When Christina Unkel sits down for an interview with you, you better make it worth her while. She’s one of the busiest people in the soccer community and her time is valuable. Her rise to fame reads like a true Renaissance woman’s resume, dotted with some of the most high pressure jobs one can achieve: a collegiate athlete, an accomplished lawyer, a referee who’s worked some of the biggest leagues in the world, a rules analyst for World Cup media coverage, and now club president of one the newest professional soccer clubs in the country, Tampa Bay Sun FC.

“This time last year, if you asked me if I wanted to be the president of a professional soccer club, I would have said ‘No, that’s nowhere on the bingo card!’” Unkel responded when asked about how planned her rise to this position was. “I think that’s definitely why you never say never, because you never know how life might change. I’ve been running away from the job side of sports all my life.” Her passion for the sport keeps bringing her back over and over again and this time to the top leadership spot of an expansion side in the USL Super League.

But if the offer had come from a city that wasn’t Tampa Bay, Unkel would have said no. She went to college in the state, has lived in Sarasota for 15 years, and considers Florida her home, and those factors made the offer to lead the Tampa Bay Sun hard to resist. “Here it resonates. You try to find where it fits, where it gives more purpose to your life. For me, it’s this community.”

Unkel admits she was skeptical when the call came. “I had questions when I first met the owners. I was there at the inception of WPS and then the NWSL. I’ve seen the ups and downs, the issues, good and bad ownership, so I had a lot of pointed questions.” The responses she got from the ownership group convinced her it was the right move. “I wanted to know why they were investing in women’s soccer. They responded ‘We believe in economic impact and women’s sports delivers that.’” These were people that have worked on major projects and companies in the Tampa Bay area, if they believed that there was money to be made in the sport and they would run the team like a business, she was sold.

That ownership group hasn’t been shy about investing its money into getting the table set for a big first year. The team has filled its roster with players featuring pedigree and experience from around the world. But the first sign that this club was playing for keeps was choosing a high school for its temporary home field. Skeptical? So was Unkel.

When the suggestion of playing at Blake High School came up, Unkel’s first response was “over my dead body.” She was concerned about claiming to lead a professional soccer club, but then delivering an amateur experience. But she went to check out the stadium and came around to the idea. “The reason we picked that location was because it’s in the heart of Tampa Bay…2.5 million people can access it within 30 minutes. It’s on the river, it’s a gorgeous location, and there’s plenty of pre and post activities: food, drinks, etc. But most importantly, that stadium is a partnership with a high school. We’ve essentially ripped up the entire stadium. We’ve invested over 7 million dollars in improvements. We’re making this a soccer-specific stadium.”

The improvements being installed begin with the field the players will play on, FIFA quality grade 1 turf, and extend to the stands that will hold the fans. The locker rooms have been upgraded, audio and visual aspects of the stadium have been improved, everything is being elevated. And as far as the two concerns that most often surface in high school stadiums: yes, beer will be sold (Unkel mentioned that was the number one question she’s asked by fans) and no, there will not be American football lines on the field. “We could have easily set up a temporary stadium, given our ownership group’s capabilities,” but the goal was to partner with the city to create something permanent and lasting in the downtown area that can be a crown jewel for the future. The club has plans for a permanent stadium in 3-5 years, but Unkel is thrilled that the improvements made to their first home “will remain a gift to the city.”

Unkel isn’t shy about discussing the new league’s relationship with the other existing Division One women’s league, the NWSL. Her time working in and around the league gives her a unique perspective on what could be a testy relationship between the leagues. “Our league is open to competition. We’re already competing for players…We talk to players and before there was no option. You had to accept what you got. Now, Super League may be a better fit for players.” The fall-to-spring calendar is a unique aspect of the Super League that might make it more attractive for international players. “If you play for country, the Super League doesn’t stress as much between club and country, as we’re on the FIFA international calendar. We’re the only domestic professional league on the international calendar. So we might be a great opportunity for someone who plays international football.” One thing’s for sure though, Unkel isn’t stressed by challenging the status quo in American soccer. “Who cares what people think about competition and who’s a threat, if you focus on delivering an incredible product and being true to one’s ethos, then everything else follows.”

As the head of the club, she’s using every skill in her back pocket to make the Sun shine. “I consider myself employee one,” she jokes. “Me being a lawyer as well, gives the owners a flat fee.” Just two weeks ago, she was negotiating with a hot dog vendor. A few days after, she was looking over construction at the stadium site. She’s elbow-deep in the operations and setup phase of the new Super League club. And with less than 75 days to go till Tampa’s home opener, she’s got plenty to do and not a lot of time to do it. But if Unkel’s track record tells you anything, she’s up for the challenge.

- Dan Vaughn