ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies on Monday announced a milestone partnership with the largest youth soccer club in the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Bay United.

Tampa Bay United will rebrand as the TBU Rowdies beginning this season. The TBU Rowdies’ highest-level teams will wear the Rowdies’ familiar green and gold hooped jerseys on the field, expanding the visibility of the Rowdies throughout the region.

The move comes on the back of the Rowdies’ announcement that the Tampa Bay Rowdies U23 will join the Premier Development League for the upcoming season, which will create a direct path from youth soccer to the Rowdies’ professional team.

The partnership brings into focus the Rowdies’ goal of being the backbone of soccer in the Tampa Bay community and developing elite players both through the US Soccer Development Academy on the boys’ side and the Elite Clubs National League on the girls’ side.

“Over the last several years, the Rowdies’ focus has been to create a successful business model for both the first team players on the field and the stadium experience for the fans,” Rowdies COO Lee Cohen said. “We feel as if we are now prepared to focus on the next steps of our soccer evolution in the Tampa Bay Area. Partnering with TBU and making that club part of our family as the TBU Rowdies was, in our minds, the most logical next step.”