HALIFAX—The official kickoff isn’t until Friday, but many soccer fans were enjoying Wednesday’s short video release announcing Halifax’s addition to the Canadian Premier League.

“The video itself is part of the strategy the league had, which is a very good one in my opinion, to really treat the launch of the various cities and announcement of those cities in a fun and engaging way,” explained Derek Martin, founder and president of Sports & Entertainment Atlantic.

“I think the video is very true to the theme and to what our club will be about, which is acknowledging the beauty and the history of where we live but also tying into the future of Halifax that is emerging.”

Released on the Canadian Premier League’s social media channels on Wednesday afternoon, the 16-second video clip features iconic Halifax scenes and includes the words “Canadian Premier League City Approved,” and “We Are Halifax.”

“As we look around downtown and we take a look at the type of industries that are starting to grow here, Halifax is at a very interesting time,” Martin said.

“I think having a professional team that encompasses both the history and the future is a timely and good fit.”

The official announcement is being made Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Rogers Square in the Nova Centre. Martin said it’s a public event and they encourage anyone interested to attend.

The announcement will include an unveiling of the official team name along with its colours and logo.

“I think it’s fantastic for the soccer community and the community at large in Halifax,” Martin said.

The league is expected to begin play in the spring of 2019. In Halifax, the new team will call the Wanderers Grounds home.

“We think there’s a great opportunity to revitalize the Wanderers Grounds and create a gathering place for the community that’s been absent for outdoor summer events for a long time,” Martin said.

“We see professional soccer as the right opportunity at the right time that fits the size of our community and allows us to give people a hometown team to cheer for in a league that people are going to start learning more and more about over the next few months and years.”

Martin said excitement is mounting with less than a year to go before the new and soon-to-be-named Halifax team kicks off its first Canadian Premier League game.

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“It’s been a long process to get to this point and a lot has gone on behind the scenes, so now it’s exciting to start talking about the fun stuff,” Martin said.

“Stuff like getting people engaged and becoming members of our fan club. We’ll have a season-ticket drive at some point too, so now all those things will start to unfold and we’re excited.”

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