JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Pro soccer is scheduled to return to Northeast Florida in two years when the United Soccer League men’s and women’s teams begin playing. It will be the first time a pro women’s team plays in town.
Tuesday evening at Aardwolf Brewing Company in San Marco, the club’s leadership held the third of six town halls. The purpose is to engage with the public, answer questions and hear input about what potential supporters want to see from the team. And there are plenty of questions to answer.
Around three dozen people showed up for Tuesday’s listening tour stop.
“The excitement for men’s and women’s professional soccer is palpable,” said founding partner Tony Allegretti. “we’re really just trying to reach out to the community in these in-between days until 2025.”
There have been some larger gatherings as well. Soccer fans want to know the answers to some big questions.
“The first time I heard about the Jax USL team being established was during the World Cup. I’m just excited for the team to kick off in 2025,” said Brendon Miah, who called himself a huge soccer fan. “I’m excited about the process and looking forward to the season tickets.”
Some had questions that could not be answered. At least not yet.
“We’re all a little curious as to what the (stadium) site is going to be. But we understand the financial aspect of that. I’m sure no matter where it is, it’s going to benefit our communities,” said Janette Revuelta, who is involved in the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who said she was there to support women’s soccer. “How awesome would it be to have our own stadium, our own youth league, our own talent right here at home?”
Right now, there are no firm answers to where the team will play, what they’ll be called or even what colors they’ll wear, but what club officials want to do at these sessions to gather input from the community to connect the team to it as closely as possible.
“We’re talking to the fans,” said founding partner Steve Livingstone. “This is what these town hall meetings are all about. Getting their feedback on what the team should be called, what the value should be the team should hold, and what the team identity should be within the community. These are all crucial questions.”
The men’s team is slated to start playing in 2025, the women’s team in 2026, and Livingstone says he wants to be able to break ground this summer on a new stadium. But for now, they’re working to finalize where that will be.
“We’re down to probably half a dozen sites right now,” Livingstone said. “It takes some time. But we’re really excited. All of the sites that were finalized would be phenomenal sites for what we’re trying to do.”
The three remaining tour stops include three more breweries:
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Feb. 2 at Dog Rose Brewing in St. Augustine
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Feb. 7 at Cultured Collective Brewing in Orange Park
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Feb. 21 at Intuition Ale Works
All of the events begin at 6:30 pm with the program scheduled to start at 7 pm
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