As if the Tampa Bay Sun women's soccer club needed proof it was building something big by winning the first USL Super League championship.
Yet days after raising the trophy, the team announced more construction plans, for a 15,000-seat waterfront soccer stadium in Ybor City.
The venue, including a boutique hotel, would anchor Ybor Harbor, the 33-acre mixed-use development of Sun majority owner, Darryl Shaw, the team said in a news release Tuesday.
Shaw, a Tampa-area real estate developer, has the property under contract and received approval last year from the Tampa City Council for the project. Ybor Harbor is slated for the north end of Ybor Channel, with the Channel District on the west, North 19th Street on the east and the Selmon Expressway on the north.
"We believe in the power of sport to inspire, unite and drive meaningful change," Shaw said in the release. "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."
Tampa Bay Sun FC is proud to share our vision for a permanent stadium in Ybor City!
— Tampa Bay Sun FC (@TampaBaySunFC) June 17, 2025
This isn’t just about envisioning a stadium — it’s about envisioning a home. pic.twitter.com/VAeAFgSRh7
Shaw said the team's vision for the stadium is to help lay down a cornerstone for Ybor City's continued revitalization.
"The stadium will drive foot traffic, jobs, local spending and visibility," the team said in the release. "It’s part of a broader working waterfront development that includes housing, a hotel, retail, and community amenities.
The stadium is being designed by the Beck Group primarily as a women's soccer venue, but the Sun expects it to host other sporting events, concerts, festivals and community gatherings. The Sun said capacity could be expanded to 18,000.
The cost has not yet been finalized but the team said some public money will be involved.
"Our goal is to establish a public-private partnership to develop the stadium and surrounding public infrastructure," the team said in the release. "We are committed to transparency and building something that creates value for the community."
No construction schedule was announced, although layers of government approvals would be required.
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Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who attended Saturday night's championship game, is on board.
“Tampa is a city of champions — and now we’re dreaming even bigger," Castor said in a statement. "The stadium would deliver a place that captures our city’s energy, inspires the next generation, and stands as a national symbol of what happens when cities invest boldly in women’s sports and inclusive economic growth.”
When the team was awarded to Tampa in 2023, Shaw and his fellow owners said they were planning to have a "soccer-specific stadium."
For the inaugural season, the Sun renovated the football stadium on the campus of Blake High School. Renamed Riverfront Stadium, the 5,006-seat facility is located along the Hillsborough River facing the downtown skyline.
The location was once considered for a 28,000-seat, covered ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays until the baseball team nixed plans in 2018 over financing concerns.
With the Rays' decision to pull out of a plan to build a $1.3 million stadium in St. Petersburg this year, the team is again looking for a new place to play after its contact for Tropicana Field ends in 2028.
However, any reconsideration of the Ybor site can't happen. A spokesperson with the Sun said that the location cannot accommodate a soccer and a baseball stadium.
Meantime, the Tampa-based United Soccer League announced Tuesday it will relocate its headquarters and 120 employees from the West Shore Business District to Ybor Harbor.
In addition to the Women's Super League, the USL oversees 38 professional men's teams, including the USL Championship, of which the Tampa Bay Rowdies are a member. A USL first-division league is scheduled to launch in 2028.
A spokesperson for the Sun said it is not part of the plan for the Rowdies or any men's team to play at the new stadium. The Rowdies, who are owned by the Rays, currently play at St. Petersburg's Al Lang Stadium.
Although there has been partnerships in the past, any collaboration would be the result of "good faith" negotiations on what's best for the organizations and fans.
The Sun's project would be the first stadium for a team in the Women's Super League, which sits on the top tier of women's soccer in the United States alongside the National Women's Soccer League.
The Ybor venue will join a growing trend of facilities being built specifically for women's sports.
The NWSL's Kansas City Current built the first women's soccer stadium, CPKC Stadium, which opened last year.
The expansion NWSL team in Denver, which will begin play next season, has announced its plans to build a stadium. Brighton of the Women's Super League in England won local approval for a stadium in 2023 but there's no current timeline for construction.
USL CEO Alec Papadakis said the goal is to accelerate the growth of women's soccer and create lasting benefits for the region.
"The stadium development will be a place where fans and community come together and celebrate our sport — here in Tampa Bay and across the country," Papadakis said.
WUSF's Rick Mayer contributed to this report.
