Sporting JAX, Jacksonville’s first professional major league women’s sports franchise, will take the field in August.
The first expansion team of the USL Super League will play its home games at Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida, the team ownership announced Dec. 3.
Based in Tampa, the women’s soccer league is in the middle of its first season. The team will join eight franchises in Brooklyn, New York; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas; Fort Lauderdale; Lexington, South Carolina; Spokane, Washington; Tampa Bay; and Washington, D.C.
In addition to Jacksonville, there are plans to expand into Chattanooga, Tennessee; Indianapolis; Madison, Wisconsin; Oakland, California; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; and Palm Beach, according to the league website.
The team becomes the third prong of the of the local soccer ownership group, Sporting Club Jacksonville. Sporting JAX joins the group’s men’s team that will play in the USL Championship league (Division 2) and a youth soccer instruction and league program.
Ricky Caplin, leader of the ownership group, said the team is still working toward the construction of a 15,000-seat stadium. That is the minimum size for the team to advance to Major League Soccer. He said that a location and other details may be announced in the first quarter 2025.
Caplin said building a stadium is taking longer than expected.
“That is what I’m not supposed to speak about now, but we are very close. I think we have our site in mind. We have a couple options, but I think, God willing, it’ll be coming next year,” he said.
Hodges Stadium will serve as a temporary home to Sporting JAX.
USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort told the group, which was at UNF Arena, that her league has 200 to 220 women from 24 countries. However, 80% are from the U.S.
USL Super League is a Division 1 major league organization. It is operated by the United Soccer League. It is not affiliated with any other women’s soccer leagues.
The league’s season extends from August to December. After a winter break, it resumes January through April with playoffs starting in May.
There is no USL Super League draft. Each team has to recruit and sign players to form a team.
Vandervort did not disclose financial information, declining to discuss players’ salaries or franchise fees.
Jacksonville’s enthusiasm and reputation as a sports town drew Vandervort’s attention, she said.
“Let’s start with fans and the opportunity to bring professional women sports to Jacksonville and a fan base that’s actively invested and excited about it,” she said.
“From what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, I think the leadership of Mayor (Donna) Deegan has been critical as an advocate for us and women’s sports.”
Deegan said sports are an important part of the city’s image and its influence on its youth.
“I think women belong with every aspect of sporting life,” she said.
“I had kids that grew up in sports. It taught them a lot about leadership. It taught them a lot about disappointment and how to handle it. It taught them about teamwork and life lessons.”
Women’s soccer is poised to take advantage of the newfound popularity of other women’s sport leagues like the WNBA, Vandervort said.
WNBA star Angel Reese is a part-owner in the Washington, D.C., team.
“If that’s not an indication of women’s professional athletes supporting one another and driving the future worlds of sport, I don’t know what is,” Vandervort said.
Before the first game, Hodges Stadium will be upgraded with:
• 1,800 chair backs to create club seating
• 100 field-level premium seats
• Pre-match and in-game hospitality areas
• Pre-match fan zone
• LED field boards
Sporting Club Jacksonville will pay for the improvements but costs were not disclosed. Steve Livingstone, Sporting Club Jacksonville president and CEO, said it would be in the high six figures.
“Hodges Stadium is a great asset to the City of Jacksonville and has hosted many national and international events, while generating a large economic impact for the city. The partnership between UNF and Sporting JAX is another example of how our university can make a positive impact on our community, while also advancing women’s sports,” Nick Morrow, University of North Florida director of athletics, said in a news release.
The team is selling tickets and merchandise at sportingjax.com. Portions of the proceeds from the sale of team scarfs will be donated to HerSong and Hubbard House, nonprofits that work to protect and empower women in the community.