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Vancouver Rise FC signs Canada women's team star Quinn

CBC
·2 min read
Quinn spent six seasons with Seattle Reign FC in the National Women's Soccer League. (Getty Images - image credit)
Quinn spent six seasons with Seattle Reign FC in the National Women's Soccer League. (Getty Images - image credit)

As Vancouver Rise FC continues to build its roster for the inaugural Northern Super League season, the team has announced that they've signed one of the biggest soccer stars in Canada.

Canadian national team member Quinn will join the Rise this spring after six seasons with Seattle Reign FC.

"I'm so excited to come home and play professional soccer in Canada," Quinn said in a media release. "With Vancouver Rise FC, we hope to inspire a new generation of talented young athletes in Canada and beyond."

The 29-year-old midfielder won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021 and bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. According to a media release from Vancouver Rise FC, they've made more than 100 appearances on Canada's national team.

Quinn, a 25-year-old midfielder from Toronto, became the first openly transgender, non-binary athlete to win an Olympic medal, as the Canadian women's soccer team defeated Sweden to capture gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Quinn, a 25-year-old midfielder from Toronto, became the first openly transgender, non-binary athlete to win an Olympic medal, as the Canadian women's soccer team defeated Sweden to capture gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

Quinn became the first openly transgender, non-binary athlete to win an Olympic medal, as the Canadian women's soccer team captured gold in Tokyo in 2021. (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

"Quinn is a trailblazer, someone who has forged their own path, and created history along the way," said Vancouver Rise sporting director Stephanie Labbé — who is also a former teammate of Quinn's.

Toronto's Quinn was the first openly non-binary transgender athlete to compete at the Olympic Games in 2021. They came out publicly in 2020, announcing their pronouns as they/them and that they'd go by one name.

WATCH | Quinn explains how sports can be more inclusive:

Labbé described signing Quinn as a "game-changing moment" for the franchise.

"I couldn't be more thrilled to have someone of their quality on the pitch ... I know Quinn will be a force to be reckoned with in our league."

Quinn played college soccer for Duke University in North Carolina, and also spent time playing with Paris FC and Sweden's Vittsjö GIK.

The Northern Super League will feature teams in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

The league says there will be 25 regular season games starting this April. Details of Vancouver's first match have yet to be released, but prospective fans can already make a deposit on season tickets.

Vancouver Rise FC, partly owned by soccer legend Christine Sinclair and led by head coach Anja Heiner-Møller, will play out of Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C.