Female footballers will be stripping down and strapping on helmets this summer in Abbotsford as the Lingerie Football League kicks off a 12-week season in Canada.

Officials are unsure whether the team will compete as Abbotsford or Vancouver, but the yet-unnamed team's home games will be played at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre beginning on Aug. 25.

The women join the Toronto Triumph, who premiered in the U.S. last year, as Canada's second confirmed LFL franchise. Four other cities are being announced this week.

The Abbotsford sports centre was chosen over BC Place, Rogers Arena and Pacific Coliseum for its lucrative fan base, according to commissioner and league founder Mitchell Mortaza.

"It's a successful formula we've proven. Our other stadiums in the States are not downtown but in a suburb, driving distance 30-45 minutes from the city, and we fill them," Mortaza said.

He added that Abbotsford is also a more affluent city which the league will need to sell its tickets priced in the NFL range at an average of $48.

While the girls' uniforms of knickers, garters and shoulder pads initially sparked controversy in the U.S., it's now the country's fastest growing sport – recently signing mega-broadcaster MTV for its Superbowl-style season closer.

Mortaza expects a bigger boom in Canada with a "fanatical approach to sports" across the country, listing Rough Riders fans as proof.

"Our big message is: don't make up your mind until you come and watch a game," Mortaza said. "It's highly-charged football meets a good time… BusinessWeek even mentioned this, that it is the only sporting event where nobody sits down for the entire hour-and-a-half."

Many of the busty women could grace magazine covers, but Mortaza said they are all former collegian athletes and play at a professional level. He said the league is a compelling opportunity for those wanting to pursue sport after university especially when there aren't many lucrative options for women's sports.

"It gets the same kind of visibility as any men's sports and now highlights roll on major sports networks like ESPN," he said.

Abbotsford expects to see up to 7,000 fans at each game the first year.

And Mortaza said the event is completely kid-friendly. While it's called a lingerie league, he said what the women actually wear is a sports bra and boy shorts.

"Beach volleyball is far more scantily clad than we are," he said.

The league plays a faster indoor style game of seven-on-seven. Officials toyed with the idea of using CFL's three down rules, but opted to stick with the NFL's four to keep a high-scoring game.

The next four Canadian cities are ready to go with investors and home stadiums locked in and will be announced in the next four to six days.

A Lingerie Bowl final game is in the works to be held in Toronto on the eve of the 2012 Grey Cup in late November.

After Canada, the league plans to expand internationally, launching LFL Australia in 2013 and LFL Europa in 2014.

If B.C. fans want a say in the new Abbotsford/Vancouver team, they can submit names to LFLinAbbotsford@LFLUS.com

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Bhinder Sajan