Orlando City Stadium is no more, as the home of Orlando City (MLS) and Orlando Pride (NWSL) is now Exploria Stadium after a naming-rights agreement was announced today.
Opening on March 5, 2017, Exploria Stadium features a 360-degree bowl design and a signature feature, “The Wall”: a 33-degree, standing-room only section that houses both the Lions’ and Pride’s supporter groups.
“We are thrilled to have Exploria Resorts join the Orlando City SC family. As a Club based in the most visited city in the world, and one that has fans who support our teams around the globe, we are excited to partner with a Central Florida-based company that provides world-class travel and hospitality experiences to its visitors,” Orlando City SC CEO Alex Leitão said. “We are looking forward to creating memorable experiences for our fans both at Exploria Resorts and here at Exploria Stadium.”
“For nearly 25 years, Exploria Resorts and its predecessors have been making vacation memories for our owners. Through our seven owned resorts and over 40 affiliates, our vacation club, Club Exploria, provides exciting and flexible vacation options for our 85,000 member families,” President and CEO of Exploria Resorts Thomas J. Morris said. “We are very excited about the new partnership between Exploria Resorts and Orlando City SC, as we recognize the appeal of soccer and the growth of MLS and the NWSL in both the Orlando community and on the international stage.”
Exploria Resorts, a vacation rental and timeshare company, is based in nearby Clermont. Besides the naming rights, the agreement includes including support for the Orlando City Foundation’s annual and grassroots events. Terms of the naming-rights deal were not announced.
Since its opening, Exploria Stadium has hosted a variety of high-profile events besides MLS play, including two U.S. Men’s National Team matches, the 2018 SheBelieves Cup and the 2017 NCAA Women’s College Cup. In July, Exploria Stadium will be the 2019 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target. At the end of the year, Exploria Stadium will also host the 2019 Cure Bowl, marking the first non-soccer sporting event to take place at the venue since its opening in March 2017.