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Left to right: Helena Ruken, CEO of AFC Toronto City, Diana Matheson, co-founder and CEO of Project 8 and Shilpa Arora, general manager of DoorDash Canada, in Toronto, in an undated handout photo.

HO/The Canadian Press

Halifax is the latest city to sign up for the Project 8 women’s professional soccer league, set to kick off in 2025.

Project 8, the brainchild of former Canadian international Diana Matheson, announced last week that six franchises have submitted applications to Canada Soccer to join the new league.

Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto were the first to come on board. The Atlantic Women’s Football Club (AWFC) is the first of three new teams to be revealed.

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Courtney Sherlock, the co-founder and CEO of the Halifax entry, calls the announcement “a pivotal moment for our community, offering a platform for women in soccer to shine and inspiring the next generation of talent.”

Halifax is already home to the CPL’s Halifax Wanderers.

Matheson’s plan is to field eight teams starting in 2025.