Venue Detail
Orlando City SC
RSV Pro Facilities Report
March, 2015
Orlando City SC
618 E. South St. Ste 510 Orlando , FL 32801 Phone: 855-675-2488 URL: www.orlandocitysc.com Owner: Flavio Augusto da Silva League: Major League Soccer, Eastern Conference
Venue
Citrus Bowl, , Orlando, FL Managed by: Florida Citrus Sports Built: 2014 Capacity: 41,000 Permanent concession stands: 29 Soft drink:
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $370 to $780
Suites
Quantity: 45
Club seats
Quantity: 6,000
In 2014 Orlando agreed to a $70 million expansion of the Citrus Bowl and was added in as the 21st MLS franchise. It will play temporarily in the newly-remodeled Citrus Bowl until its new stadium is built in 2016.
The new stadium will have 2,500 club seats and a capacity of 18,000 seats.
Orlando approved revenue-sharing deals for both stadiums. The soccer team agreed to act as the stadium’s developer and cover any cost overruns during construction of the $84 million facility. And if it doesn’t at least break even each year, the team will be required to cover any losses.
The team’s owners are also signing a non-relocation agreement to try to keep the franchise from leaving town after the stadium is built.
If the franchise moves, it will still owe Orlando its annual payments for using the stadium. On top of that, the team also would have to pay back some of the public money spent to build the facility. If the team moves before March 2029, the team would have to pay damages of $20 million. After that, the damages decrease gradually until 2040, when the payment would be $9 million.
Florida Citrus Sports has operated at the Citrus Bowl for decades, bringing events like the Capital One and Russell Athletic bowl games, and the Florida Classic. The organization chipped in $6 million of the $207 million cost to renovate the stadium, with the rest coming from hotel taxes.
The new agreement requires FCS to pay the city substantially more than in the past: an $800,000 annual fee in the first year. Including game expenses, it will cost FCS an estimated $1.2 million a year to operate, compared to about $500,000 a year now, CEO Steve Hogan said.
At the same time, the deal gives FCS the ability to sell advertising and sponsorships around the stadium, including corporate naming rights.
The Citrus Bowl underwent a $207 million, 10-month-long renovation. Roughly 85 percent of the stadium is new. Everything but the upper bowl was torn down. New facades on the east and west sides help give it a new appearance and house its eight elevators, eight escalators and stairs. The old stadium was dim and somewhat cramped on the ground level, so designers have made it brighter and more open. There's a wide pedestrian plaza outside that's decorated with 14-foot-tall sculptural arbors planted with bougainvillea. Tall palms grow beneath the seating bowl, rising alongside the escalators and stairs in an effort to create a Florida feel. (Facilities, MLS, Professional Sports, Soccer, Venue)