- January 6, 2026
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A new year always brings about new beginnings. Everyone has a clean slate to and a fresh start.
In East County, the sports scene will offer more than just new storylines — there's multiple moments worth anticipating.
Here's what you should circle on your calendar as we enter 2026:
Eerie silence falls over a crowded course, interrupted occasionally by chirping birds. It's broken by the loud thwack of a driver head making contact with the ball.
A sizable sea of fans applaud upon that resounding cue. They move from hole to hole following the action, ultimately hoping to witness the winning moment.
Such an atmosphere is inevitable when golf legends walk these greens.
The 2026 Senior PGA Championship will be held at The Concession Golf Club on April 16-19, bringing together some of golf's most iconic figures. It also represents the first time since 2000 the PGA Tour Champions' premier event will be held in Florida.
The Concession, which opened in 2006, has hosted major events before. Its track record includes the 2023 World Champions Cup, 2021 PGA Workday World Golf Championships and the 2015 NCAA Division I men's and women's championships.
There continues to be some serious prestige at play.
Pádraig Harrington, Stewart Cink and Ernie Els are just some of the big names who are likely to play in our own backyard come April. The past three Senior PGA Championship winners have been two-time major champion Ángel Cabrera (2025), Richard Bland (2024) and Steve Stricker (2023).
Something even bigger is brewing — Tiger Woods celebrated his 50th birthday on Dec. 30, 2025, becoming eligible for the senior circuit. The 15-time major champion would be a massive draw, but has yet to announce whether or not he will opt in.
Health concerns linger. Woods underwent lower back surgery on Oct. 10 following Achilles surgery on March 11, and did not play a PGA Tour event in 2025.
His appearance at The Concession would be a monumental moment, but regardless, this year carries gargantuan implications for golf in East County.
Professional soccer players visit Lakewood Ranch every now and then. That's no surprise considering the friendly playing conditions and amount of amateur events at Premier Sports Campus.
But there's never been a professional team for locals to call their own.
That changes in 2026.
The Sarasota Paradise team, founded in 2022, will play its first season in the USL League One this year following three seasons at the amateur level with USL League Two. The club went 9-1-2 during the last regular season and won the South Florida Division title for the second year in a row.
A new era formally begins March 7 against AC Boise at Premier Sports Campus. The Paradise will play a 34-match, eight-month regular season — ending Oct. 24 — as one of 18 clubs vying for the league title. One Knoxville SC is the defending champion.
Ever since his hiring on Oct. 8, 2025, coach Mika Elovaara has been busy crafting his roster. The team promptly announced the signings of forward Garrett McLaughlin, midfielder Maximus Tainio and defender Roberto Burlew.
It will be no easy adjustment getting the players to mesh at the professional level. A rocky first few weeks or months of play are well within the realm of possibility, and the product on the field might not be so attractive.
The Paradise, though, quickly evolved from an idea to a bona fide club in the last few years. Success both on the field and in the office is what got them here.
Swimmers and pickleballers alike, rejoice.
No more settling for sparse opportunities to practice and compete locally. A new facility is soon to change the game for athletes of various ages in more ways than one.
The Athletics and Aquatics Center at Premier Sports Campus will open to the public in late summer or early fall 2026. Its two claims to fame will be an Olympic-sized swimming pool in addition to 24 pickleball courts — far exceeding any other offerings in Manatee County.
In all, the center spans 44,000 square feet. Premier Sports Campus already a major hub for local soccer and lacrosse with 23 mixed-use fields, including a stadium with over 3,000 seats.
For pickleball, the new facility will dramatically increase accessibility to the public. The six courts at Lakewood Ranch Park are currently the only free pickleball courts available to the public, and that simply isn't enough to meet the rapidly rising demand.
The 50-meter swimming pool, though, is even more impactful. It will permanently alter the sport's local landscape.
As it stands, there's no way for Manatee County-based swimmers to train in a full-size pool locally. That unfortunate reality has forced top talents to seek better facilities in Sarasota, where the Sarasota Sharks have produced nationally-acclaimed swimmers.
It's not just elite athletes whose wishes will be granted at the Athletics and Aquatics Center. The public as a whole stands to benefit.
The countdown to opening day is on.
