Meet USL Super League Tampa Bay

Professional women’s soccer is coming to Tampa Bay

y4mmLRGwgvZ6ulTwM6XCvvPwo2bg4j_E9P7g5b0EZpE2V2uk7d1lKDduLBMmfvfHVwHnXGYzHd-b7qxa4jAsZM_olf_X_AQf_h8Lzu4yKw5GBUdkeiB48y3KEpS8ixPruchOOVj9BPjbTYioM1_VgzOeeKnhHXe5x_jZ9ixGOjVwJUFEN-aegQA8uBftN90SxHdz2CldMSI9-Rw5uXhrj6iUg (1).jpeg

Owners, and childhood friends, Darryl Shaw, David Laxer, and Jeff Fox pose at a soccer match.

Photo via Catalyst Communications Group

The rumors are true. Champa Bay just scored yet another professional sports team.

Tampa Bay will take the field in 2024 for the inaugural season of the USL Super League, a new women’s professional soccer league. According to a press release, the league will feature 10-12 professional teams in the first season, plus pre-professional teams, and academy programs.

Leaders hope to have the league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer as a Division One league.

The club is owned by Darryl Shaw, the Tampa Bay developer and investor, Jeff Fox, former Chief Information Officer of BluePearl Pet Hospital, and David Laxer, the co-owner of Bern’s Steak House.

“This is about inspiring, energizing, and uniting our Tampa Bay community,” Shaw said in the release. “We’re ready to build a team that not only wins on the field, but also makes a positive difference off the field. To us, success comes when you become part of the fabric of your community.”

So, what’s next? A community advisory board will iron out details like a club crest, colors, and most importantly, a name.

The team will play their first season in a not-yet-announced, temporary home until a year-round soccer stadium is built. Owners hope to build a facility that can double as a space for community + kids leagues and events.

For more updates on the incoming team, follow Super League Tampa Bay on Instagram or Facebook.

More from TBAYtoday
And that’s not all: Hillsborough just opened a new call center to help residents apply for grants, and a downtown Tampa park reopened.
We’re sharing the lineup for this fall’s country music and barbecue festival at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
Check out some of the coolest, most unique Airbnb and Vrbo rentals around Tampa Bay, FL and plan for your next adventure or staycation.
Ybor’s final operating cigar factory is fully restoring the century-old Sanchez Y Haya building across the street into a new inn, restaurant, and cigar lounge.
We’re talking parking, shade, dining options, and all the other tea.
The festival is back — at its new home within Water Street Tampa — with huge headliners like Mt. Joy and Gov’t Mule.
Take a peek at the Rays’ new-yet-old digs, complete with new luxury clubs, a speakeasy, and the Cownose Clubhouse.
The Florida Aquarium won’t need to evacuate its crew the next time devastating storm surge is forecast for the Tampa Bay area.
The 4,300-capacity music venue will live within the Gasworx district and open by late 2028.
You don’t need to travel to Georgia to experience the beauty of Augusta. We rounded up some ways to replicate the Masters experience in TBAY.