Sports in Jacksonville facts for kids

Jacksonville, Florida, is a city that loves sports! It's home to many professional and amateur teams, and it has a long history of exciting athletic events. The biggest team is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who play in the National Football League (NFL). This is a major league team, meaning they are at the highest level of professional football.

Beyond the Jaguars, Jacksonville also has many other sports teams. These include the Sporting Club Jacksonville (soccer), the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (baseball), the Jacksonville Icemen (ice hockey), and the Jacksonville Sharks (indoor football). The PGA Tour, which runs professional golf tournaments, also has its main office nearby in Ponte Vedra Beach. They even host a big golf event called The Players Championship there every year.

Jacksonville is also home to two universities, Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida. Both schools have sports teams that compete in NCAA Division I, which is the top level for college sports. Many college sports events happen in Jacksonville each year too.

Professional Sports Teams in Jacksonville

Jacksonville is proud to host one major league professional team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, along with several other professional teams in different sports.

American Football: The Jacksonville Jaguars

Football is super popular in Jacksonville! The city's main team is the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). They are the only major league sports team in Jacksonville. The Jaguars play in the AFC South division of the NFL's American Football Conference (AFC).

The Jaguars joined the NFL in 1995 as a new team, along with the Carolina Panthers. Jacksonville was the smallest city trying to get a team, so it was a big surprise when they were chosen in 1993! The Jaguars play their home games at TIAA Bank Field in downtown Jacksonville. They have won their division four times (in 1998, 1999, 2017, and 2022) and have made it to the playoffs eight times.

Jacksonville even hosted the Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005! Because it was the smallest city to ever host the Super Bowl, they had to get creative. For example, they used cruise ships as hotels for visitors!

How Jacksonville Got an NFL Team

People in Jacksonville really wanted a professional football team for a long time. Efforts to bring a team started way back in the 1960s. The city hosted exhibition games and even the American Football League All-Star Game in 1967 and 1968. This made people think Jacksonville would get a team, but plans changed when the AFL and NFL merged.

Jacksonville had a few other professional football teams before the Jaguars. The Jacksonville Sharks (WFL) played in the World Football League in 1974, and the Jacksonville Bulls played in the United States Football League (USFL) in 1984 and 1985. The Bulls even set attendance records! These teams showed that Jacksonville fans really supported football, which helped the city finally get an NFL team.

Baseball: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Minor League Baseball has been played in Jacksonville for many years, starting in the early 1900s. The city's current team is the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. They play in the Triple-A East league, which is just one step below Major League Baseball.

The team plays at 121 Financial Ballpark in Downtown Jacksonville. Before becoming the Jumbo Shrimp in 2017, the team was known as the Jacksonville Suns for a long time.

Ice Hockey: Jacksonville Icemen

Ice hockey returned to Jacksonville in 2017 with the Jacksonville Icemen. They are part of the ECHL league. The Icemen came to Jacksonville from Evansville, Indiana. They are the second ECHL team for the city, after the Jacksonville Lizard Kings stopped playing in 2000. Jacksonville has had several hockey teams over the years, showing a long history with the sport.

Indoor Football: Jacksonville Sharks

Jacksonville is home to the Jacksonville Sharks, an indoor football team that started playing in 2010. From 2010 to 2016, the Sharks played in the Arena Football League (AFL), which was the top indoor football league. They later joined the National Arena League.

The Sharks won one AFL championship, called Arena Bowl XXIV, by beating the Arizona Rattlers 73–70!

Soccer: Sporting Club Jacksonville

Sporting Club Jacksonville is a new professional soccer team planned for Jacksonville. They are expected to start playing in the USL Championship league in 2025.

Jacksonville also had another professional soccer team, the Jacksonville Armada FC. They started in 2015 in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Armada played their home games at Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida. After the NASL stopped operating, the Armada played in an amateur league for a bit and then paused operations. They are now set to return in the MLS Next Pro league in 2025.

Golf and Tennis

The Jacksonville area is a very important place for professional golf. The PGA Tour, which organizes many golf tournaments, has its main office in Ponte Vedra Beach, a suburb of Jacksonville. They host The Players Championship there every year. This championship is one of the biggest and most respected tournaments outside of golf's "major" championships.

St. Johns County, near Jacksonville, is also home to the World Golf Village and the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Jacksonville area has about 64 golf courses! Many PGA Tour players live in the Jacksonville area year-round.

Professional tennis also comes to the area each year. The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) used to hold the Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island, just north of Jacksonville. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which runs men's tennis, also has its American headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Semi-Pro and Amateur Sports

Australian Rules Football

The Jacksonville Saints team was started in 2018. They practice at Alexandria Oaks Park and play games at Willowbranch Park. In 2021, they won the first-ever Florida Cup and the Magnolia Cup!

