The matchup finds our side taking on Dallas Trinity FC, one of eight teams that make up the inaugural season for the USL Super League, which could soon give the 13-year-old National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) a run for its money. Here’s everything you might want to know about Tampa Bay Sun FC. [event-1]
How Tampa Bay Sun FC started
Tampa Bay has been close to paying women soccer players before. Two teams—the Tampa Bay Elite (est. 2005) and Tampa Bay Hellenic (est. 2008)—played in the amateur Women’s Premier Soccer League and USL W-League. A pro indoor team, the Tampa Bay Strikers, recently tried to get off the ground, too, but only made it one season in the National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) before falling apart ahead of NISL’s merger with another league.
In 2023, Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg, who owns the men’s USL Championship team Tampa Bay Rowdies, saw his effort to bring a NWSL team to the area fall flat.
The USL Super League hopes to have a different fate.
Last February, the league earned Division 1 status (D1) from the U.S. Soccer Federation , meaning teams will compete at the highest level of professional women’s soccer in the U.S. Factors like metro size, stadiums , the league’s reach across time zones, net worth of owners, and more all play into the designation. USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort called the sanction “a crucial step toward realizing our vision to be a global leader in women’s soccer on and off the field.”
While NWSL has a $2.75 million cap—with some players like USWNT forward Sophia Smith being awarded contracts reportedly worth more than $2 million—USL Super League will not have a salary cap or a draft. Christina Unkel at Blake High School in Tampa, Florida on July 1, 2024.
Who’s behind Tampa Bay Sun FC?
To earn D1 status, team ownership must have a combined net worth of at least $25 million with principal owners needing to be worth at least $15 million. The Sun’s ownership group consists of BluePearl veterinary founder and developer Darryl Shaw, Blue Pearl’s since retired Chief Information Officer Jeff Fox, and David Laxer, owner of Bern’s Steak House.
Shaw, who’s building Ybor City’s GasWorx development on and around the former Tampa Park Apartments , is also a past investor in the Tampa Bay Times, and leader of the Florida Aquarium’s $40 million expansion campaign. He also owns the building that’s now home to Ybor City’s Kress arts collective .
Last November, Christina Unkel told WMNF public affairs program “The Skinny” that she hadn’t heard of the guys when they asked her to be the team president. Now she calls them “the three amigos” and sees them all the time. “It felt really surreal,”
Unkel—a lawyer, FIFA referee, and TV rules analyst who regularly schools talking heads on CBS Sports—said about the call. Unkel explained that when she got done playing in college, the concept of playing pro in the U.S. was nonexistent, so being asked to lead a side from the front office was a huge leap.
Unkel, who played at Palm Beach Atlantic University, has been involved with pro women’s soccer for two decades. She’s seen people ruin leagues and women work multiple jobs to make their dream of playing pro soccer a reality. Sun ownership has also seen loved ones go through the struggle. “They are really big believers in equity. And they said, ‘We can use our platform to not not have power over someone, but use the power to do good in this community,’” she added.
“When we started this, we wanted to give opportunities to women,” Fox told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay during a rainy meet-and-greet early this month, noting that executive positions in the Sun’s front office are majority women-occupied. Fox acknowledged the financial burden that comes with creating a sustainable team—tickets, sponsorships, etc.—but said bringing the team to the community is what the group wanted to do.
“The number one thing that’s on our mind right now is bringing professional women’s sports to the Tampa community,” he added.
Where does The Tampa Bay Sun play?
Practice happens at a team facility on the corner of Nebraska and Seventh Avenues in Ybor City . The Tampa Bay Sun’s current schedule includes 14 regular season games, with seven home matches set for Riverfront Stadium at Blake High School in Tampa. USL Super League teams are required to play in stadiums with a capacity of at least 5,000 fans. Read more about the Tampa Bay Sun FC stadium—and see pictures from its construction, and first live tuneup game— here .
Who coaches Tampa Bay Sun FC?
The Tampa Bay Sun is led on the field by a beast in coach Denise Schilte-Brown, who not only had a a 184-97-43 at the University of South Florida, but guided the USF to six conference championships in the AAC, and eight NCAA Tournaments where the Bulls went to the second round four times, and the third once. Read more about the Tampa Bay Sun FC gaffer—and see photos from the team's first practice— here .
Who plays on Tampa Bay Sun FC?
Yesterday, Tampa Bay Sun FC announced the signing of Kristen Edmonds , a defender from defending NWSL champ Gotham FC, alum of the Orlando Pride, and past member of the U.S. Women's National Team training camp.
Edmonds joins a Tampa Bay Sun FC roster that, according to the team website, includes 21 players, including three goalkeepers, four defenders, six forwards, and eight midfielders. The roster’s average age is about 27 years old.
Read more about the Tampa Bay Sun FC roster and get linked to player info here .
How much do Tampa Bay Sun FC players get paid?
Minimum salary in the NWSL is $36,400, according to Women’s Health Magazine . While the NWSL has a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), Unkel told CL that USL Super League’s Board of Governors made a clear decision to match industry standards and norms, without a CBA forcing their hand. Unkel added that on top of salaries, all Super League teams provide housing that must meet standards for safety, and occupancy.
“Minimum is two players or two bedrooms—you can’t put six players in a tincture,” she said. Team partner Ashley Furniture even designed the living space with the players.
The team has not spoken on the overall payroll beyond those comments, but the guaranteed salary is a huge step for pro women’s soccer in America. On a recent call with the GM of Gotham FC, Unkel couldn’t help but laugh. They were working on a transfer as Unkel watched the Sun train in Ybor City, with downtown Tampa’s skyline as the backdrop.
“I was laughing in a good way,” Unkel said. “We both just stopped, and we were like, ‘10 years ago, she was getting paid $15,000 to play all-year—and she was on the national team—now, we’re sitting here talking about solid figures.”
This generation of athletes is playing in an environment Unkel and her teammates wished they had. She believes this is just the beginning. “Now we have investors and owners who believe in it, and corporate partners who are not just saying, ‘Yeah, we want to be part of it.' They’re actually stroking meaningful checks, not just small dollar things,” she added.
Tampa Bay Sun FC's regular season (and playoff?) schedule
Sunday’s match is one of seven scheduled home games for Sun FC. Each team in the league plays a 14-match fall schedule and a similarly-balanced 14-game schedule in the spring (beginning in February) For now, the first chance to show the team the heat of that hometown love has finally arrived. Get the details on the schedule here . [content-6] Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
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