MLS Soccer Stadium

[Pete C]

The big news all over the place is that they are playing at Disney's Wide World of Sports, however the side story is that the individual game ticket price has been jacked up by 4-5 dollars!!! The email I got from Orlando City lays out the pricing for season tickets and shows you the individual ticket prices for comparison to show you the value.

 

Supporters section or north end section - $19

Sideline - $25

Half Way - $30

Midfield Covered - $45

 

They are out of their minds. This is still USL Pro...not MLS! Phil Rawlins flat out lied to the city when he said the ticket prices would only go up by $2 on average. Uh, that is quite a big difference there buddy. I am not happy at all about this. Who in their right mind is going to pay $45 for division 3 soccer??

[Pete C]

I just read that Disney is behind this pricing and set a minimum price. I hope they do not stick with this in the new stadium. The prices are too high for the first year.

[truebluecfl]

I heard it is Disney that put a minimum on the prices. Personally I think they would of been better off playing at Edgewater or somewhere else. You can hire some food trucks and beer vendors to sit in the parking lots and add a couple bleachers, tickets are still the same price and you could probably get around 10k in there. The USL season is played in summer so it wouldnt interfere with High School games till September. It is what it is though, we have a stadium in the works and thats all that matters.

[popsiclebrandon]

I don't see myself ever driving out to Disney to watch a game. Do they also charge for parking there for events like this?

[Jernigan]

I also don't see myself attending a game this year. Glad the MLS ink will be dry before the season starts. Attendance could be ugly.

I guess anyone who thought that the stadium should be built on the tourist side of town will find out how good or bad of an idea that would have been.

[truebluecfl]

Free parking for all games, tailgating is allowed too. i guess that's the gimme.

[smileguy]

Maybe taking the show on the road for a year will help develop an audience from Osceola county and points South that will continue to attend in the new stadium?

[alex]

Free parking for all games, tailgating is allowed too. i guess that's the gimme.

 

$19 is high, but still better than $15 + $5 to $10 in parking.

[truebluecfl]

A short interview with Phil Rawlins explaining the move to Disney for this season. In all, Phil makes some great points. I guess Disney was the best option after all, and they've put some big money into the place which will also be very helpful in the future for MLS preseason or possibly a reserve squad's home stadium. Not to mention they can draw much larger crowds for the Disney soccer classic since MLS is getting more exposure down here.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsO_7-ASUf4

Edited November 10, 2013 by truebluecfl

[Universe_Explorer]

With Orlando's worst kept secret (Go City!) being announced on Nov 19th at Chyenne Saloon - love the location for this, by the way - I do wonder what the "announcement" on the 18th involving Orlando Health will be.  I'm assuming it's just a continued sponsership, but rumors of a stadium name/rendering keep popping up...    

[Pete C]

With Orlando's worst kept secret (Go City!) being announced on Nov 19th at Chyenne Saloon - love the location for this, by the way - I do wonder what the "announcement" on the 18th involving Orlando Health will be.  I'm assuming it's just a continued sponsership, but rumors of a stadium name/rendering keep popping up...    

 

My guess was Orlando Health will be the name of the stadium or field. Then they would get a new national or international sponsor on the front of their jerseys.

[AndyPok1]

Church St is ready for tonight!

 

[sunshine]

 

Contarct bidding begun and construction will start in Spring 2014...

[truebluecfl]

 

Post celebration pictures.

 

The place was so packed the fire marshal stopped allowing people in and they had 5 OPD at the door holding back hundreds of more people trying to get in. Church street and Harry Buffalo's was packed too. This team is going to be huge Orlandoian's...(finally get to use it)

Edited November 22, 2013 by truebluecfl

[prahaboheme]

The Cheyenne Saloon sure looks good all lit up.  

[truebluecfl]

Rawlins and Dyer traveling to come up with idea's for the stadium.

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-mls-soccer-stadium-orlando-20140107,0,4518538.story

 

From what I've heard the supporters section will be standing terrace rail zones. Bars separate the rows so that people dont fall into each other as much as standing on bench seating. Most MLS stadiums use standard bench seating in their supporters section, or normal seating, so we would be the first stadium in North America to use this design. Plus the rails will have fold down seats for people who might need to sit, for halftime, or other events.

 

Anything you guys would like to throw in? Ideas?

Edited January 8, 2014 by truebluecfl

[prahaboheme]

I'd like to see some private investment as a part of this plan - perhaps a hotel incorporated into the overall design.  We have to remember that this is not a desirable location and it still will not be when this stadium has been built.  There needs to be some major improvements to existing and future infrastructure in order for anyone to want to spend time here outside of a game.

[truebluecfl]

Agreed, the only problem with that is the limited land space. Its already going to be a tight pitch on this lot, the only way i could see anything happening is if it was connected by a bridge on a surrounding property. Maybe where the Carver theatre project was suppose to happen. Keep in mind the Magic entertainment complex will have a hotel and will be only a block away, and with Pine street reopening through it there will be another direct route to the stadium from the heart of downtown and through the complex. Possibly a good place for a project would be at the NW corner of Pine and Division, but I don't see anything happening to the immediate areas south, west, or north of the stadium for now. I could be wrong...but I think those ventures are years to come after the stadium is established.

[sunshine]

Anybody remembers the Ajax stadium? Urban soccer stdaium with retails, residents, and office...this is what I would like to see...

 

[steve_o]

I would love to see a Church Street Trolley between Orange Ave and the Citrus Bowl.  I know its dreaming but they are going to be doing something to connect the street with lighting.  You never know...

[prahaboheme]

A part of me just needs to ask the question -- when is this city government going to stop forcing the "idea" of a Parramore revitalization on the citizens of the city?

This stadium could have been located in any of a number of high profile locations around downtown and may have had the opportunity to further enhance those places as actual destinations where people would want to spend their time (dare I say, help to bring in retail).

[jack]

There was no location in downtown that could fit the stadium. 

[truebluecfl]

What better place would you put an 18-25k open air stadium? Unless you wanted to tear a bunch of existing and occupied buildings near Eola ($$$) and take out several streets with it I don't see where it could be done. The land it is going on now is basically all unoccupied except for the Church.

[spenser1058]

Given the prices paid by the City above the appraisal, I am sure the Parramore speculators had their hands in the pot on this. The Milk District (the space available over in the Festival Park area- it has been considered for baseball before) is an alternative that comes to mind. OTOH, I know the team wanted to be downtown so I guess Parramore gets them closest to it, although I still believe it will be detrimental to residential in the long run.

 

Had the speculators not bought up the land (not only the out of state ones - there is a long, sad trail of local folks, including elected officials, whose interests were for anything but the best interests of the neighborhood), a (at least initially, anyway) more affordable version of the Lake Lawsona area could have been created (such a thing once existed in Callahan and Holden, for example), but too many well-connected players had $$$$ in their eyes. What we're going to end up with is likely a very sterile district and reinforces Buddy's vision of downtown as primarily an entertainment and sports venue. It's not what I would have chosen, but the fact is that ship has sailed and we might as well be on board and work with what we've been given. At the end of the day, soccer is another draw to keep the younger folks interested in downtown; as they age, it will be important to make them advocates of our goals for a pedestrian-friendly and historic district.

[jack]

Outside of Parramore, the only viable location would have been I-drive. For a stadium that size, it would need a 6-9,000 space garage or parking lot. . That is $21 million to $60 million in additional cost. I-drive and downtown already has the existing infrastructure.