TAMPA, Fla. — This is history in the making.

The Tampa Bay Sun prepares for their season opener and gets ready to put down their professional roots in a city that celebrates its pro teams.

What You Need To Know

  • The Tampa Bay Sun open their season Sunday against Dallas

  • The Sun will play their home matches at Blake High School's renovated stadium along the Hillsborough River

  • Playing in the USL Super League, the Sun are the first women's professional team in Tampa Bay

  • All of their games will be streamed on Peacock

“It’s just really special because we’re the only women’s team here in Tampa Bay,” Sun forward Ashley Clark said. “So that’s really cool.”

Buccaneers, Lightning, Rays, Rowdies, and now Sun. These ladies have been working hard to establish themselves. The team features a lot of speed and experience. The product on the field is set up for success. It’s also set up to influence the next generation.

“We’re going to have girls in the stands — the ball girls — that are watching and say, 'You know what, I want to be like her one day,'” Clark said.

Once relegated to playing the sport they love overseas, now Bradenton native Erika Tymrak gets to play in her own backyard. The former U.S. National Team member recalled the early beginnings of women’s professional soccer and the obstacles they had to overcome.

“We didn’t have locker rooms. We didn’t have facilities. The medical treatment was subpar,” Tymrak said. “We were constantly changing pitches going from turf to grass to football fields. There was no consistency.”

This generation of professional players has everything they need to be successful. The Sun have a new, state-of-the-art facility along the Hillsborough River, where they hope to pack the stands with fans. Sunday’s home opener is just the beginning of what they plan to sustain for a very long time.

“It’s almost like there’s foundation that was built for a really long time that’s just breaking through and rising up,” Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. “And it just seems like it’s in every women’s sport. It’s our time to rise.”