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Orlando City breaks ground on downtown soccer stadium

OCSC Stadium Groundbreaking jpg.

By MIKE GRAMAJO

ORLANDO, Fla. — It may have been just a symbolic step, but the first shovels moving dirt for a new soccer stadium was enough to bring out thousands of fans eager to witness Orlando City Soccer Club break ground on a downtown soccer stadium.

“I’m so delighted to get the stadium built for the fans,” said Orlando City president Phil Rawlins. “We made a commitment from day one to be competitive. We’ve been competitive in the minor leagues. I expect us to be just as competitive in the major leagues. We’ll be ready to go for March of 2015. Construction will take around 15 months, so we’re ahead of schedule.”

The yet-to-be named facility, which will cost $110 million, is expected to be completed just in time for the 2016 MLS season and will seat 19,500 fans with room to expand in the future. OCSC will play the 2015 season at a renovated Citrus Bowl Stadium, which is undergoing a facelift in preparation.

Rawlins confirmed to SBI that the club plans to cap the attendance at the Citrus Bowl to 19,500 to mirror the new soccer stadium and prevent customer service issues regarding season ticket holders.

“If you take a look at the number of people that came out (today), they’re in their purple and scarves, their connected to this team, and they haven’t played a game in Major League Soccer yet,” said MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott. “If you can just envision when this stadium opens, we’ll have a march to the match every week. What they’re doing down here is tremendous.”

Renderings of the facility were released in May. The stadium was designed by Populous, the architecture firm behind Sporting KC’s Sporting Park and Yankee Stadium.

Comments

  1. Interesting that they are capping attendance at 19,500. I’d understand capping season ticket holders but why limit your exposure the first year in MLS?

    Reply
    • The Citrus Bowl will have artificial turf. However, Florida Citrus Sports have mentioned before that they can switch to natural grass if the event of an international game was to occur.

      Reply
  2. Congrats orlando.Can’t wait for the miami vs orlando games or orlando vs atlanta 🙂

    who will be king of the humidity 🙂

    Now a question for nasl tampa bay fans. Aren’t you guys getting a new stadium around a good location with new owners.

    Reply
    • exactly 🙂 DC, revolution, crew (crew fans love their stadium), vancouver (vancouver owner is dead rich right?) sounders (sounders fans love their stadium).

      All those teams mention above need their stadium, but fans from crew dont believe so, but do the players and owners do?

      Vancouver with a 25,000 seater waterfront stadium would do wonders for their team. Crew can remodel their stadium like soldier field but why not get a new one and sounders should get a 45,000 seater with retractable roof or full roof cover.

      Then you got some teams that need to upgrade their stadium just like TFC is doing it, for example dallas, rsl, even galaxy.

      Reply
      • Sounders should get a hovering stadium with retractable roof, that can fold up to the size of a SmartCar, and is powered exclusively by unicorn smiles. They really need to get on that.

      • sounders should buy the land where the new NBA arena was going to be build or just make something unique where seattle reign play.

      • It’s really that simple, isn’t it. I can’t believe they haven’t done it already—or really, do both. Because why build one stadium when you can just as easily have two?

      • have a friendly at husky stadium or an open cup game 🙂 that stadium looks fun 🙂

        by the way two are better than 1 🙂 you know what i mean 🙂 or don’t ya.

      • Two ? They already have two. Five stadiums minimum.

        What is Vancouver thinking ? That stadium must be 3-4 years since it renovation !

        New stadium time.

      • Sounders could build their third (or is it fourth? I’ve lost track) stadium inside Husky stadium. That would be fantastic and it’s shameful they haven’t done it already. Fire Schmidt!

      • It’s obvious that you don’t understand the complexity and cost involved in building or upgrading a stadium. It is just plain wrong to state that Crew fans love their stadium. Sure, we are proud of it being the first SSS and as well as the home venue for USMNT’s games against Mexico but the stadium has a lot of short-comings. Regardless, there are more pressing matters that the team needs to address before worrying about a new stadium.

      • “Regardless, there are more pressing matters that the team needs to address before worrying about a new stadium.”

        For example, worrying about their second new stadium.

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