Dear Paradise Fans,
What an incredible first season we had! It’s emotional and inspiring to
reflect on what we accomplished as a team on and off the field.
Taking a couple of weeks to reflect (and grow my beard), there’s a
couple of things that stand out.
Firstly, I’m extremely grateful to our staff, volunteers and our
incredible fans for making it a summer to remember in Paradise. Seeing
you so engaged, enthusiastic and supportive of our players means a lot!
We breached the magical attendance mark and had 1,083 fans out for our
final game of the season. Next year we’ll double that!
Your Sarasota Paradise was launched in record short time. Our
announcement came on November 19, 2022 and six months later we played
the first league game in history.
On January 10 we revealed our name and brand, only 4 months before
kicking our first ball. Crazy!
Our focus this first season was to figure things out, off the field
first and foremost. With that in mind, the players who represented us
did an amazing job!
With a roster of players whom all had a local connection, we ended up
with a .500 record in our first season. We also had the best player in
our division, Hosei Kijima, a future pro.
Next season we will build off what we accomplished this first year.
In 2024 we will have a winning record, make the playoffs and set new
attendance records. The job of making sure that happens has started.
I’m confident we can deliver.
I mean, we’ve got almost a year to prepare this time… How hard can it be?
Thank you for your passion!
Marcus Walfridson
Founder & Owner
