http://www.fctampabay.com/news/index.html?article_id=9107 Mr. Tom Dempsey, owner of Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Fla. was also announced as a new team investor. Mainsail Lodging and Development Group was announced as the exclusive housing partner of the FC Tampa Bay organization. Finally, FC Tampa Bay announced that its Academy International Residency Program will be headquartered at Saddlebrook Resort. TBR Academy Residency Program will start with 20 to 25 international and domestic players. Players will be housed and schooled at Saddlebrook, as well as trained by the FC Tampa Bay Academy coaching staff led by Technical Director Perry Van Der Beck.
this is a commitment right here to the area and the level of professionalism for hte club. to have the owner of saddlebrook on the investment team is big, but to have an academy housed there as well is a mighty large step in the right direction. well done fc tampa bay rowdies.
that is some great news. hopefully they will allocate enough resources to make the academy something worthwhile. i like that there seems to be a solid commitment on the part of the Rowdies. if the people come and they can show there is a viable market in tampa for soccer i think MLS will be here sooner, rather than later despite the mutiny contraction.
It is very interesting that they decided to create their own residency program. I think this could be very positive. I wonder if it will use the model that the US U-17s that are in residency down at IMG?
Let's stay in the here and now and make this successful rather than worry if MLS will come back or not. Remember all the talk after the first MLS game which drew nearly 30,000. Everyone was claiming there would be 50,000 for the July 4 match and soccer would be here to stay. We all know how that story ended.
Yeah, I know. One step at a time but it's always fun to look ahead and hope for a return of MLS to Florida!
Attendance for the first game in '96 was about 28,000. July 4th games were about 23,000 most years, not counting the thousands that showed up at the end of the game to see the biggest fireworks show in town.
I second that I would love to see MLS in florida also. If I have to drive to Tampa it is only 4 hrs which is fine with me since the closest would be DC United which is about 10 hrs from Jacksonville where I'm at