ORLANDO, Fla. – The first game at the Orlando City Stadium on Thursday will be between 100 kids and players from the Orlando City, Orlando Pride and OCB in the Kids vs. Pros game, starting at 7 p.m.
But how do fans find public parking to attend not only this game, but others throughout the season?
Orlando City has posted a listing of closest parking lots, one being on W. Central Boulevard down the street from the stadium, but Lot A is designated as an accessible parking lot.
The next lot is the Grove Park lot, located off Grove Park Drive, where there is a Uber, Lyft and taxi staging area.
Parking lot designation for Lot B is at the Geico Garage, near the Amway Center.
The public parking lots after that are all located on the other side of I-4.
But there are other options in the areas surrounding the stadium. For some, planning early was key to ease their parking woes.
SunRail will offer service on Sunday for the first game of the season. The first southbound train leaves from the DeBary station at 1:30 p.m. and the last northbound train leaves the Sand Lake Road station at 9 p.m. and arrives in DeBary at 10:03 p.m.
Riders should head to the stations at least 30 minutes early because of the increased traffic expected, Florida Department of Transportation officials said. For more information visit sunrail.com.
One group of friends told News 6 that they purchased season parking passes for $510.
“It's $30 per home game, and you have, like he said, you get one free beer per home game,you have use of the restroom, facilities you have an area to tailgate," friends Justice Mitchell and Justina Pratt told News 6.
For them, having a plan in place for parking makes sense.
“It's worth it – absolutely,” the pair told News 6.
One thing the pair said people going to the game should be on the lookout for is traffic.
“There is road closures now with the construction going on, and there is going to be even more on Sunday, so your normal route may not even be there, so you need to be sure, you need to be aware of traffic patterns,” they said.
Business owners also have planned ahead and sold parking spots for game-day parking.
The Broken Cauldron Taproom and Brewery said they sold parking spots to create a good atmosphere.
As game-day goers enjoy their time at the game, their cars will be safe.
“We are hiring security to roam the lot before, during and after the game, so everyone can feel safe while everyone is at the stadium; their cars are being guarded,” Charles Frizzle, of the Broken Cauldron Taproom and Brewery, said.
The excitement for game day means a lot for local residents in the community are also trying to help ease parking woes.
“The excitement is overwhelming, it's a long time coming and I've been in town my entire life and I never thought I would see a soccer stadium right at the intersection of Church Street and Parramore Avenue,” barbershop owner J. Henry said. “People are going to be looking for parking spaces, and we are here to accommodate the fans that are coming to the soccer stadium."
Henry is selling parking spaces for $40.
The Orlando City Soccer advisory board members are excited about the upcoming games.
“The city and the City Commissioner Regina Hill, she is doing a great job accommodating the community, letting the people know they can use their property to park their cars for events taking place,” a spokesperson from the advisory board said.