A group of investors is hoping Vancouver could soon be home to a professional rugby team.

They hope the team can join Major League Rugby, a professional league launching in the U.S. this spring in seven cities including Seattle, San Diego and New Orleans.

The hoped-for team, temporarily referred to as Vancouver RFC, would join in the league's second season.

Toronto has also expressed interest in joining the expansion.

"We've got all the right pieces and all the right people in place," said Curry Hitchborn, the group's director of rugby.

"The momentum behind it, the confidence in it, and the outreach we've had from the public, it's very strong indicators of not only just an excellent market, but ... it's got good momentum and it's going in that direction."

The sport has been gaining appeal among sports fans in recent years since the World Rugby Sevens added its popular annual matches in Vancouver almost three years ago.

Hitchborn also said the presence of a good high school league, university competitions, and well-attended international games — like the visiting Maori All Black team, which played Canada in November — were all positive indicators a team would succeed in Vancouver.

"We've got the audience. We've got the appetite here," Hitchborn said.

He says the investor group doesn't have a particular venue for the games in mind because it's still in very early stages of negotiation.

"We're definitely looking to where best it's going to be for our audience."