TAMPA, Fla., July 21, 2026—The Wes and Diane McLeod Foundation, in partnership with the Tampa Bay Soccer Hall of Fame, has made a $2,500 donation to begin a soccer instruction program at the Freddie Solomon Boys and Girls Club at Nuccio Park.
“We’re so appreciative of this commitment, and we know our kids will benefit from this,’’ said Dee Solomon, widow of the facility’s namesake, the former University of Tampa quarterback and Super Bowl-winning wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Freddie Solomon/Nuccio Park facility is one of six in Hillsborough County that operate in partnership with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It has a large covered outdoor basketball area, which will be used for the soccer instruction. Former Tampa Bay Rowdies players Perry Van Der Beck, a TBSHOF board member, and Winston DuBose will be in charge of the soccer instruction.
“We have been looking for an avenue to get involved with soccer in our local community, and this is just perfect,’’ said Wes McLeod, another former Tampa Bay Rowdies player. “We really love and respect everything the Tampa Bay Soccer Hall of Fame is doing to promote the history and heritage of soccer in our community. This is a way to get involved and make an impact at the grassroots level.’’
“We’re very happy to help and give these kids some exposure to soccer,’’ Diane McLeod said. “Now that we’ve seen it, we’re really impressed with what they do on a daily basis. It really looks like a great facility, and we’re glad to be able to give them an opportunity to learn about soccer.’’
Van Der Beck said he knew McLeod, his former teammate, was interested in making a contribution to help further the development of Tampa soccer. Van Der Beck and DuBose, who have been providing local youth clinics for several years, helped to make the connection.
“Everybody wants to play football, right?’’ Dee Solomon said. “But not everybody will have the ability to play that sport at the college level or beyond. Here’s a chance to try something new, and I know we’ll have some kids who will have a great interest. We are constantly looking to provide opportunities and open their eyes to what’s available. I think this program will be the start of something really nice for them.’’
“I think we’ll find more opportunities as we go because we’re not looking to do this for just one year,’’ Wes McLeod said. “This will be an ongoing legacy type of effort. We didn’t know that much until Perry and Winston put us together with Ms. Solomon and we walked around and saw what actually goes on. It’s exactly what we were looking for, and we couldn’t be happier to help bring some soccer experiences to our young people.’’
