JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sporting JAX, Jacksonville’s first professional women’s soccer team, held a news conference Wednesday afternoon ahead of the team’s highly anticipated preseason match.
The team’s first preseason match will be against the Scottish team Hibernian FC Women on Saturday at UNF’s Hodges Stadium.
“This match is not only historic, marking the debut of Jacksonville’s first professional women’s sports team. It’s also deeply personal. It celebrates a special bond between our clubs, one shared by the late Ron Gordon, former chairman of Hibs and an early champion of Sporting JAX,” Sporting JAX President Steve Livingstone said.
Twenty-four players are on the roster, including at least 10 who are from the Jacksonville area. They’ll play a total of 16 home matches at UNF’s Hodges Stadium.
“Jacksonville is ready to embrace women’s professional soccer,” Livingstone said.
Livingstone told News4JAX he wants to put a quality product on the field and create a pathway for the next generation of local athletes to pursue pro soccer at home.
“We are really focused on making our community a better place through soccer and through sport. We are particularly focused on women’s sports, we are particularly focused on the special-needs community and we are also focused on communities that are underserved,” Livingstone said.
Sporting JAX’s regular season in the Gainbridge Super League kicks off on Aug. 23 with a home match against DC Power FC at 7 p.m.
Officials said over 7,000 tickets have been sold for the first preseason match on Saturday, and they are hoping to fill the 9,400-seat stadium. For ticket information, visit this website.