⚽ Project 8 Fan Page ⚽
Professional Women's Soccer in Canada
Finally!
Project 8 is developing Canada's first women's professional soccer league
Six clubs have officially submitted their applications to join the
league, providing the numbers required for launch in 2025. Of note,
these clubs still require approval from Canada Soccer. The franchise
fee is $1 million with a need for an estimated $8 million to $10
million in total invested capital over the first five seasons in
addition to necessary spending on infrastructure. Owners are buying a
piece of the league as well as their own franchise.
Project 8 has indicated league and club brands are expected to be
unveiled in the coming months, while player signings and ticket
pre-sales are slated to begin in the summer.
Announced Clubs
- Vancouver
- Calgary
- Toronto
- Halifax
as of April 20, 2024
🤔 Why is supporting women and girls in sports important?
The Rally Report
is a national study completed in 2020 on sport participation for
Canadian girls aged 6-18. Overall, The Rally Report shows that sport
participation levels for Canadian girls are much lower than boys.
Among girls who have participated in sport, there is a dramatic
dropout rate observed with 1 in 3 girls leaving sport by late
adolescence. By comparison, the dropout rate for teenage boys (aged
16-18) is only 1 in 10. Sport participation rates for Canadian girls
decline steadily from childhood to adolescence with as many as 62% of
girls not playing sport at all.
“If we want sport in Canada to reach its full potential, we need
girls and women to be involved as participants, leaders and
contributors. These declining participation rates, both over time
and as girls get older, are troubling and showcase a critical
problem that must be addressed,” said Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO, Canadian Women & Sport.
“Less girls in sport now translates into less girls and women in
leadership roles – in sport and beyond.”