Set between Ybor City and the Port of Tampa, the Ybor Harbor development will soon call home to one of the only soccer stadiums in the U.S. built for a women’s professional soccer team. The 15,000-seat stadium, designed by The Beck Group and spearheaded by Darryl Shaw, is trying to ride the momentum wave of the Tampa Bay Sun’s impressive season, as the team just won the USL Super League’s championship.
Women’s soccer in particular is gaining traction across the United States, and the USL along with Darryl Shaw want to be part of the movement. “By collaborating with Darryl Shaw and Tampa Bay Sun FC, we’re accelerating the growth of women’s soccer while creating lasting benefits for Tampa Bay” according to Alec Papadakis, USL Chief Executive Officer. “The growth of women’s soccer” is evident: just a few months ago, the CPKC Stadium in Kansas City became the first soccer stadium “purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team”.
The USL, which is already based in Tampa, will soon gain a new state-of-the-art headquarters integrated into the stadium complex. Renderings reveal an office building with direct views overlooking both Ybor Harbor and the stadium itself. Plans also feature a boutique hotel positioned along the waterfront as part of the overall development.
Although the stadium’s main purpose is to host women’s soccer, Darryl Shaw has emphasized that it will also serve as a venue for other sporting events, concerts, festivals, and community gatherings. Aside from Amalie Arena, inner-city Tampa lacks a flexible space of this kind, and the new stadium is expected to create a more active community.
Ybor Harbor is planned to include over 100,000 SF of open space, and this development emphasizes that priority. Renderings/plans outline large sidewalks, potential retail venues, and greenery that compliment the stadium. Once completed, Ybor Harbor will include 800 hotel rooms, 150,000 SF of street-level retail space, 500,000 SF of office space, and 4,750 residential units with 10% put forth for affordable housing. Ybor Harbor is an ongoing initiative, and while a construction timeline has not been released, it will take some time before the first groundbreaking.
What about the Tampa Bay Rays? Although a potential stadium for the team was envisioned in late 2022, documents for Ybor Harbor submitted to City Council in 2023 made no mention of a baseball venue. In fact, incorporating one would require slashing several planned high-rises due to the already tight footprint of the Ybor Harbor site. This update comes as Darryl Shaw recently stated that finding enough land within inner Ybor for a baseball stadium is no longer feasible. Meanwhile, foundation work for multifamily developments, historic restoration, and other construction efforts have been long ongoing in the region.
Cost and a construction timeline have not been released, but according to the Tampa Bay Times, the goal may be to develop the Tampa Bay Sun’s stadium through a “public-private” partnership common with recent stadium construction.