- Saturday, September 19th – vs Montreal Roses at 2:00 pm
- Sunday, October 25th – vs Calgary Wild at 1:00 pm
The Northern Super League
The NSL is the highest level of women’s professional soccer in Canada. It consists of six teams: Vancouver Rise, Calgary Wild, Ottawa Rapid, AFC Toronto, Montreal Roses and Halifax Tides. The Rise hosted the first-ever NSL game (a 1-0 win over Calgary on April 16, 2025) and also became the first team to win the Diana B. Matheson Cup when they defeated AFC Toronto in the league championship final in November of that year.
With one of the primary goals of the league being the development of Canadian talent, teams have a clear focus on giving local players the opportunity to play. Each team is allowed just eight non-Canadian players, out of the 20-25 players on the full roster.
Teams play each of their opponents five times during the regular season, with the top four qualifying for the playoffs. The semifinals are played over two legs, with each team hosting a game and the side with the better aggregate score advancing to the final. The final is just a single game, held at a pre-determined site.
The league championship trophy is named after former Canadian national team star Diana Matheson, who co-founded the NSL and served as one of the biggest advocates for the creation of a national women’s league in Canada.
Other Information
To learn more about schedules, tickets, and team news, visit the official Vancouver Rise FC website.
For details on Vancouver’s biggest professional men’s soccer team, see our article about the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Whitecaps play their home games at BC Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver, and compete in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Another option for soccer fans is Vancouver FC, who are part of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the lone professional men’s soccer league that features only Canadian teams. Vancouver FC joined the CPL in 2023 and play their home games at Willoughby Stadium in Langley.