TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Last week, our own Capital City Correspondent Matt Hoffman reported on Tallahassee Mayor John Daly’s desire to bring professional hockey and women’s soccer to town.
NEW: Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey wants to bring back the Tiger Sharks, a minor league hockey team that used to be in the city.
He also wants a minor league women’s soccer team.
Dailey said that’s a way to diversify the local economy in the face of property tax reform.
— Matt Hoffmann (@ByMattHoffmann) October 28, 2025
Over the summer, WCTV’s Taylor Viles documented the community surge to bring the Tiger Sharks back to the ice, but as far as the soccer pitch is concerned, the Tallahassee Reckoning are hoping they’re the answer the city is looking for.
There is no “offseason” for a pre-professional club like the Reckoning (or any level for that matter). Staff are currently busy with clinics and on the business end the team has recently raised over $50,000 from community ownership initiatives.
“Similar to like a Green Bay Packers model and how it creates fandom,” says team owner and CEO Ashlee Fontes, noting that public ownership stakes are no stranger to soccer as well. “I don’t think there’s anything better than that, showing up to a game and having a piece of pride that you’re not just a fan in the stands. You’ve got the status of being an owner.”
Fontes is hoping that a strong base in the present can lead to a professional future for Tallahassee, and while things are working behind the scenes, an upfront proof of concept for the Capital City is maybe most important.
“You don’t build a house with the roof first, you start with the foundation and the foundation of being able to turn pro is showing proof of concept with a pre-professional team that is Tallahassee Reckoning,” said Fontes of the need for fan support and interest. “Summertime from May to June we have to pack the stands. We have to get 3,000 to 6,000 people in Gene Cox Stadium.”
There are still pieces in need of working out, the Reckoning have interest from three professional leagues, but must decide on the best fit. On top of a metaphorical home, the club would need a physical one as well, scouting sites to build a soccer facility as well as securing an investment team.
Some steps are closer to reality than others, but above all the club is hoping to get the word out on the possibility of pro women’s soccer.
“We’re selling cassette tapes out of the trunk of our car. We haven’t gone mainstream yet, we don’t have that big record deal yet,” joked Fontes. “We have the best product in the region with the players we’re putting on the field for pre professional and even if you don’t love soccer you’re going to love a great time.”
Hoping that “record deal” can help women’s soccer hit the top of the charts in Tallahassee.
In the meantime, Tallahassee Reckoning is holding a poll to let fans vote on its uniforms for the 2026 season
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