Is Professional WNBA Basketball Coming to Palmetto, Florida?
The office of The Suncoast Post received a phone call last night from an ‘unnamed source’. The person told us that there are on-going negotiations with a professional sports league (WNBA) and Feld Entertainment in Palmetto, Florida. Again, there is no confirmation of this information.
Apparently, the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) is in negotiations with top brass at Feld to hold practice and live games at the huge facility in Palmetto. There have also been reports that the WNBA is in negotiations with IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida to play games at their facility.
Our phone calls to the folks at IMG were not returned. Also, no one answered at Feld Studios. From what we understand, it would be a reduced season with 22 games. If either facility does host the WNBA, it would be great for our area’s hotels, restaurants, and retail businesses. As more information becomes available, we will share it with our readers.
From the Feld Entertainment Website
Feld Entertainment® is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live touring family entertainment experiences that bring people together and uplift the human spirit. Properties include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, Disney On Ice, Disney Live!, Marvel Universe LIVE!, Sesame Street Live!, DreamWorks Trolls The Experience and Jurassic World Live Tour.
From Wikipedia about IMG Academy
IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. The boarding school offers an integrated academic and athletic college preparatory experience across eight sports – baseball, boys and girls basketball, football, golf, boys and girls lacrosse, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls tennis, track & field and cross country. IMG Academy offers camp programs on a year-round basis and serves as a training and competition venue for amateur, collegiate, and professional teams, adults, and families and as a host site for a variety of events.
About the WNBA from Wikipedia
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a professional basketball league in the United States. It is currently composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women’s counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA), and league play started in 1997. The regular season is played from May to September, with the All Star game being played midway through the season in July (except in Olympic years) and the WNBA Finals at the end of September until the beginning of October. Starting in 2020, a midseason tournament, the Commissioner’s Cup, will be added. Initially, regular-season Cup games were to be played through early July, followed by a final match in August; however, this schedule is subject to change due to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo from WNBA Website.