ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City Soccer Club officials announced new stadium policies on Monday that include a change to how alcohol is served to fans.
The changes come after several fans threw water bottles, beer cans and trash onto the field in reaction to a call on the field during a Lions' match against Atlanta United FC on May 13.
“We’re very proud of this house, our home, and I was very, very sad, to say the minimum, to see our stadium turning into a trash can from our own fans,” Orlando City Soccer CEO Alexandre Barreira Leitão said.
No injuries were reported. Officials said Monday that they had identified 38 people responsible for hurling trash onto the field. Those individuals, who were seated in different sections of the stadium, will receive one- to two-year sanctions, which will prohibit them from stepping foot at the stadium.
Sanction notices will be sent to the affected individuals through the mail.
Leitao and Vice President of Gameday Operations Alex Wolf said the individuals were identified through an extensive review process that involved examining surveillance footage.
Wolf outlined four main changes that will go soon go into effect:
1. Anytime a fan throws an object, a message will be played over the public address system to warn of the ramifications and a graphic will be displayed on the big screen reminding fans of the consequences.
2. Orlando City Soccer players will be featured in a video discussing fan code of conduct. That video will be played before every game.
3. The Orlando City Soccer Stadium will transition to an all-pour venue, meaning drinks will no longer be served in bottles, cans or cups with lids. Beer cans will still be available in suites but not in the stands.
4. More security cameras will be added to the inner bowl of the stadium to ensure a 360-degree view at all times.
Wolf said the first two changes will go into effect immediately, while the last two will take longer but should be implemented before the end of the season.
The policy announcement comes before Orlando Pride's match on Wednesday and Orlando City's match on Saturday.