If you’re looking for some local soccer action, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies aren’t fully scratching that itch, there’s a new professional team right in the middle of town.
The Tampa Bay Sun FC is the area’s first professional women’s sports team, and the team has garnered a significant amount of traction before they even officially hit the field on Aug. 18.
On an early sunny afternoon at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, the Tampa Bay Sun Football Club is holding a fan fest with games, food trucks, and Sun merchandise.
It’s one of many community events leading up to the Sun’s first game, as the team tries to make itself recognizable in the Tampa Bay market.
This particular fan fest has young Journey Herring and her parents pumped up.
“I think it's awesome that she gets to see herself,” said her mother, Jessica Herring. “She's a soccer lover, and a lot of times we hear about those big names. We hear about (Lionel) Messi and (Kylian) Mbappé and she's definitely a fan, but it's awesome to see other women so that she can be encouraged and be inspired and really have someone to look up to and to want to emulate.
“Just to see these girls connected and have that type of mentoring, and just bridge that gap,” Jason Herring said. “We're just excited for the growth in women's sports overall.”
Lizzie Wiederecht is already fully on board with the new team.
“I was a little apprehensive with the name, because I was like, ‘Tampa Bay Sun seems very generic,’ Wiederecht said. "But they backed it up with a really good logo, a lot of good branding behind it. I like what they're doing with it.
“They're not making it too, I don’t want to say ‘women's soccer-y’, but like they're making it an athletic brand.”
Years in the making
Wiederecht is already a big-time Tampa Bay Rowdies fan, and has been dreaming of a women’s version of the team for years.
The Rowdies were planning to introduce a women’s alternative to the area years ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic shut down that momentum.
“I actually had the Twitter account [called] ‘Do the Rowdies have a women's team?’ And it was just tweeting the word ‘no’ every single day for like, two years at least,” Wiederecht said.
The 2024/25 Fall Season schedule has landed, and it's hotter than the Florida sun! ☀️ Get ready for a season of fierce competition, passionate supporters, and unforgettable matches.
— Tampa Bay Sun FC (@TampaBaySunFC) May 30, 2024
READ MORE: https://t.co/41SGqBM6ys pic.twitter.com/IwXce5n0HK
She’s so on board, Wiederecht started the Sun’s first official fan club, The Heatwave. Most of their chatting and planning happens on the social platform Discord.
“We have a match chat channel where you can talk specifically about the matches,” Wiederecht said. “We have a ticket exchange channel where if you have an extra ticket … or we have one for chants. We have one for tifos. It’s a great place to keep things organized, and everybody can kind of chime in.”
A week before the team was is set to begin the season, it held a preseason match. And Wiederecht said the energy was already palpable.
“People were loud, people were hype, people were ready for goals,” Wiederecht said.
“Fans want to come see goals. They want to come see wins. So we're definitely going to try and put on an entertaining, fun, competitive environment out there."Riley Parker
Wiederecht says she’s been overwhelmed by the early support she’s seen for the team, and it makes her want to try even harder to make other people know about the Sun.
“I'm putting pressure on myself because I want it to be perfect,” she said. “I want people to love it. I want people to be happy, and I want them to join and just want the Tampa Bay Sun just to be the best team ever. Honestly, I know that sounds really corny, but I just want people to love it.”
Connecting with the community
To foster that kind of love, there has to be a true connection to the community. And team president Christina Unkel says that’s been a main strategy for the team as it tries to become a strong entertainment piece for the area.
Beginning with the team name and logo.
“So the biggest thing there is this is a team named by the community and for the community,” Unkel said. “So even before I joined last July, there was quite a number of groups, the ownership group, and others that did interviews of the community. So this name of Tampa Bay Sun didn't come from the ownership group. It didn't come from the staff. It actually came from the community.”
And Unkel says a main strategy is to not overuse social media to get the word out. Instead, she says, community events have a longer lasting impact.
“We still crave those conversations and there's pieces and feeling it, and being part of a team and being part of a community,” Unkel said. “And that's what sports still allows, and that's why the social media is great, because it lets you guys know where we're at. Social media is great because it gives you little sneak peeks behind some of the players and what we do and everything that we're doing. But at the end of the day, that's only the beginning. That's not the end.”
And she says it helps that the team is playing its home games at Blake High School, where the Sun is also making $6 million in stadium renovations.
“The most important piece is why we picked that heart of Tampa Bay, and specifically there. Within a 30-minute drive, there's 2 million people who have access to the game,” Unkel said. “Access is was a huge non-negotiating factor.”
The key: Fielding a winner
Riley Parker was one of the first players to sign with the Sun, before it even had a name or logo.
While she’s been impressed with the team’s branding and marketing, she says it’s gonna come down to winning to attract a consistent fanbase.
“We want to be at the front of just giving fans something fun to come see. That includes a winning culture,” Parker said. “Fans want to come see goals. They want to come see wins. So we're definitely going to try and put on an entertaining, fun, competitive environment out there. And we are the only women's professional team out here right now too. So hopefully people will want to get behind that and support that.”
And she also understands how important this can be for young kids in the area being exposed to something truly new.
“I just hope that me myself, and the other girls on the team, can be somebody for these little girls in Tampa to look up to” Parker said.
It’s safe to say Weiderecht will provide enough support for a few people.
“I'm definitely gonna cry walking in, for sure, because this is like the culmination of everything I've ever wanted, ever, but I think the vibes — I think it's going to be electric,” Wiederecht said.
She’s even helped make team scarves that have the team’s new battle cry on it.
“ ’Here Comes The Sun’ just seemed good, honestly,” Wiederecht said.
Not to be confused with the light-hearted Beatles song.
“ ’Here Comes The Sun,’ like, we are gonna kick your butt.”
And, hopefully, the Sun are in for a bright future in Tampa Bay.
The Sun take on Dallas Trinity FC on Aug. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Check out the Sun's roster and schedule here.
