This leaked picture is what most expect the new Lions stadium to look like. Note the CityView building in the corner for reference.
By Ken Storey
By now I’m sure you’ve heard that on Tuesday evening the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved a $94.5 million venues package that includes $25 million for the Dr. Phillips center Phase 2; $12 million for the Citrus Bowl; $27.5 million to Visit Orlando for international and sports tourism campaigns; and $10 million for upgrades to the convention center. The big news though out of the approval of the funding is $20 million that was the final piece in the long puzzle of getting a soccer specific stadium in Downtown Orlando. That stadium is the last thing needed before Major League Soccer announces an expansion team for Orlando. So with that long drawn out vote Tuesday night Orange County finally secured MLS coming to Orlando.
The stadium will be on a city owned block on Church Street in Parramore two blocks west of the Amway Center. Orlando has already purchased the land for the stadium and was just waiting on Orange County to approve its end of the deal so that the whole thing can move forward.
So with all that now in place it’s all but official that we’re getting MLS in Orlando! I anxiously watched the vote Tuesday night and when it finally came through I was as excited as anyone, the voted literally brought tears to my eyes. Our once small town just made another huge leap forward. We are already a boom city but now we may just be the biggest boom city of the decade.
Here is why I think that this new 18,000 seat stadium is good for Orlando.
Top 5 Reasons I’m ecstatic about MLS coming to Orlando
#1 Parramore Gets One More Block Developed
Downtown Orlando is a great place. The new Amway Center has really helped bridge the west side of I-4 to the east side but when there’s no Magic game or event at the Amway Center West Church Street can still feel desolate. Part of the problem is if you stand at the intersection of Church and Division looking west it looks as if the city just drops off past CityView. The new soccer stadium will allow for one more block to develop. One more empty section of the neighborhood be fixed up, pushing the boundaries of what most classify as ‘downtown’ just one more block west. While this doesn’t seem like a big deal it certainly is to local developers. The Central Business District only has a few empty blocks left. While much of the new construction has focused on Uptown Parramore offers more walkability to what most residents are looking for in downtown. By having the new soccer stadium there it allows for the surrounding area to open up more easily for new development.
While I do not have any type of unique insider knowledge I believe that one of the reasons the Magic have been dragging their feet with the new Magic Entertainment Complex is due to wanting to see what will happen with the soccer stadium. Now that it is secured I suspect that the Magic will go ahead with their planned $100 million entertainment complex. This will allow for a new police headquarters, meaning at least one other block of blight in Parramore is fixed up, possibly more mattering how the negations with Orlando Union Rescue Mission go. With the MLS stadium it means that the new entertainment complex could meet both the pre and post-game needs of not one but two major league teams. Which draws me into the second reason I’m excited about MLS in Orlando
#2 Different Schedule Than NBA = More People Downtown
The NBA season runs from October to March (let’s be honest, chances of a post-season anytime soon aren’t that good, at least not based on last year’s record and this year’s preseason thus far). MLS regular season runs from March till September. See what that means? That means even without post-season play, even if both teams only play regular season, we’ll have a Major League sports team playing year round in downtown Orlando. MLS averages 18,733 in attendance per game last season, NBA averaged 17,273 last season.
It’s easy to tell in downtown when there’s a Magic game that evening. Restaurants are busier, clubs are more crowded, the countless 7-11s have longer lines. But then comes the off-season and all of that disappears. With MLS now taking over that off-season the summer slumps won’t be as bad for downtown businesses.
This means that restaurants and retail will have a better chance of being successful in downtown. This will surely help the Magic negotiate with businesses in the new entertainment complex. Rumors point to possibly a list including House of Blues, London-based Balans Café, a sports themed restaurant by the owners of Planet Hollywood, an Adidas flagship store (expect as much soccer merch as basketball stuff in it), and at least one or two Brazilian brands (I’m hoping for Giraffas, we need a good fast casual in that part of town!) all coming to the new complex. What I’ve heard in passing is that the Magic are looking for brands that are familiar with out-of-towners, especially Brazilians.
It also means that downtown can finally sustain more than the merry-go-round of nightclubs, who with their low overhead cost can afford those slower summer months.
