USL SUPER LEAGUE: Tampa Bay Sun FC unveil plans for new soccer stadium
- Dan Stickradt
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
TAMPA, Fla. — Fresh off their inaugural USL Super League championship, the Tampa Bay Sun FC are set to build a permanent home of their own in the near future.
The club, a professional women’s soccer franchise, unveiled plans Tuesday for a new soccer-specific stadium, marking a significant milestone in the team’s rapid rise and continued investment in women’s professional soccer. The proposed facility will be located in the heart of downtown Tampa and is expected to open in time for the 2027 season.
Club officials said the new stadium will seat approximately 15,000 spectators and feature modern amenities, including premium seating, locker rooms, training facilities and community spaces. The venue will also serve as a year-round hub for soccer events, youth programming and local partnerships. The stadium will also serve as one of the first venues globally to be built for a professional women’s soccer franchise.
The project is being funded by the Tampa Bay Sun FC and local business mogul Darryl Shaw.
Shaw is also the major stakeholder for the Tampa Bay Sun FC.
“This stadium represents our commitment to growing the women’s game and creating a lasting legacy in Tampa Bay,” said Tampa Bay Sun FC team president Christina Unkel during a press conference announcing the project.
The Tampa Bay Sun FC, who joined the USL Super League for its inaugural 2024-25 season, captured national attention with a run to the championship this past weekend in their debut campaign. The Sun entered the USL Super League postseason with a No. 2 seed and a 12-6-10 overall record – second best in the league with 12 wins and a league-best 10 ties – before winning two postseason games and claiming the inaugural cup.
The Tampa Bay Sun FC defeated the Dallas Trinity FC 2-1 in the semifinals on June 7 and came back to edge the Fort Lauderdale United FC 2-1 in the national finals on June 14.
The upcoming stadium which will house the club is seen as the next major step in solidifying the team’s presence in the region and the broader U.S. soccer landscape. The new facility will be constructed along the waterfront in the Ybor Harbor district of the Tampa area and along the Hillsborough River, is a site that once entertained to house a stadium for Major League Baseball’s Tampa Rays.
The 33-acre mixed-developmental project will also include a boutique-style hotel, parking and potentially some small retail, restaurants, and office towers in the area. The new district would also house the headquarters for the United Soccer Leagues (USL), which also owns and operates various professional, pre-professional/amateur and youth clubs for soccer in the U.S. The USL operates the USL Super League, USL Championship, USL League One, USL League Two, USL W League, and USL Academy along with various tournaments on different levels of the U.S. soccer pyramid.
“We believe in the power of sport to inspire, unite, and drive meaningful change,” said Shaw in a statement released Tuesday. “By anchoring this historic neighborhood with a vibrant home for women’s professional soccer, we’re investing in our city’s future and honoring the community that makes it thrive.”
The designs and construction plans in collaboration with the City of Tampa and local stakeholders, will release more information in upcoming weeks. The club is exploring public-private funding options and expects to break ground in early 2026. The Beck Group is also involved in the plans for this massive project.
Additional details, including projected costs for the stadium and other buildings in the area, will be released later this year as well.
The announcement underscores the momentum building behind the USL Super League, which aims to offer top-tier women’s soccer while expanding professional opportunities for players across the country. The USL Super League’s second season for 2025-26 will begin this August 23.
Tampa Bay Sun FC currently play home matches at the Tampa Howard Blake High School Riverfront Stadium, a shared venue used temporarily during their first campaign, and the club is expected to still play there in the 2025-26 season while the new stadium is being erected.
COURTESY PHOTO / TAMPA BAY SUN FC
Renderings of a new soccer-specific stadium in the Ybor Harbor District of Tampa, Fla., that will house the Tampa Bay Sun FC professional women's football franchise in the future.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and news@nationalsoccernetwork.com, or call 248-525-2349.
PREMIER MEDIA GROUP / NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK /
NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561215500230
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / National Soccer Network
Comments