Port St. Lucie has announced that it will become home to its own soccer franchise consisting of men’s and women’s teams starting in 2027, in partnership with the United Soccer League.
The announcement was paired with the reveal of a new stadium at Walton & One, a mixed-use development that will prominently feature the MidFlorida Event Center and the stadium once it is built.
The team, dubbed the Port St. Lucie Sports Club, will compete with other Florida League members, including Sarasota and Tampa. Its anchor crest is meant to evoke the feeling of the Treasure Coast and its history with the 1715 Spanish fleet.
Daniel Holman, COO of USL, said that Port St. Lucie will join those clubs in the competitive spirit of the league.
“When this club is ready to kick off, there will already be built-in regional rivalries for you to take on,” he said. “Rivalries are what makes coming to a match so exciting.”
Port St. Lucie will start in a league competing with clubs like Naples and Sarasota, and based on sporting merit, can climb to compete with the likes of Tampa, Jacksonville, or other major clubs.
The soccer season runs from March to October, with finals in November, according to Holman. The men’s soccer team is slated to start during that season in 2027, with the women’s team to follow. There will be around 20 games each season.
Talent for the teams will be sourced from all over.
“Players are sourced internationally, nationally, and regionally,” said Holman.
Holman said he believes even non-soccer fans can enjoy attending these games.
“This is about providing family-friendly, affordable entertainment that becomes a part of the social fabric and culture of Port St. Lucie,” he said.
The six-acre stadium will be equipped with 6,000 seats, with potential for future expansion.
Beyond soccer, the city will be granted use of the stadium for 24 event days each year.
“Our idea with the stadium is that it’s not our stadium, it’s the city’s stadium,” said Agostina Galimberti, one of the co-founders of the club. “We want to have a lot of things playing there; events, concerts, etc.”
The stadium is slated to bring an economic boost to the city, with $80 million of investment going into the project. The city will not pay for the construction of the stadium. Ebenezer, which is constructing the stadium, will also fund it. The city may reimburse half of the cost of construction to Ebenezer annually over the course of 20 years once construction is completed.
Port St. Lucie Mayor Shannon Martin expressed her excitement for the endeavor.
“It will create over 200 new jobs, with many averaging salaries at 124% of the St. Lucie County average wage,” she said. “The impact will be felt immediately through these new jobs, activity, and investments, and the benefits will last for years to come.”
Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo similarly shared her hopes for the stadium and the team.
“I pray that I’m going to see a major league player come out of this stadium, and I can say I was sitting here and I was a part of it,” she said. “I’m so looking forward to being a part of this.”
While nothing is definitive yet, the city is looking to include hotels and restaurants alongside the new stadium.
“As we’ve been analyzing this project over the last few years, we have fielded lots of inquiries from residential and commercial developers from hotels,” said Jennifer Davis, community redevelopment agency director for Port St. Lucie.
Additional plans are being considered to develop a sports training complex outside of Walton & One.