ORLANDO, Fla. – The new soccer stadium being constructed in downtown Orlando will not open in 2016, Orlando City Soccer Club announced on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, stadium construction is taking a little longer than anticipated. Therefore, in order to provide enough time, we have taken the prudent decision to play the entire 2016 season in the Orlando Citrus Bowl, and concentrate our construction efforts on being fully prepared for opening in 2017," Orlando City Founder and President Phil Rawlins said. “This will allow us to provide fans, community neighbors, partners and competitors a first class experience from the very first day.”
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Rawlins said steel installation -- a major construction milestone -- will begin later this month.
"At that time, we will also launch our 3D seat viewer, which will allow fans to get a first glimpse inside the stadium from their new seats," he said.
The stadium is a 25,500-seat, state-of-the-art, multipurpose 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 expected to be completed in 2017.
"Our community has a history of building world-class, state-of-the-art venues that are more than just buildings, but iconic gathering spaces for our entire region," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a statement. "It’s important that these buildings are done right to ensure they can continue to serve our community for decades to come. We are fortunate that Orlando City Soccer Club can continue to play here in downtown Orlando at the Orlando Citrus Bowl for another year and allow us to ensure that the new stadium reflects the character of our community, has the best amenities for fans and builds on our legacy of sports, arts and entertainment in Orlando."
In addition to Orlando City and Pride matches, the venue will host other sporting and entertainment events throughout the year.
The stadium broke ground in October 2014, but after a large fan response in Central Florida to the team's 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.
