Tampa Sports Authority

What Tampa Sports Authority does

Tampa Sports Authority (TSA) is an Independent Special District of the State of Florida, created by Chapter 65-2307, Laws of Florida on May 28, 1965, and headquartered at 4201 N Dale Mabry Hwy in Tampa. TSA is the governing authority responsible for the development, maintenance, and operational management of major sports and recreation facilities in the Tampa Bay area, including Raymond James Stadium (a 65,000+ seat NFL stadium), three municipal golf courses (Babe Zaharias, Rocky Point, and Rogers Park), and the Hillsborough County Tournament Sportsplex. The Authority also functions as landlord for Benchmark International Arena (home of the Tampa Bay Lightning) and George M. Steinbrenner Field (home of New York Yankees spring training), although ownership of several major venues has been conveyed to Hillsborough County over time while TSA retains management responsibilities.

TSA's business model is structured as a government agency rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the Authority receives annual capital grants from Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa pursuant to Cooperative Interlocal Agreements, with operating revenue from facilities reinvested into the golf courses. TSA is exempt from federal and state income taxes by virtue of its status as a public agency. The Authority serves as the landlord and venue manager for professional sports tenants — including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), USF Bulls (college football), New York Yankees (MLB spring training), and Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) — and hosts premier events such as Super Bowls (four hosted historically plus Super Bowl LV in 2021), WrestleMania 37, NHL Stadium Series 2026, and major concert tours. Event hosting services for corporate meetings, weddings, and social gatherings are also offered across the venue portfolio, with digital touchpoints including a stadium mobile app and online tee-time booking. Leadership is headed by President and CEO Eric D. Hart, CVE, and the organization employs between 11 and 50 staff.

Name

Tampa Sports Authority

Legal name

Tampa Sports Authority

Website

https://tampasportsauthority.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tampa Sports Authority is a Florida Independent Special District that manages Raymond James Stadium, three municipal golf courses, and the Hillsborough County Tournament Sportsplex, serving as landlord and venue operator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, USF Bulls, Yankees spring training, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Facility & Venue Management

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Major League Stadiums (MPAKAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arenas & Indoor Sports Centers (MPAKAEAB), Venue Booking, Ticketing & Event-Day Services (Box Office, Guest Services) (MPAKAEAO), Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD)

Keywords

• Sports facility management
• Public venue operations
• Municipal golf courses
• Stadium management services
• Event hosting venues

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tampa Sports Authority operates and manages a portfolio of public sports and entertainment venues in the Tampa Bay area, including Raymond James Stadium (a 65,000+ seat NFL stadium home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and USF Bulls), three municipal golf courses (Babe Zaharias, Rocky Point, and Rogers Park), and the Hillsborough County Tournament Sportsplex. It also serves as landlord for Benchmark International Arena and George M. Steinbrenner Field, and offers event hosting services for corporate events, weddings, and social gatherings at its venues.

