Exploria Stadium

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Exploria Stadium
The Exploria Stadium on February 9, 2017
The Exploria Stadium on February 9, 2017
Earlier names

Orlando City Stadium (2017-2019)

Data
place 655 West Church Street Orlando , Florida 32805
United StatesUnited States
Coordinates 28 ° 32 '27.8 "  N , 81 ° 23' 22.9"  W Coordinates: 28 ° 32 '27.8 "  N , 81 ° 23' 22.9"  W.
owner Orlando City
operator Orlando City
start of building October 16, 2014
opening February 24, 2017
First game March 5, 2017
Orlando City - New York City FC 1-0
surface Natural grass
costs 155 million US dollars
architect Populous
capacity 25,500 seats
Societies)
Events
  • Orlando City Games
  • Orlando City B games
  • Orlando Pride games
  • NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship 2017

The Exploria Stadium is a football stadium in the US city of Orlando in the state of Florida . It is used since the start of the season of Major League Soccer in 2017 the football - franchise Orlando City from the Major League Soccer (MLS) as a venue. Orlando City B from the United Soccer League (USL) and Orlando Pride from the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) also use the venue. Orlando City FC and Orlando Pride used the Camping World Stadium on an interim basis until completion .

history

At a fan forum on December 11, 2012, Orlando City presented the first rendered images of a future stadium. In April 2013, the city of Orlando acquired for 8.2 million US dollars in the downtown ( Downtown Orlando ) a piece of land located on Church Street for the construction of the new football stadium. To the east of the building plot , just one block away, is the Amway Center . The multi-purpose arena is home to the Orlando Magic from the National Basketball Association (NBA). To the west is the Camping World Stadium. In May 2013, however, a bill failed in the Florida House of Representatives , which should bring a grant of 30 million US dollars to the stadium construction. Orlando City therefore had to look for alternative sources of money.

The realization of the stadium project came closer in August 2013. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orlando's Mayor Buddy Dyer agreed on a funding plan on August 8th to support various projects, including the new home of Orlando City. Another building block in the project financing was a tourism tax passed in October 2013, part of which was to flow into the stadium construction.

The city of Orlando was to contribute $ 20 million. That included smaller amounts from surrounding counties like $ 2 million from Seminole County . The tourism tax would have amounted to 20 million US dollars in the financing plan. Orlando City itself wanted to invest $ 30 million. In addition, the soccer club was to pay an amount of $ 675,000 (a total of $ 16.875 million) annually for 25 years.

The NCAA awarded the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championships in 2016 and 2017 to Orlando in the new sports facility on December 11, 2013. After delays, the 2016 Final Four was held at Earthquakes Stadium in San José , California .

In March 2014, details from the 126-page building application became known. Accordingly, a stadium designed by the Populous architectural office with an area of ​​120,000 sq ft (11,148 m 2 ) was to be built on the approximately 290,000 sq ft (around 27,000 m 2 ) building plot . Of the total of 18,000 seats, 2,500 were intended as club seats and 300 as special box seats . In addition, were shops , restaurants and bars provided. The construction costs were estimated at 69 million US dollars. The acquisition of the building land and the technical infrastructure was calculated at a further 15 million US dollars . Completion was planned for summer 2015.

In June 2014, more concrete plans with first pictures for the new home of the Orlando City Soccer Club were published. The venue was to consist of three two-story tiers (north, east, west) as well as a single rear grandstand in the south and offer 19,500 seats as well as 38 boxes and a club lounge. A standing area with breakwaters (safe standing) should be set up on the north tier for members of fan clubs . This section should have its own area with pubs . The stadium was to be built in such a way that it could be expanded to 25,000 seats if necessary. A large video wall should be set up on the open south side . A bar in the shape of a balcony and a panoramic view was planned under this . A fan area framed by palm trees will be created in front of the stadium. A golden lion, the heraldic animal of the Soccer Club , will find its place on it. It is said to be four times larger than the living model and is mounted on a rotating plate.

On August 4, 2014, Mayor Dyer and Phil Rawlins, Orlando City owner and club president, announced that the site would be relocated one block west. The reason for this was the neighboring Church of Faith Community Faith Deliverance Temple and the protracted negotiations on the purchase price of a necessary building of the stadium piece of land. The city of Orlando offered $ 4 million, while Faith Deliverance Temple asked for $ 30 million. The decision was also made so as not to jeopardize the planned opening date for the start of the season in spring 2016.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 16, 2014 with great interest . For the event, 24 tons of sand colored purple , the color of the soccer club, were brought in. Attending the ceremony included club co-owner Flávio Augusto da Silva, President Phil Rawlins, President and Deputy Commissioner of Major League Soccer, Mark Abbott, as well as Mayor Buddy Dyer and Teresa Jacobs, Mayor of Orange County . After the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony, visitors could take part in the work. As a souvenir of the event, the participants were given a container with the colored sand. After the official part, a street party was celebrated.

Under an agreement dated November 12, 2014, Heineken became the official Orlando City beer on January 1, 2015. In addition to Orlando, six other MLS franchises, Chicago Fire , Columbus Crew , DC United , Houston Dynamo , New York Red Bulls and New York City FC , signed contracts with Heineken, the world's third largest brewery. The Soccer Club announced another partnership on December 17, 2014. A multi-year contract as Official Technology Partner was signed with Panasonic North America , the North American division of the Japanese electronics group Panasonic Corporation . Panasonic is the stadium with video screens and LED - advertising boards equip. Flat-screen televisions will also be installed throughout the venue , for example in the boxes, offices and work areas. In addition, surveillance cameras for the video surveillance system , including the control room, will be distributed in the stadium .

After difficulties with the city because of the assumption of costs, the franchise made a U-turn and announced on May 29, 2015 that the stadium would be privately financed and operated without public funds. On July 31, 2015, Phil Rawlins presented the revised plans for the stadium. The costs are to amount to 155 million US dollars and instead of the 19,500 seats previously planned, the football arena will offer 25,500 seats. This expansion was based on the previous good attendance figures, as an average of over 31,000 spectators attended the games in the 2016 season. Only the champions Seattle Sounders FC had a higher average attendance. The 25,500 seats are the maximum number without having to completely renew the stadium plans. Seats are added in the corners. The arena, which previously consisted of three planned grandstands, will have a fourth grandstand in the south. As a result, there will be no large video wall on the south side, instead it will move into a corner of the stadium. 20 percent of the seats are premium seats, and the stadium will also be equipped with 31 luxury suites .

On January 25, 2016, the Orlando City Council unanimously voted to sell the approximately 12 acre property required for the stadium construction. The franchise paid the city $ 18 million for this. As part of the venue's funding, Orlando City is offering foreign investors a $ 500,000 share in the stadium. In return, they receive a dividend , two season tickets and the most valuable equivalent of a green card , officially EB-5. The law that makes this possible was passed by the 101st US Congress as the Immigration Act of 1990 and is intended to attract wealthy investors to the country.

Orlando City ended season ticket sales in September 2016 after the allotment of 18,000 had been allocated. At the end of November that year, 49 seats in the rainbow colors were installed on the main grandstand in the west in sector 12 . They are intended to commemorate the victims of the Orlando attack on June 12, 2016 . In December 2016, the laying of the pitch began. A large part of the plastic seats, mainly in purple and gold , were mounted on the stands. The back gate in the north is fully equipped with standing room (safe standing). The rank is called The Wall ( German  Die Wand ) based on the south stand in the Westfalenstadion of Borussia Dortmund . The “Smoking Device Area” is located on the bottom six rows of the grandstand. In the area marked with signs, fans are allowed to light Bengal fires and smoke bombs .

The stadium was officially opened on February 24, 2017. After the ceremony, the new building was opened to residents and local business people. The first two home games of the MLS 2017 on March 5th against New York City FC and on April 15th against Los Angeles Galaxy were sold out on February 21st. The home side won their first league game in their new home in front of 25,527 spectators against New York City FC 1-0. The Canadian striker Cyle Larin scored the first goal in the stadium in the 15th minute of the game.

On June 4, 2019, Orlando City announced that the franchise has entered into a sponsorship deal with Exploria Resorts . In future, the facility will therefore be called the Exploria Stadium .

gallery

  • The opposite stand in the east

  • The Wall in the north

  • The southern back gate

and display information about the image
The Exploria Stadium shortly before the opening (beginning of February 2017)
and display information about the image
Interior panorama from the opening day on February 24, 2017

Web links

Commons : Exploria Stadium  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ populous.com: Orlando City SC Unveils Renderings for New Downtown Major League Soccer Stadium ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Article dated June 11, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / populous.com
  2. ↑ bizjournals.com: Orlando City Soccer talks more about future stadium Article from December 12, 2012 (English)
  3. ↑ wftv.com: Dyer opens up about land purchase for new MLS stadium Article from April 17, 2013 (English)
  4. ↑ cityoforlando.net: MLS Soccer Stadium (English)
  5. ↑ socceramerica.com: Mayors line up behind Orlando stadium deal article from August 8, 2013 (English)
  6. ↑ articles.orlandosentinel.com: 'We are going MLS!' Pro-soccer stadium coming to Orlando Article from October 22, 2013
  7. ↑ orlandocityyouth.org: Central Florida Selected To Host NCAA Women's College Cup And Additional NCAA Championships Article dated December 11, 2013
  8. ↑ ncaa.com: Women's soccer: Division I championship field announced article from November 7, 2016 (English)
  9. ↑ wftv.com: Details released on new Orlando soccer stadium Article from March 26, 2014 (English)
  10. ↑ articles.orlandosentinel.com: Here's what Orlando's new MLS soccer stadium will look like Article dated June 10, 2014
  11. ↑ myfoxorlando.com: City of Orlando drops eminent domain lawsuit against church, moves soccer stadium site Article from August 4, 2014 (English)
  12. ↑ orlandocitysc.com: Orlando City Breaks Ground on New Downtown Stadium Article from October 17, 2014 (English)
  13. ↑ orlandocitysc.com: Orlando City SC Joins Heineken Roster article from November 12, 2014 (English)
  14. ↑ orlandocitysc.com: Orlando City SC Forms Multi-year Partnership with Panasonic article from December 17, 2014 (English)
  15. ↑ orlandosentinel.com: Orlando City to privately finance soccer stadium, pay back city article from May 29, 2015 (English)
  16. ↑ weltfussball.de: Average attendance MLS 2016
  17. ↑ orlandosentinel.com: Orlando City unveils plans for new $ 155 million, 25,500-seat soccer stadium article from July 31, 2015 (English)
  18. ↑ orlandosentinel.com: Orlando OKs stadium-land deal with Orlando City Soccer Club article from January 25, 2016 (English)
  19. ↑ nytimes.com: Price for a Green Card: $ 500,000 Stadium Stake Article from May 16, 2016 (English)
  20. ↑ stadionwelt.de: All season tickets for the new stadium sold Article from September 24, 2016
  21. ↑ stadionwelt.de: New seats in memory of massacre victims Article from November 29, 2016
  22. ↑ skyscrapercity.com: Laying the pitch turf (English)
  23. ↑ orlandoweekly.com: This standing-room only section at Orlando City's new stadium will be insane Article from December 20, 2016 (English)
  24. ↑ stadionwelt.de: Pyrotechnics Zone in the Orlando City Stadium Article from March 8, 2017
  25. ↑ stadionwelt.de: Opening ceremony for new stadium in Orlando Article from February 24, 2017
  26. ↑ orlandosentinel.com: Orlando City Stadium ribbon-cutting focuses on Parramore community article dated February 24, 2017 (English)
  27. ↑ mlssoccer.com: Orlando City sell out opening match at new stadium vs. New York City FC article dated February 21, 2017
  28. ↑ orlandosentinel.com: Orlando City rings in new stadium with win over NYCFC article from March 5, 2017 (English)
  29. ↑ weltfussball.de: Match report Orlando City versus New York City FC
  30. ↑ Orlando City SC Announces Central Florida-Based Exploria Resorts as Stadium Naming Rights Partner. In: orlandocitysc.com. MLS , June 4, 2019, accessed June 13, 2019 .