A new professional soccer team will kick off in Winnipeg next year.
The Canadian Premier League announced on Wednesday a Winnipeg franchise, set to play next year at Investors Group Field, will be part of the fledgling league for its inaugural season.
The club will be branded as Valour FC, a name inspired by three Winnipeg soldiers who fought in the First World War and received the Victoria Cross, the highest military recognition for honour and bravery in Commonwealth countries at the time.
The three men lived on the same Winnipeg street, which is now called Valour Road.
The team will be part of an eight- to 10-team league, with a season running from May to October.
"It is time for us to give young Canadian soccer players the opportunity to play professional soccer in Canada," said Wade Miller, president of the Winnipeg Football Club, at the announcement. The non-profit organization, which also operates the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, will run Valour FC.
"I look forward to seeing which Manitobans are on this pitch next year. This is your team, built by our community for the community."
Other than Winnipeg, teams have so far been announced in Calgary, Ontario's York Region and Halifax. A Vancouver Island team was given conditional entry into the league last week.
Like the team's name, the Valour FC logo includes some nods to Winnipeg's history.
"When you see the logo, when you see the identity, when you see the kit colours, I promise you that you will be very proud of your new club, because it was done by Winnipeggers for Winnipeggers," said Premier League commissioner David Clanachan at the team announcement on Wednesday.
The crest design was inspired by the Victoria Cross medal, with a "V" emulating a folded ribbon inside the circle of the maroon medal, Miller said.
The centre of the 'V' represents the meeting of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, and one side of the V forms a "W" for Winnipeg. The whole crest is topped by wheat, representing agriculture.
Early membership deposits to secure seats to Valour FC home games will be available online starting Friday.
Fans will be able to put down a $50 deposit to become founding season-ticket members, with an average ticket price of $20 per game for adults and $12 for youth, the Winnipeg Football Club said in a release.