Ottawa Rapid FC unveiled as name of city's new pro women's soccer team

The national capital'snew professional women's soccer team is here and it's called Ottawa Rapid FC.

The team which will play in theNorthern Super League, set to launch next April unveiled its name and light blue logo in a ceremony at TD Place on Thursday evening.

"We're committed to being a pathway to pro for Ottawa players from day one," Tom Gilbert,the league's Ottawa CEO, said before the team's branding was announced in a video.

A group of schoolgirls wearing Ottawa Rapid FC caps and T-shirts then came running into the stadium.

"There was a time when it would have been novel or unusual," Gilbert said of women's sports."We need to keep pushing that change forward."

Marissa Idone, 14, was there to watch the launch.

"After seeing all the other women's leagues starting up around the world, I think it's really cool that we [have] started our own here in Canada," she said.

Teams from Toronto, Halifax, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary will also play in the league. A25-game regular season will befollowed by playoffs and a national championship in the fall of 2025.

All teams will operate with a salary cap and minimum salaries aligned with established leagues worldwide.

The word "women"was deliberately left out ofthe league's nameto signify itsintentiontostand on an equal footing withother professional sports leagues.

"It's been a long road for women's professional soccer in Canada," said Amy Walsh,a former soccer midfielder for the Canada national team, in her own remarks before the unveiling.