A special steel beam has been painted purple and will travel to several events throughout the week in Orlando. Fans attending these events will be able to sign the beam, effectively putting their name on a piece of history. The beam will be installed as part of the stadium later in March. A total of 10 million pounds of steel will be used during construction.
The beam will be at the following locations:
- Monday – Community Stadium Update Meeting at Shiloh Baptist Church (6:30 p.m.)
- Tuesday – CFHLA Tailgate at Cheyenne Saloon (5 p.m.)
- Thursday – Purple Pride 5k at Lake Eola (6:30 p.m.)
- Saturday – Orlando City Pub Crawl Downtown (3 p.m.)
“Today marks a major milestone in the construction of our new home, and we are thrilled to share this achievement with the community and our fans,” said Rawlins. “Progress is being made daily at the site, and we continue on track to open for the start of the 2017 season. In addition, we are proud of the workforce assembled for this project, with a significant majority coming from right here in our local community.”
Construction on the soccer stadium is expected to hit its peak during the months of July, August and September. Approximately 500 workers are expected to be on site daily during that time. Construction is also having a significant benefit to the local community, as 70 percent of the project is contracted to business within the tri-county area (Orange, Seminole and Lake counties), while 52 percent is contracted to businesses within Orlando. In addition, 20 percent of the project is contracted to Minority and Women Owned Enterprises (MWBE).
To date, over 6,200 cubic yards of concrete have been poured as part of the underground and foundation work. This next phase of construction will see the 25,500-seat stadium begin to take shape above ground.
Fans have a number of options to guarantee their seats in the new Downtown Soccer Stadium for 2017:
- 2016 Orlando City SC Season Ticket Members are guaranteed a seat in the new stadium. Fans who are not current Orlando City Season Ticket Members can join the waitlist for 2017 by visiting www.OrlandoCitySC.com/Tickets/Waitlist or calling 855-ORL-CITY.
- Orlando Pride Season Ticket Members also receive priority for 2017. Pride season tickets are available at www.OrlandoCitySC.com/Pride/Tickets or by calling 855-ORL-CITY
- Private suites are also available but selling quickly, with only a handful remaining for 2017. For information on suites, please call 855-ORL-CITY.
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YOUR CITY, YOUR STADIUM: The Orlando City Downtown Soccer Stadium is a 25,500-capacity, state-of-the-art, privately financed multi-purpose facility and home to Major League Soccer’s Orlando City SC and the Orlando Pride National Women’s Soccer League team. The third largest purpose-built stadium in MLS, the venue is currently under construction and expected to be completed in 2017.
In addition to Orlando City and Pride matches, the venue will host other sporting and entertainment events throughout the year, serving as an economic engine for the surrounding area. The stadium will reflect the character and culture of the community, especially the surrounding Parramore neighborhood, to provide an unparalleled and truly unique fan experience.
The stadium originally broke ground in October 2014 with nearly 3,000 fans in attendance to turn over 24 tons of purple sand. Following the unprecedented fan response in Central Florida to the Lions’ first MLS season, funding for the stadium was taken private and designs were enhanced to expand capacity to 25,500, as well as incorporate new premium fan amenities.
Barton Malow serves as the Construction Manager, ICON as Program Manager and Populous is the architect. For more information, please visit www.OrlandoCitySC.com/Stadium.
About Orlando City Soccer Club:
With three major professional teams, Orlando City Soccer Club (OCSC) has established itself as one of the preeminent Clubs in professional soccer.
One of the leading teams in Major League Soccer (MLS), and the most-searched MLS team in 2015 according to Google, the Lions have developed a rich history and passionate following since starting in the USL in 2011. In their inaugural MLS season, Orlando City set a league attendance record for an expansion team, drawing an average of 32,847 fans per home game – including 62,500 in the home opener – and became the fastest team in MLS history to host a half million fans. Orlando City has not only captured the passion of soccer fans in the City Beautiful, it continues to build its global brand as its matches are broadcast in 140 countries and in 30 languages.
The Orlando Pride, OCSC’s National Women’s Soccer League franchise, will begin league play in 2016 – bringing professional women’s soccer to Orlando for the first time. The team is led by renowned Head Coach Tom Sermanni, former manager for the Australian and U.S. women’s national teams.
Orlando City B (OCB) participates in the USL beginning in the 2016 season. The team plays its home matches at Titan Soccer Complex on the campus of Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne, Fla. OCB continues the Club’s rich history in the rapidly growing league. From 2011 to 2014, Orlando City set the U.S. record for best start of any professional soccer club in its first 100 USL matches (66-12-22), winning three regular season titles and two postseason championships.
OCSC also has a youth club, Orlando City Youth Soccer (OCYS). Lastly, the Orlando City Foundation is active in the community year round, promoting health and wellness in children throughout the region, and raising funds for and volunteering time for various local organizations.
For more information, visit www.OrlandoCitySC.com, www.Orlando-Pride.com, www.OrlandoCityB.com, www.OrlandoCityYouth.org and www.OrlandoCitySC.com/Foundation.