Tampa Bay Sun FC hold history-making first practice

TAMPA - The Sun is rising in Tampa Bay.

"It's just a great feeling and almost a sense of relief," said Denise Schilte-Brown. "You've worked so hard to get here."

Today, Schilte-Brown, the former head coach of the USF women's soccer team, got to lead a new team onto the practice field for the very first time.

"So many hours and so much research done, but now we're on the pitch and it feels like we're in our element," Schilte-Brown said.

Practicing as a team for the first time ever, the players and coaches of Tampa Bay Sun FC realized what a special occasion this morning was.

"It is brand new and nobody knows what to expect, so we can make it what we want. That is a really rare opportunity to have," said midfielder Dominique Richardson.

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Months ago, when the team was first announced as a member of the upstart USL Super League, training camp seemed like a long way away.

On Friday, the first professional women's soccer team in Tampa Bay sports history brought a new dawn for professional sports in the area.

"It's pretty cool that you can come into a new environment, and we can create what we want," said midfielder Erika Tymrak. "We can set the tone and we can create the standard."

Tymrak, a Bradenton native and former Florida Gator, has already enjoyed a full career in professional women's soccer.

The chance to help start a club in her hometown, however, was too good to pass up.

"The fact that I've been playing for 12-13 years professionally and come to where it all started is unbelievable and I'm going to cherish every moment of it," she said.

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While the focus for the Sun was on the pitch today, it was not lost on the team how impactful their presence is Tampa Bay could be.

"It's about the little girls," said Schilte-Brown. "It's about them coming to the field and they're super excited to get the autographs, but it is see her, be her. If you cannot see her, it's very hard to be her."

But a team can have more than just one goal.

"The team wants to win a championship. That is our goal," Tymrak said. "We have, obviously, come from all over the place, but that is a common goal and we're going to start from day one."

While the Sun are just one day into training camp, the team has another six weeks to go before game one.

The Sun will kick off their inaugural season August 18 at their newly renovated Riverfront Stadium.

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