St. Petersburg, Fla. (March 22, 2018) – At just 10 years old, Marissa stood on the pitch for the first time at Al Lang Stadium at a “Gold Together  for Childhood Cancer” match and wowed the crowd with her heartfelt rendition of the National Anthem.  Only two years prior, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Today, 12-year-old Marissa Peddie is cancer free and the first ever official anthem singer of the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

“I’m so excited to become the Rowdies’ official anthem singer,” said Marissa. “When the Rowdies asked me if I was interested, I was like OMG, really? YES!! I love coming to the games and cheering the Rowdies to victory.”

Marissa discovered her love of playing keyboard, writing and singing during the challenging two years of chemotherapy treatments at John’s Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Now cancer free, she is using her talents to pursue singing and songwriting. In addition to singing at Rowdies matches, some of Marissa’s most notable performances include The Miss Florida Pageant and singing a song with legendary artist Sheryl Crow, on stage at the Clearwater Holiday Jazz Festival. When she’s not busy being a 7th grader and playing Minecraft with her friends, Marissa is working on writing and recording her first EP.

Marissa is scheduled to make her debut as the Rowdies’ 2018 official anthem singer this Saturday, March 24th at Al Lang Stadium prior to the team’s home opener vs Bethlehem Steel FC, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the match can be purchased by visiting rowdiessoccer.com or by calling 727-222-2000.

For more information on the Tampa Bay Rowdies and upcoming matches, visit rowdiessoccer.com