THE FULL PITCH
ORLANDO CITY STADIUM Orlando, USA
Images: Clair Solutions
W
ith a desire to join the MLS in 2015, the city of Orlando knew to stand a chance of getting the proposal accepted, it needed to have a new soccer-specific stadium for what would
become its home club, Orlando City SC. Plans were announced to build said stadium that same year, and construction began shortly after. Orlando City SC played its first two seasons in the MLS at the Orlando Citrus Bowl before moving to the new stadium once it was complete. Orlando City Stadium is North America’s first MLS stadium to have a standing section, which upped its originally planned capacity from 19,000 to almost 30,000. The new facility was designed by architect, Populous and boasts another unique feature with the closest first row and steepest upper seating bowl in the league. “Being able to describe features of the stadium as the first, the closest and the steepest really tells the story of what kind of impact it will have on the league,” said Populous Senior Principal, Bruce Miller. “From the sightlines to the seatto-pitch proximity, Orlando City Stadium is optimised for the ultimate match day experience.” “Our new facility truly reflects the energy and intensity of the growing soccer market here in the United States,” said Orlando City Soccer Club CEO Alex Leitao. “From the start, Populous understood we were designing for soccer first, everything else came second. As a result, we’re extremely proud of the new home they have helped us create for the Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride.” Populous worked in conjunction with audiovisual consultant, WJHW, which provided design services for the LED scoreboard / video display systems, video production system, distributed video system, broadcast cabling provisions, meeting room audiovisual system, coaching video system, seating bowl sound systems and security
