Tampa Bay Sun FC celebrate historic championship win with boat parade
TAMPA, Fla. - In true ‘Champa Bay’ fashion, the Tampa Bay Sun celebrated its USL Super League championship title with a boat parade on Wednesday.
What we know:
The championship boat parade happened along the Hillsborough River with the team boarding boats in downtown Tampa and traveling north on the water to Armature Works Pier.
Fans, including Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, were in attendance. The mayor even declared that June 18, 2025 is officially "Tampa Bay Sun Football Club" day in the city of Tampa.
Tampa Bay Sun celebrate title with boat parade
FOX 13's Kylie Jones spent the day at Armature Works where the celebration went down for Tampa Bay's women's soccer team.
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"It has exceeded all of my expectations," Sun midfielder Jordyn Listro said. "To bring the championship back to Tampa, it means everything."
Once docked, the celebration continued with the 2025 USL Super League Champions hoisting the trophy, photo opportunities and free giveaways.
Dig deeper:
The team says this season was not all about wins and losses.
"This is about women empowerment and the city of Tampa Bay," Sun head coach Denise Schilte-Brown said.
The club certainly felt loved by the fans throughout the season and on the river on Wednesday.
"The problem is with women's sport, you always feel like you are on the back burner," Sun midfielder Jade Moore said. "But the city of Tampa doesn't discriminate against female/male, it's just sport. You know?"
The Sun believe they just forged a path for the next generation of soccer players to believe they can play at this level.
"All of these little girls that grow up in Tampa come to our games and know that they can work to something that is actually achievable," Listro said. "It's exciting for women's sports and I am so happy we are becoming a football city."
The Sun are hoping for Tampa to be more than just a football city. The club wants it to remain a championship city.
"The joy it brings and all your hard work, you don't mind digging a little deeper," Schilte-Brown said. "We know we can do it. We've gotten there before so we'll be here again."
The backstory:
The Tampa Bay Sun FC is the first professional women’s soccer team in Tampa.
Tampa Bay Sun FC is one of eight initial markets paving the way for a national expansion of first-division professional women's soccer.
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The Sun finished their inaugural season with 14 wins, 6 losses, and 10 ties. Ten of those wins and only two of those losses came at home. Tampa Bay was undefeated in its last six matches, starting back on May 4, with five wins and one draw.
The 1-0 victory over Fort Lauderdale United FC on Saturday night was the league-leading tenth home win for the Sun.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Tampa Bay Sun FC.
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