Orlando City continue to stake their claim as one of the success stories of Major League Soccer. Their new stadium is still under construction and won’t open until next year, but season tickets are already sold out.
The Lions announced Sunday that they’ve sold 18,000 season tickets, their cap of season tickets for their new stadium set to open for next season.
“This should be an incredibly gratifying accomplishment for our fans because it means they have set a tone for a sold out crowd for every MLS match,” said Orlando City president Phil Rawlins in a statement. "That’s guaranteed energy and guaranteed elevated noise levels for every match."
The Lions have been playing at the former Orlando Citrus Bowl, now called Camping World Stadium, which can accommodate crowds of more than 60,000, but doesn’t make for an optimal game day experience, despite Orlando’s large crowds. Their new $150 million-plus stadium figures to bring down Orlando’s average attendance, which is 31,873 this season and well above their new stadium’s 25,500 capacity.
But the hit in average attendance is worth it for the Lions to own their own stadium and enhance the game day experience for fans. Their new stadium will also have natural grass, a soccer-specific layout and better updated facilities, with its location still relatively close to where Orlando City used to play. They will probably lose their second overall spot in MLS attendance behind the Seattle Sounders next year, but should remain in the league's top five.
While the strong season ticket sales are an obvious boost for Orlando City SC, it could have a positive spill-over effect for the club’s NWSL team, the Orlando Pride, as the demand for soccer may be higher than the supply. The Portland Timbers have a waiting list for season tickets that is nearly 13,000 names long and some fans have turned to the Portland Thorns on the women’s side for their soccer fix.
The Orlando Pride are second in NWSL attendance behind the Thorns, but after a record-setting home-opening crowd of 23,403 in April, the average crowd size has settled just under 9,000. Rawlins, the president of Orlando City, has said the club’s goal for average attendance is "north of 10,000,” which has them chasing the Thorns' average of almost 17,000 this season. Orlando's new stadium might be able to push the Pride up there.
Orlando City’s clubs haven’t been quite as stellar on the field — the Orlando Pride are already out of the NWSL playoffs and Orlando City sit outside of playoff position. But either way, the business side of things continues to go well as Orlando has clearly tapped into a market that wants to support local soccer.
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