TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League and the Tampa Bay Rowdies announced today that the club will be joining the USL for the 2017 season.

As one of the country’s most historic soccer brands, the Rowdies were the first professional sports franchise in the Tampa Bay area and remain one of the most recognizable teams in soccer. Originally established in 1975, they won the Soccer Bowl championship in their inaugural year, and then again in 2012. For the 2017 season, the Rowdies are expected to be placed in the USL’s Eastern Conference.

“With our league headquartered in Tampa, we are pleased to welcome the Rowdies to the USL for next season,” said Alec Papadakis, the Chief Executive Officer of the USL. “This allows us to expand our footprint into the Southeast with a storied soccer brand while meeting our key tenets of market size, committed local ownership and stadium development. In Bill Edwards, we have a dedicated local owner who has invested heavily in the team’s stadium, front office and media efforts and is considered one of the marketplace’s top business and forward-thinking leaders. Bill is a renowned philanthropist and has donated significant money for children's and veterans' causes.”