Tampa Bay Rowdies Announce Preseason Training Trip to England

ST. PETERSBURG – The Tampa Bay Rowdies are going international again next month with a preseason training trip to England. The Rowdies took a preseason tour to Portugal last year and have decided to return to Europe for preseason camp again in 2016.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies will depart for England on Sunday, March 6, one day after playing against the USF Bulls in Tampa, and remain in England until March 17. Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell is from England, as well as Assistant Coach Stuart Dobson and center back Tamika Mkandawire.

While in England, the Rowdies are set to play three high-level exhibition matches against skilled competition from clubs in the Premier League, Championship and League Two.

The first match is against a Nottingham Forest XI on Wednesday, March 9. The Rowdies will then take on a Notts County XI on Friday, March 11 and close the tour Wednesday, March 16 against an XI from Premier League-leading Leicester City. In all three of their matches, the Rowdies will play a mixed team of first-team players and reserve team players from each respective club.

The Rowdies will also have the chance to enjoy watching two matches during their visit, taking in Nottingham Forest FC vs Preston North End in the Championship at the City Ground on Tuesday, March 8, as well as Stoke City vs Southampton at the Brittania Stadium on Saturday, March 12.

The Rowdies will arrive at London’s Heathrow Airport on Monday, March 7 and immediately travel to Nottingham for the first phase of the trip. Tampa Bay will spend five days training at Nottingham Forest’s training ground in the midlands from March 7 to March 11.

Nottingham Forest’s current assistant manager is Lennie Lawrence, who coached Stuart Campbell at Grimsby Town in the 2000-2001 season.

Tampa Bay’s training base will move from Nottingham to the St. George’s Park National Football Centre in Burton-upon-Trent on March 12.

St. George’s Park, opened in 2012, is the home base of the English National Team and is frequently used by elite teams from across the globe including Barcelona, Chelsea, Steaua Bucharest, Galatasaray, AS Monaco and Minnesota United FC among others.

The team will remain at St. George’s Park until departing for the trip back to Tampa Bay on March 17.

MATCH SCHEDULE (Kickoff times TBA)
Wednesday, March 9 – vs Nottingham Forest XI at Nottingham Forest Training Ground
Friday, March 11 – vs Notts County XI at either Meadow Lane or Nottingham Forest Training Ground
Wednesday, March 16 – vs Leicester City XI at Leicester City Training Ground