A new women’s soccer league is already well on its way to launching in Canada in 2025.

The news was announced Monday evening on CBC’s The National in an interview with Christine Sinclair and Diana Matheson. The former Canada’s national women’s team players are leading the effort with Project 8, a company Matheson founded with business partner Thomas Gilbert. Gilbert was formerly an executive with General Assembly Pizza.

The news was then confirmed in statements from Project 8 and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, which confirmed its status as two of the league’s eight teams.

The as-yet-unnamed league will have four teams each in the country’s east and west regions. Plans are to have at least one Canadian national team player on each team, as well as to bring in at least half of the roughly 100 Canadians currently playing in international leagues, something many have been forced to do as they do not have a pathway to a career closer to home.

“We believe it is important that women build this league, and we are committed to developing something that is built differently, for women by women,” Sinclair said. “We want to change the soccer landscape in Canada so women’s players can develop and play professionally here at home instead of having to go abroad, as every one of our national team players must do now to be successful.”

The league would need to be sanctioned by Canada Soccer, the sport’s governing body, but aims to operate independently.

In a statement released by Project 8, Matheson said CIBC and Air Canada have committed to the league as sponsors. CIBC also signed a deal with Canada Soccer last month to sponsor the men’s and women’s national teams, as well as the Canadian Premier League. This would be Air Canada’s only major soccer sponsorship, though it has had some involvement with the game through its status as an Olympic sponsor.

Matheson’s statement also said that Calgary Foothills Soccer Club had committed to join the Whitecaps as the league’s other confirmed team. In October, the Whitecaps hired former national team player Stephanie Labbé as general manager of women’s soccer.

“Our club has always been a big supporter of the women’s game, starting at the grassroots level through to our Girls Elite program,” added Axel Schuster, sporting director for Whitecaps FC, in the team’s press release. “The missing piece has been a top-level professional women’s team.”