Majority-owned by Vancouver Whitecaps FC co-owner Greg Kerfoot, the club is led by Sinead King, and managed by Stephanie Labbé.

Alongside the Calgary Wild, the Rise were one of the first two clubs to join the Northern Super League, and are a spiritual successor to the Whitecaps' former women's team.

The club was co-developed with the league itself, in an effort to retain female players from the Whitecaps' academy team, and provide equity between the organization's men's and women's programs.

[4][5][6] The establishment of a professional women's league in the United States led to difficulties in retaining players however, and the Whitecaps ultimately folded the team.

[11] Greg Kerfoot, the Whitecaps' co-owner, also sought to prioritize equity between the organization's men's and women's programs by offering its female players a professional pathway.

[12][24] A "bursting golden Sun" occupies the crest's base,[26] representing the "rising stars" the club aspires to produce – its six rays referencing the charter members of the Northern Super League.