Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Jacksonville Armada Sets Attendance-Record Goal For This Saturday

Jacksonville Armada F.C.

The Jacksonville Armada soccer team kicks off its first regular season in the North American Soccer League this Saturday with a match against F.C. Edmonton.

Not only does the Armada want to win on the soccer pitch, the team wants to win in the stands by setting a new NASL attendance record.

WJCT sports analyst Cole Pepper says that’s entirely possible.

“The record is 14,593 set last year in Ottowa when Ottowa opened up their new place. So remember that the Armada drew 13,934 for the pre-season opener at EverBank Field, so it wouldn’t take much more than that.”

Pepper says the Armada has only one shot at breaking the record because the rest of the home matches will be played at the baseball grounds, which has around 8,700 seats.

This Wednesday, the team is holding a kickoff party at the Jacksonville Landing to drum up support before Saturday’s match.

Jessica Palombo supervises local news gathering and production, podcasts and web editorial content for WJCT News, ADAPT and Jacksonville Today. She is an award-winning writer and journalist with bylines including NPR, Experience Magazine, and The Gainesville Sun. She has a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University and is an alumna of the University of Florida. A nearly lifelong resident of Jacksonville, she considers herself lucky to be raising her own children in her hometown. Follow Jessica Palombo on Twitter: @JaxJessicaP