Product overview

Tampa Sports Authority operates and manages a portfolio of sports and entertainment venues in the Tampa Bay area. The core offerings include Raymond James Stadium (a 65,000+ seat NFL stadium home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and USF Bulls), three municipal golf courses (Babe Zaharias, Rocky Point, and Rogers Park), and the Hillsborough County Tournament Sportsplex. A $70 million MOSI Fieldhouse project is under development. The Authority provides event hosting services for corporate events, weddings, and social gatherings across these venues, with ancillary digital products including a stadium mobile app and tee time booking systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Raymond James Stadium 65,000+ seat NFL stadium managed by Tampa Sports Authority; home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and University of South Florida Bulls football, and host of the Gasparilla Bowl, ReliaQuest Bowl, four Super Bowls, WrestleMania 37, NHL Stadium Series, and 390+ concerts and community events.
• Babe Zaharias Golf Course Municipal golf course operated by Tampa Sports Authority offering public golfing with event hosting capabilities, including pro shop and dining facilities.
• Rocky Point Golf Course Municipal golf course operated by Tampa Sports Authority offering public golfing with event hosting and clubhouse facilities.
• Rogers Park Golf Course Municipal golf course operated by Tampa Sports Authority offering public golfing with event hosting facilities.
• Hillsborough County Tournament Sportsplex Multi-venue youth and amateur sports complex featuring 12 courts for basketball, volleyball and other activities; positioned as the 'first of its kind facility' for elite youth sports in the Tampa/Hillsborough County area; located on the MOSI campus redevelopment on Fowler Avenue in Tampa's University Area.
• Raymond James Stadium Mobile App Mobile application for Raymond James Stadium providing event information, tickets, and venue features to fans and visitors; available on iOS App Store and Google Play.
• Stadium Tours Behind-the-scenes tours of Raymond James Stadium offering visitors access to exclusive areas of the venue.
• Event Hosting Services Corporate meetings, weddings, tradeshows, expos, holiday parties, graduations, award ceremonies, fundraisers, galas, and photo shoots hosted at Raymond James Stadium, Babe Zaharias Golf Course, Rocky Point Golf Course, and Rogers Park Golf Course; booked via an online event inquiry form.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of TampacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 1995USF Bulls signed 10-year agreement with TSA for stadium to host home football games starting in 1997. Cooperative (Interlocal) Agreements with City of Tampa for capital grants.
• Tampa Bay BuccaneerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNFL franchise home team at Raymond James Stadium since 1998. The Buccaneers are the anchor tenant of TSA's primary stadium facility, with the team having a January 31, 2027 deadline to decide on extending their stadium lease for five more years.
• University of South Florida BullscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSF Bulls football team has been playing home games at Raymond James Stadium since 1997 under a 10-year agreement signed in 1995. Also plays at USF's own stadium for some games.
• New York YankeescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpring and winter training at Legends Field (now George M. Steinbrenner Field) since March 1996. TSA played a role in assisting construction of the training facility located across from Tampa Stadium.
• Tampa Bay LightningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHL franchise playing at Benchmark International Arena. TSA served as conduit for public financing for arena construction and owned the arena until December 30, 2004 when ownership was conveyed to Hillsborough County.
• Benchmark International ArenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSA serves as landlord for this arena (formerly Tampa Bay Times Forum). Home to Tampa Bay Lightning NHL team. Opened October 1996.
• George M. Steinbrenner FieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSA serves as landlord for this spring training facility for the New York Yankees. Located at corner of Himes Avenue and Columbus Drive.
• Gasparilla Bowl / ReliaQuest BowlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege football bowl games hosted at Raymond James Stadium. First Gasparilla Bowl played December 20, 2018.
• Monster JamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor stadium event series held at Raymond James Stadium. Expanded to two shows per year starting February 2010.
• The First Tee of Tampa BayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth development organization teaching golf character and life skills. Partner organization of Tampa Sports Authority golf facilities.
• Hillsborough CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative (Interlocal) Agreements with Hillsborough County for annual capital grants. County commissioners voting on funding for projects like $70 million MOSI fieldhouse.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Florida Citrus Sports (Camping World Stadium): Florida-based nonprofit sports authority that operates Camping World Stadium in Orlando and hosts premier college bowl games and events. Most directly comparable to TSA as a Florida public-affiliated venue operator hosting NFL/college football and major entertainment events.
• Houston First Corporation (NRG Stadium): Local government corporation managing Houston's major convention, performing arts, and sports venues including NRG Stadium (NFL Texans, Super Bowl host). Directly comparable to TSA as a government-affiliated multi-venue operator in a major Texas metro.
• Georgia World Congress Center Authority (Mercedes-Benz Stadium): State-created authority managing Centennial Olympic Park district including Mercedes-Benz Stadium (NFL Falcons, MLS Atlanta United) and State Farm Arena. Closely mirrors TSA's structure as an Independent Special District with NFL stadium, arena, and event venue management responsibilities.
• Capital Improvement Board (Lucas Oil Stadium): Indiana state-created board managing Lucas Oil Stadium (NFL Colts) and the Indiana Convention Center. Comparable to TSA as a public authority managing an NFL stadium and adjacent convention/event venues.

Regional players

• Hard Rock Stadium: Miami Gardens NFL stadium hosting Dolphins, multiple Super Bowls, Miami Open tennis, and F1 Miami GP. Direct regional competitor for premier Florida events and marquee bookings versus Raymond James Stadium.

Broad incumbents

• SoFi Stadium (Hollywood Park): Inglewood, California NFL stadium hosting Rams and Chargers plus Super Bowl LVI and WrestleMania 39. Comparable as a tier-1 multi-purpose NFL/major event venue competing for the same national promoter calendar.
• MetLife Stadium: East Rutherford, New Jersey NFL stadium (Giants/Jets) hosting multiple Super Bowls. Comparable large-capacity NFL venue pursuing similar mega-event booking strategy.
• AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys): Arlington, Texas mega-stadium (80,000+ capacity) hosting Cowboys, Cotton Bowl, WrestleMania, and major concerts. Comparable as a marquee NFL/major event venue competing for premium concert and event bookings.
• State Farm Stadium: Glendale, Arizona NFL stadium hosting Cardinals, multiple Super Bowls, Fiesta Bowl, and NCAA Final Fours. Comparable tier-1 NFL/multi-purpose venue pursuing similar event calendar and Super Bowl rotation.
• Empower Field at Mile High: Denver NFL stadium (Broncos) managed by the Metropolitan Football Stadium District — a public stadium authority structure directly comparable to TSA's Independent Special District model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TampaSportsAuth
• Facebookfacebook.com/tampasportsauthority
• Instagraminstagram.com/tampasportsauthority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tampa Sports Authority