Will pro soccer find paradise in Lakewood Ranch?

Sarasota Paradise owner Marcus Walfridson said preparing for his team's first professional soccer game on March 7 in Lakewood Ranch has been like driving a car at 90 miles per hour while performing maintenance on it at the same time.

He is trying to handle a lot of moving parts.

The good news for Walfridson is that pregame ticket sales have been solid and he expects the Premier Sports Campus Stadium to be sold out for the USL League One opener against visiting AC Boise.

Walfridson took time out during a Paradise practice session last week at Premier to talk to the East County Observer about why he chose Lakewood Ranch for his business venture and why he believes professional soccer will succeed in the area. 

What brought you to the U.S.?

The American dream. My personal values are aligned with the foundational values of this country. It is the greatest country on the planet Earth. It is the land of opportunity. There is no other country where it doesn't matter how you look or where you are from. If you create something that is a benefit to others, it will be successful. 

Did you plan to start a professional soccer team when you moved to the U.S.?

Yes. I saw I had a piece of knowledge when it came to the game of soccer that could be beneficial to this community. If you live somewhere, you have a moral obligation to make it better. We are here at the right time, with all the expansive growth. It is not super easy to immigrate to the U.S. I figured I needed to do something that matters, and I figured I would start a team.

What prompted you to pick Sarasota as the right place to start a team?

So it was the fact that when I came, I saw the growth that was going to come. I saw a community with a lot of great parts, saw a lot of people from many different places. I saw a lack of clear identity. When you move here, that can be tricky to figure out, 'What can I do to be part of the community?' That's what a professional sports team does, it brings people together. It's us against them. In a community, a sports team is so important because it gives you something to rally behind, gives you a feeling of belonging, a feeling of togetherness. It can be tricky to get that when you are part of all the other things. It was something of need in this community, and I have the knowledge and ability to help the community with this.

Why did you start as an amateur team?

In professional soccer, there are requirements you need to fulfill, such as the field size — every high school field here is too narrow. That's the only reason we started (at Sarasota High School in 2023) with an amateur team, because there was no facility where we could play professional soccer. It only was possible after the Manatee County Commission voted to make improvements (to the Premier Sports Campus Stadium) with locker rooms.

Photo by Jay Heater

So you went to Manatee County and asked for improvements at Premier?

No, I did not. I do not believe the county and local government should spend a ton of money for us to start a team without us proving anything. That was something they had planned anyway. After I heard that a plan was in motion, I reached out.

But can you do what you need to do with 3,000 seats?

It is the only option. if you don't have options, you make it work. This is an interesting venue, designed for being a youth sports tournament venue. What you see now are improvements that give it more of a professional feel. This is not a professional sports venue, but we spent a lot of money for temporary improvements to make it a great sports experience. The thing this facility has going for it is that you sit so close to the field. We had 2,200 for the U.S. Open Cup last year and it felt like 5,000 people. The atmosphere was so good. It was so tight."

So what are some of the improvements.

Well, we have the seat backs that are portable and haven't been put out yet for March 7. The tent over there, that's our field side seats and that will be air conditioned. Your seat will literally be on the grass. We have group hospitality tents over there. We will have a giant LED screen — not by March 7 because permitting takes a while, but it will be here in March. We need to get all the paperwork done. 

How do you get the support from the Lakewood Ranch community?

The only way we can do that is to have great players who represent us. Players who are not only good on the field, but also good people. These guys are up for it.

How are ticket sales going?

It looks like we are selling out the first home game here. We have 3,000 seats and with hospitality, it goes to 3,260. I want to sell out 3,000 seats every game. You have 640,000 people living within a 20-mile drive of here. It is our job to tell people we exist.

If you sell out every game, is that enough to be successful, or can this stadium be expanded?

Well, this is a Manatee County property. In the long term, we will have to do what is best for the community and a professional sports team, which will be a stadium with more amenities and more room. We are in the early stages of looking at that. It probably will need to be some kind of public-private partnership. We might need some help.

Does that mean you would go outside Lakewood Ranch?

The challenge Lakewood Ranch has is that it is nearing full development. If I talk to Rex Jensen (CEO and president of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, Lakewood Ranch's developer), and say, 'Do you have 10 acres?' he will say, 'I probably don't have it.' We love Lakewood Ranch. What is not to like about Lakewood Ranch? We moved from downtown Sarasota to Lakewood Ranch last summer. I spend a lot of time at Waterside Place. I heard the saying before that if you live in Lakewood Ranch, you live in the bubble. That's because you really don't go outside it much. You have everything you need here."

Photo by Jay Heater

So would you be open to moving the team to Tampa or St. Pete?

No. I expect us to have a stadium in five years, and it's going to be in the Sarasota-Bradenton metropolitan area.

Do you expect to struggle early as a new professional team?

No. We don't do this to lose games. You don't join a league (USL League One is the bottom professional level) to be in the middle. We want to play at the highest level possible. The USL made an announcement that we can win our way to the highest level in the country. We can win our way to the major leagues. It would be a first in American sports.

What has been your take away from working with the public in Lakewood Ranch?

There are so many good people here, that is the biggest thing. The Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance has become almost like a family ... and the chambers. Americans give the most money to charity, by miles.

What do you want the public to get out of your opener?

Our biggest challenge is to explain what this is. They never have had professional sports here.

This game is being televised by ESPN+. That must bring in some money, doesn't it?

There is no TV money. It is about exposure. 

You are such an established coach at the top levels of soccer, will you be coaching with your head coach, Mika Elovaara?

It is unique for an owner to have my background. I can give him feedback. When I say something, it is relevant.