Florida Tropics SC is a professional soccer club based in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...

. They are owned by Central Florida Sports Ventures, LLC, led by Dr. Panos Iakovidis, and former USL commissioner and Rochester Rhinos owner Chris Economides. The organization was originally founded in 2015 as a team in the

Major Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a professional indoor soccer league in North America. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The league is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. The le ...

before expanding into other leagues. The Tropics organization operates three senior teams across two different leagues. The first team is Florida Tropics SC, which plays in the professional

. The club also fields two men's outdoor teams. The top outdoor is Tropics SC, which plays in the United Premier Soccer League First Division. There is also a Tropics Reserves team playing the UPSL's Second Division. The club previously fielded a USL League Two team known as the Lakeland Tropics, and a

Women's Premier Soccer League The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States. History The WPSL is the longest-running active women's soccer league as it enters its 25th season in 2023. The WPSL is also the largest women ...

team. In addition to the senior squads, the Tropics organization also oversees two youth clubs in Central Florida. Lakeland Tropics FC in Lakeland, and Celebration FC Tropics in Celebration.

History

On May 3, 2016, the Tropics, in conjunction with the newly formed IPL, held a press conference at the

RP Funding Center The RP Funding Center (formerly the Lakeland Civic Center and the Lakeland Center) is a multipurpose entertainment complex in Lakeland, Florida, comprising a convention center, arena and theater. Formerly, it was the home of the Lakeland Magic, ...

and stated they would be joining the IPL alongside the Baltimore Blast, Harrisburg Heat, and St. Louis Ambush. However, on August 29, 2016, it was announced that all IPL teams including Florida would be joining the MASL. The team finished 3rd in their division in their inaugural season, and averaged over 2,500 fans a game including one sell out. In their second season in the MASL, the Tropics again fell just short of the playoffs, finishing 3rd in the Eastern Division. It was in 2017 that the club fielded their first USL League Two franchise, and in 2019 a new squad was created to play in the UPSL Pro Premier Florida Division, who went on to win the leagues national championship. The official supporter group of the Tropics organization is the Swan City Syndicate. The Tropics succeed the

Tampa Bay area The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, Florida, Clea ...

as the local indoor soccer club. The team is unrelated to the original Tampa Bay Rowdies, who were notorious for their indoor soccer success, as well as their outdoor. A current Rowdies team began to play in 2010 and is also unrelated to that club; the team exclusively plays outdoor soccer. Indoor soccer by the original Rowdies had officially ended when the team played in the American Indoor Soccer Association for one season ( 1986–87). For two seasons, another Tampa Bay area team played in the same league, from 1995 to 1997, called the Tampa Bay Terror; however, the team did not last more than two seasons, despite having some members of the Rowdies on the roster. It would not be until the Tropics first season that indoor soccer would return to the area. On April 21, 2023, it was announced that the Tropics would no longer play

games in Lakeland. The team cited the rising cost of rent at the

. Three months later, on July 12, 2023, the Major Arena Soccer League announced the Tropics would be suspended for the 2023-24 Major Arena Soccer League season, while the MASL would work with Tropics ownership to resume play in 2024-25.

Personnel

2022–23 roster

Active players

*As of December 28, 2022

Inactive players

Staff

* Clay Roberts – ''Head coach, (2016–present)'' * Kevin Curtin – ''Assistant coach, (2022–present)'' * Nick Olgee - ''Trainer, (2021–present)'' * Dr. Panos Iakovidis - ''Team owner, (2017–present)''

Venues

, Lakeland ( MASL; 2016–2023) * Bryant Stadium, Lakeland ( USL2 & WPSL; 2017–2019) * St. Petersburg High School Stadium, St. Petersburg (WPSL; 2018) * Lake Myrtle Sports Complex, Auburndale ( UPSL & USOC; 2019–present) * Tournament Sportsplex of Tampa Bay,

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

(WPSL; 2019) * Premier Sports Complex, Lakewood Ranch (WPSL; 2019)

References

External links

Official website - MASL teamOfficial website - PDL team
{{Tampa Bay Sports Major Arena Soccer League teams Sports in Lakeland, Florida Indoor soccer clubs in the United States Soccer clubs in Florida 2016 establishments in Florida Association football clubs established in 2016 Sports in Polk County, Florida Tropics SC Women's Premier Soccer League teams Sports in St. Petersburg, Florida Sports in Manatee County, Florida