Kai Velmer has been at the helm of Pinellas County United SC for several WPSL seasons now.

But this year his club is back with a new name and a massive partnership. It joined the Florida Tropics SC umbrella as the highest women’s team in the organization along with partnerships at the youth level.

Velmer, Tropics SC's general manager, said the club was looking to grow by partnering with a larger organization in the region.

“We reached out to the Tropics, and their initial reaction was so positive, particularly with their passion to grow the women’s game,” Velmer said.

The two sides appeared to be an excellent fit for each other and had similar motivations on how clubs should be run.

“When we first sat down with Kai and Don, you could tell immediately that we shared the same values and goals in how we wanted to work together to grow the came and continue to provide opportunities for youth and premier amateur athletes to develop,” Florida Tropics general manager Andrew Ross said.

Velmer emphasized the high standards upon which the Tropics operate as a primary point of attraction.

“They do so many interesting things, and they’re very professionally run,” Velmer said.

Tropics SC organization operate mens teams in Major Arena Soccer League and the Premier Development League.

Velmer is already seeing the benefits of this new partnership off the field.

“At our first tryouts, we had the biggest turnout since 2013," Velmer said. "In previous years, we might have 20, 25 players at the initial stages. This year, we had more than 50 show up.”

The Tropics organization emphasized its desire to grow the women’s game in any way they can, and to be a catalyst for rising standards from an operations standpoint in the Sunshine Conference.

“From day one, they were asking ‘What can we do to improve everything?’ and with the level of competition in the conference, the real focus is on the operational side,” Velmer said. “We all want to be a new standard for how organizations are run in the WPSL.”

Velmer said the first goal is to set the Sunshine Conference attendance record at their home opener and hopefully reach the same heights as the PDL team.

The club’s WPSL season is set to begin on June 2, in North Fort Myers, Florida when it plays at Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions.