ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City's soccer-only stadium will now be known as Exploria Stadium, team officials said Tuesday at a news conference.
Orlando City SC announced that it has partnered with Exploria Resorts, which becomes the first-ever naming rights partner for the team's 25,500 seat stadium located in downtown Orlando.
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The stadium is home to Orlando City of Major League Soccer and the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Exploria Resorts has also been named the Official Timeshare/Vacation Club of Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride.
“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.”
"Welcome to the family," Leitao said.
To kick off the partnership, a party presented by Exploria Resorts will be held June 15 at Exploria Stadium. The event is open to the public and will begin with an Orlando City training session at 10 a.m. Following the training, fans will have the opportunity to meet and interact with the 2019 Lions roster in a series of activities around the stadium, such as live Q&A sessions, game zones and player autograph sessions.
The Orlando stadium has already hosted a number of marquee events during its short history, 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 site of Major League Soccer’s most star-studded event, the 2019 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target. On July 31, the biggest stars in the league will face Club Atlético de Madrid, one of the most-storied clubs in Spain’s La Liga. 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.
Orlando City opened the venue on March 5, 2017, seeing the Lions defeat New York City FC, 1-0, in front of a sellout crowd.
Leitao presented Morris with an Orlando City No. 19 jersey at the end of the news conference.