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Pro soccer executives and stakeholders joined Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to announce that women’s professional soccer is coming to the city next year. But the team doesn’t have a name or a field to play on yet.
The Tampa team will be part of the United Soccer League’s new Super League.
They’ll begin play in August 2024 and join 10 to 12 clubs from around the country playing in the inaugural season.
USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort joined Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and team owners Darryl Shaw, David Laxer, and Jeff Fox to make the announcement.
“Girls who grew up dreaming that they would have a chance on that stage: The USL Super League with Tampa Bay here today is now a part of that movement.”
So where will they play, and who’s paying for the stadium? Shaw, who has poured millions to developing Ybor City in Tampa, says they “haven’t gotten that far yet”.
“We’re still working through some options in Ybor. We haven’t got a budget yet, we’re not looking at this point at a permanent stadium, we’re looking at a temporary location because we need to be up and running by August next year.”
The new team also doesn’t have a name. The team’s name and colors will be determined with input from residents across the Tampa Bay area. The USL directed people to superleaguetampabay.com to submit ideas.
