Abbotsford is going to be the new home for the Lingerie Football League's second franchise in Canada.

The yet-to-be named team will play at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre for the LFL's Western Division, which kicks off a 12-week regular season Aug. 25.

The team could play as a Vancouver rather than an Abbotsford franchise in a new Canadian league with five teams, including the LFL Toronto Triumph formed last year.

The teams play seven-on-seven tackle football, but the decidedly attractive players are garbed in bras, panties and garter belts, with shoulder and kneepads and hockey-style helmets as safety gear.

Designated by the LFL as amateur athletes, the female players do not get salaries to play the game.

Mitchell Mortaza, LFL founder and chairman, said the AESC, which is home to the AHL Abbotsford Heat hockey team, is a good location for the league.

"[The AESC] obviously has a proven track record as a sport property and from a business perspective it's great for the facility and city," said Mortaza.

The LFL is the fastest growing sports league in the United States, outpacing Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Wrestling Entertainment, and has become the premier women's football league, said Mortaza.

He noted the league is accustomed to criticism when it first arrives in a new location, and its players are dressed no more skimpily than volleyball players or swimmers.

The women who play for the league are former college-level athletes who have few other alternatives if they want to continue to compete at a high level in women's sport, he said.

The players selected have healthy, marketable images and women make up 40 per cent of the league's fan base, he said.

"I didn't know it was a crime to be gorgeous," said Mortaza.

"If LFL strictly relied on sex appeal, it would have no shelf life," he added.

"The sport continues to grow because of the intensity of the game and the level of football that these women play."

Abbotsford Coun. Patricia Ross said lingerie football isn't something she's going to buy tickets for.

However, council has a policy not to interfere with the shows the AESC operator Global Spectrum selects for the facility, she said.

"It's not something that thrills me. We'll see if people want to pay for that kind of entertainment or not," Ross said.

"But it's the same decision we made with Tradex. We won't politicize the venue and (we) allow the operators to make the choice about what entertainment to book."

Jason Blumenfeld, general manager of the AESC, said he's happy to welcome the league and its successful track record to the 7,000-seat facility.

The league will only be playing two games this season at AESC, a facility that books a wide range of events, including Lord of the Dance, Megadeath and professional bull riding shows, said Blumenfeld.

The LFL, which has been televised on FOX, ESPN and MTV, will likely draw patrons from all over the Lower Mainland to the venue and area businesses, and attract other shows in the future, he said.

Fans of the new team in Abbotsford can submit suggestions for the team's name via e-mail at lflinabbotsord@lflus.com.