TAMPA (July 14, 2025) — The Tampa Bay Sun Football Club has proudly enhanced its community support by becoming a sponsor of the Tampa Bay Soccer Hall of Fame, which will celebrate the game’s local history and heritage by inducting its inaugural class next month. Coach Denise Schilte-Brown and her players will receive special recognition for the Sun’s USL Super League championship during the TBSHOF’s induction dinner on Thursday, August 14 from 5:30pm to 9pm at Higgins Hall, 5225 N. Himes Avenue, on the campus of Tampa’s St. Lawrence Catholic Church.
The event is open to the public. Individual tickets are $90. Tables of eight are available for $1,000 (including prime location, table signage and program/video recognition). Additionally, there’s a chance to join the organization’s ground floor through a membership in the Founders Club
for ($250 annually, $1,500 lifetime). For more information, call (813) 467-6916 or log onto TampaBaySoccerHallOfFame.org.
“We are so excited to be involved because we believe the mission of the Tampa Bay Soccer Hall of Fame is so important for all of us,’’ Sun president and general manager Christina Unkel said. “The importance of preserving history is paramount because we’re celebrating the past people and organizations that created the framework many of us are building upon.
“We’re all focusing on the things that we have yet to achieve, the things we need to do, the things we want to do. But if we look back and know we’re part of something much bigger — and we’re standing on the shoulders of some real pioneers — that allows us all to be even more invigorated. So that’s why this Hall of Fame is so important to our organization. We’re now a part of that Tampa Bay soccer history. We’re completely in the moment, but every day is history for us because we’re blazing a trail with a women’s professional soccer franchise. The whole concept fits us so well and we are truly honored to be involved.’’
Perry Van Der Beck, a Tampa Bay Rowdies legend and former U.S. National Team member who serves on the TBSHOF’s Board of Directors, said the organization was gratified by the Sun’s sponsorship support.
“To have the Tampa Bay Sun participate as a sponsor for the TBSHOF is quite an honor,’’ Van Der Beck said. “Although they are the newest sports franchise in this market, they have quickly captured the hearts of the locals. It’s fantastic to see so many girls wearing TB Sun gear and cheering on their team.
“Even more, these professional female players are instilling excitement and newfound possibilities in the minds of their young fans. The arrival of
the Tampa Bay Sun has been so good for this community and for the
game of soccer. We’re so proud to have their support.’’
The TBSHOF’s inaugural 11-person induction class includes six household-name pioneers from the Rowdies’ glorious era in the North American Soccer League, three legendary head coaches, a longtime referee and a journalist who helped to promote the game at an unprecedented level.
Rowdies icons Mike Connell, Derek Smethurst and Steve Wegerle will be inducted, along with Coach Eddie Firmani, team executive Francisco
Marcos and team owner George Strawbridge.
Other inductees include Coach Jay Miller, who spearheaded the University of Tampa’s 1981 NCAA Division II national-championship team; Coach Jim DiNobile, who guided two national-championship youth teams and Eckerd College’s program; Coach Vicky King, a state champion and four-decade active leader of the Land O’Lakes High School girls program; Mike Mekelburg, a U.S. Soccer National Assignor and former referee; and Jim Henderson, a longtime journalist who began a versatile career in soccer by covering the colorful exploits of the early Rowdies as the Tampa Tribune’s beat writer.