Basketball: Jacksonville Giants

The Jacksonville Giants have been playing in the new American Basketball Association (ABA) since 2010. They play their home games at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Rugby League: Jacksonville Axemen

Rugby league football has a special place in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Axemen, started in 2006, are one of the most successful rugby league teams in the United States. They play in the new USA Rugby League. They even won a championship in 2010 when they were in the American National Rugby League (AMRNL).

The Axemen play at Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida. This stadium has also hosted international rugby matches and training camps. In 2008, a special "Australia Day Challenge" game was held there, featuring actor Russell Crowe (who co-owns one of the teams). Nearly 13,000 people came to watch! The Axemen also started a women's team in 2021.

Rugby Union

There are several amateur rugby union clubs in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Women's Rugby Club started in 2006. The men's team, Jacksonville Rugby Football Club, was founded in 1972. The UNF Deadbirds is a club team for students at the University of North Florida. In 2019, the high school boys' team won the state championship!

Soccer: Jacksonville Armada U-23

The Jacksonville Armada U-23 is an amateur soccer team that plays in the National Premier Soccer League. This team used to be called the Jacksonville United FC and won the 2011 NPSL Championship. In 2016, it became the development team for the professional Jacksonville Armada FC.

College Sports in Jacksonville

Jacksonville has always been a big supporter of college football. The very first college football game in Florida was played in Jacksonville in 1901!

The yearly Florida–Georgia game between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the University of Florida Gators has been played in Jacksonville almost every year since 1933. This game is sometimes called "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" by fans.

Jacksonville also hosts its own college football bowl game, the Gator Bowl, which started in 1946. Other famous college teams, like the Florida State Seminoles, have played regular season games here. In 1964, a game featuring future NFL Hall of Famer Roger Staubach was played in Jacksonville. In 1989, future NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre led his Southern Miss team to an upset win against Florida State here.

In March 2006, Jacksonville was a host city for the first round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The games were held at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. The Florida Gators, who went on to win the national championship that year, played some of their early tournament games in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville has two main universities with Division I sports teams: the University of North Florida (UNF) and Jacksonville University (JU).

The Ospreys are the sports teams for the University of North Florida. They moved up to NCAA Division I in 2009 and are now part of the ASUN Conference. UNF has many sports teams, including baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, and golf for men, and basketball, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball for women.

The Dolphins are the sports teams for Jacksonville University. Their men's basketball team became famous in the early 1970s when they reached the NCAA Championship game with future star Artis Gilmore. Like UNF, JU is also a member of the ASUN Conference for most of its sports. JU offers sports like baseball, basketball, soccer, and lacrosse for men, and basketball, soccer, softball, and volleyball for women.

Edward Waters University, a historically black college, also has sports teams called the Edward Waters Tigers. They compete in NCAA Division II in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) also has sports teams called the BlueWave. They compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in sports like cross-country, basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball.

Past Teams in Jacksonville

Baseball

Jacksonville was the site of Major League Baseball's first-ever spring training in 1888! Several MLB teams, like the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees, trained here in the early 1900s.

The city has had many minor league baseball teams over the years. Some of the early teams included the Jacksonville Jays (1904–1910), the Jacksonville Tarpons, and the Jacksonville Indians. From 1926, several teams were known as the Jacksonville Tars. The Jacksonville Red Caps of the Negro leagues also played in Jacksonville for a few seasons.

In 1952, the Jacksonville Tars became the Jacksonville Braves, who were very successful. Later, the original Jacksonville Suns team started playing in 1962.

Basketball

Jacksonville has also had other basketball teams in the past. The Floridians of the original American Basketball Association played some of their games in Jacksonville in the early 1970s.

There have been many minor league basketball teams too, such as the Jacksonville Jets, the Jacksonville Hooters (later Shooters), and the Jacksonville Barracudas. The Jacksonville JAM played in the American Basketball Association and then the Premier Basketball League before stopping operations.

Hockey

The city has had a history of minor league hockey teams since the 1960s. The first team was the Jacksonville Rockets (1964–1972). Other teams included the Jacksonville Barons, the Jacksonville Bullets, the Jacksonville Lizard Kings, and the Jacksonville Barracudas. The Barracudas even won championships in two different leagues before they stopped playing in 2008.

Lacrosse

The Jacksonville Bullies were an indoor lacrosse team that was supposed to play in 2012. After some issues, they played part of a season in the Professional Lacrosse League before their games were canceled.

Soccer

The Jacksonville Tea Men played both outdoor and indoor soccer from 1980 to 1984. Their outdoor games were at the Gator Bowl Stadium. They won the 1983 American Soccer League Championship before the team folded.

Other past soccer teams include the Jacksonville Cyclones (1996–1999) and the FC JAX Destroyers (2011–2012), which had both men's and women's teams.

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