ORLEANS, Ont. – The Canadian women’s curling championship will return to Nova Scotia in 2019, its first appearance in the province in over 25 years.

Sydney, N.S., was named Scotties Tournament of Hearts host on Friday by Curling Canada. The annual competition will be played Feb. 16-24, 2019 at Centre 200.

"The curling fans of Sydney made it crystal clear that they want the Scotties in their city based on their overwhelming response to the ticket drive during the bidding process," Curling Canada board chair Resby Coutts said in a release.

"We’ve always known there is genuine passion for the sport of curling in Nova Scotia, and we’re excited to see what will unfold in 2019."

It will be the first time the Scotties has been played in the Cape Breton region of Nova Scotia. Centre 200, which opened in 1987, has a seating capacity of about 5,000.

It’s the home arena for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.