With this year round sports calendar I expect an increase in foot traffic around downtown. With more people that means an increase in desire for businesses to be downtown equaling more demand and higher rent. That will push out some of those clubs that are even now barely hanging on and in their spaces we’ll see new restaurants, retail and other things that people do while visiting before or after a sporting event. This idea of new people exploring downtown due to MLS being here is based on my third reason I’m excited.
#3 It Puts Orlando On The Minds Of Soccer Fans
ESPN MLS viewership in 2012 was on average 311,000 (it has dropped some this year but this is a fast growing sport so expect those numbers to creep back up by 2015). With the games being televised it is just one more reminder of Orlando as people flip through the channels or sit at the sports bar. UCF Football has helped recently as well. The more Orlando is in people’s minds the more they will want to visit our great city. And if they wanted to visit due to watching a soccer game then they are more likely to add a trip to such a game while here on vacation.
The soccer stadium will also help make downtown Orlando seem more interesting to all those Northerns who are driving down I-4 on their way to the tourist district. Right now the west side of the city, save for the Amway, can look pretty desolate. The new soccer stadium will allow the roar of the crowd, the fan fests on Church Street, the advertisements along the highway all to make the west side of town more intriguing. Suddenly that family from New Jersey or wherever who came on vacation here after being reminded of our beautiful weather due to a soccer match on TV will see the very stadium they saw on TV. Some will want to stop and take a picture of it. Maybe grab lunch at the Magic’s entertainment complex.
Or what about their soccer loving kids? Why not add a soccer game to an evening of the vacation. If you’ve been to a Magic game lately I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of tourist doing just that. I went to one a few weeks ago and there were fans from as far away as Australia and Brazil at the game. Even with the game being a loss for the Magic all the visitors crowded the gift shops on the way out.
Brazilians are filling Magic games and basketball isn’t even their national sport. Now if the rumors are correct and we get Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, better known as Ricardo Kaka. Arguably one of the best players presently in soccer Kaka has a massive fan base in his home country of Brazil. Leading me to my fourth reason I’m excited.
#4 It Puts Downtown Orlando in Minds of Big Spending Brazilians
With their national star on Orlando’s team, a team partly owned by their version of Warren Buffet, Brazilians will surely want to see him in action. Even at age 33 Kaka could easily become the #1 player in the MLS. This is our Beckham, our Shaq #2, or dare I say our new Dwight Howard except I expect this one to stay here.
Brazilians spend more than other visitors (they spent $1.5 billion last year in Miami alone). They buy more luxury items, spend more on food and come in larger groups. With one of their top players playing their national sport mere minutes from their hotel rooms it’s likely they’re add an MLS game to their vacation plans.
All those Brazilians with lose wallets and a desire to make their vacations memorable could be the boon needs to go from an afterthought of tourist to once again being a central part of their vacation. More Brazilians visiting downtown means more might be moving downtown. Brazilians are now the top foreign real estate buyers in Miami. Tower after tower (more than 20 currently with Brazilians in mind specifically) are now going up throughout South Florida to meet the need of these new buyers.
42% of those Miami Brazilian buyers are purchasing the condos for vacation homes. But now Orlando has all the theme parks, beaches nearby, and Kaka. I expect a massive condo boom in downtown, specifically around the new soccer stadium, with Brazilians in mind.
#5 The Stadium Allows For Even More Sports Events
One of the keys to the Amway Center has been the numerous other events it has allowed. Now with the new soccer stadium even more special events can happen in the city. In fact the two venues could work together to bring in major events. Music festivals could come and have both an indoor and an outdoor stage. At last night’s never ending county commissioner meeting it was mentioned, much to the confusion of the board, that each commissioner will be able to sponsor two charity events a year at the stadium. Lacrosse was also mentioned as a potential sport to be hosted at the stadium. Concerts, sporting events, community events all now have yet another downtown venue. This brings yet even more people to downtown, even more events that advertise Orlando, and even more reasons for tourist to visit.
For more information on how MLS will affect Central Florida check out this excellent site the City of Orlando has. It breaks down all the numbers and includes plenty of focus on the Brazilian factor.
So that’s my Top 5 reasons I’m ecstatic for the new MLS stadium and team. What about you? Why are you excited?