The Fort Lauderdale Strikers soccer team has scored a partnership with five food trucks to offer eats this season. Arepabox, B.C. Tacos, Che Grill, Dog Eat Dog, and Dolci Peccati Gelato will park at every home game in the northwest corner of Lockhart Stadium from 5 p.m. until kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
Head on over to the Clean Plate Charlie Facebook page for a chance to win two tickets to Saturday's game, the first of the season.
"We've been toying with the idea of food trucks at our tailgates for a while now," said spokesperson Ken Mendonca. During the March preseason, the team invited an array to the parking lot to tailgates. From there, the team narrowed down fan favorites and approached trucks that garnered the most enthusiasm. Mendonca said that fans especially love B.C. tacos' pulled-pork number with slaw and corn and the Key lime gelato from Dolcati.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers has a storied history. Having started in
1977, the team was owned by Joe Robbie, the original owner of the Miami
Dolphins. Part of the first North American Soccer League (NASL), the
team built such loyalty that a playoff game in '77 pulled in more than
77,000 fans.
In the '80s, Robbie kept the rights to the name and sold the team, and
it changed names to the Fort Lauderdale Sun. The league eventually
folded, though various teams resurfaced in Miami and Broward in the
meantime. By 2011, the Miami Football Club gained rights to the Strikers
name, the only professional men's soccer team in the recently revived
NASL.
The roster includes players from as far away as England, Colombia,
Jamaica, and Costa Rica as well as those from nearby Lauderhill and
Miami.
Click here for more information about the team and schedule.