(L-R) Tampa Bay Sun FC’s Aaliyah Pitts, Ella Martinez and Skylar Alonso. Credit: Photo c/o Catalyst Communications Group
In a city where “fútbol” and “football” mean two very different things, Tampa Bay Sun FC is making sure Spanish-speaking fans don’t miss a single play—or word.

The city’s first professional women’s soccer team is teaming up with interpretation and translation provider Language Services Associates (LSA) to make the matchday experience más accesible for the more than 25% of Tampa residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Soon, Sun fans will see, and hear, the difference at Blake High School’s Riverfront Stadium, where everything from signage to tickets and printed materials is getting a bilingual boost. Spanish-language support is now available when buying tickets by phone.

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“We live in a city shaped by its Latin roots — from the cigar rollers of Ybor City to the mercados of West Tampa,” team president and general manager Christina Unkel said in a press release. “This partnership makes sure that spirit is present at every match.”

LSA is no rookie when it comes to sports. It already works with Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, providing services like real-time translation for players and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing fans. That same level of support is coming to Sun matches starting in the 2025/26 season of the Gainbridge Super League.

An ASL interpreter will sign the national anthem at every home game, and LSA’s AI-powered tools may eventually allow non-English speaking players to hear their coach’s words translated instantly into their native languages.

“Language should never be a barrier to passion,” Scott Cooper, CEO of LSA, said in the release.

The club is on the brink of the playoff as it moves towards the end of its inaugural season.

Tickets for Tampa Bay Sun FC v DC Power FC on Saturday, May 24 are still available and start at $23. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

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This article appears in May 15-21, 2025.

Sofía García Vargas, born in Colombia, South America and raised in Costa Rica, Central America, is a journalism student at the University of South Florida and Editor-in-Chief of The Crow’s Nest, USF...