Orlando vying for return of World Cup soccer games

Orlando wants to bring World Cup soccer back to the Citrus Bowl.

Boosters say the five soccer matches held here in 1994 showed the world that Orlando could host "the beautiful game" on a global stage. They hope to build on that success to secure more matches if the United States wins its bid to host the Cup events in 2018 or 2022.

Thirteen countries want the next available World Cup — South Africa hosts next year, while Brazil gets it in 2014 — and the U.S. organizers plan to pick its proposed sites by the end of the year. By the end of next year, the sport's governing body, FIFA, will select the 2018 host country for the tournament held every four years.
"They want to go where they would be well-received," said Joanie Schirm, a local businesswoman who helped lead the 1994 effort and is part of the latest campaign. "If we get our act together internally, we should have a good story to tell."

Schirm said she's seeing a more receptive and aggressive effort, especially by businesses that two decades ago were slow to see the potential of bringing tens of thousands of international visitors here.

Orlando has already made the first cut as a possible host site. In June, the USA Bid Committee Inc. -- a non-profit arm of the United States Soccer Federation – picked the Citrus Bowl to make the round of 45 candidates, which are mostly large, American-style football venues.

"Our track record would speak for itself," said Sam Stark, president of the Central Florida Sports Commission. "We just want to be one of the cities."

At 65,616 seats, the Citrus Bowl is among the smaller venues, and it is easily also one of the oldest and most dilapidated. The slumping economy has put a $175-million Citrus Bowl renovation on hold, likely for years.

Still, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he's been told the stadium's condition won't keep Orlando out of the action.

"With or without a renovation, the Citrus Bowl is a suitable location," Dyer said. "I can only think that if we do accomplish the renovation prior to the selection, it would enhance our chances."

Stark said Orlando would finalize its bid by the end of the month. In 1994, the bill for hosting the World Cup, mostly due to the costs of police protection, was around $600,000. But profits from concession sales reduced the cost to taxpayers to about $158,000.

Each city must meet a variety of FIFA demands, from climate and transportation to security and tourist accommodations. California leads with five contending stadiums; Texas and Florida have four each. Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville are also vying for matches.

In 1994, nine U.S. cities hosted games, with the final match held in Pasadena, Calif.

That the United States was even picked to host the 1994 event surprised many soccer aficionados. In America, football is still played with a helmet, while soccer is much more popular in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa.

But attendance in 1994 told a different story. The tournament was the single-largest sporting event in U.S. history and still holds the record for best-attended World Cup ever, at 3.5 million fans.

Orlando was generally regarded as one of the better success stories, with its five games – four first-round contests and one in the second round -- drawing over 306,000 fans.

Hordes of international fans descended on the city. The dome atop City Hall was draped to look like a soccer ball, and a bronze statue of a soccer player still adorns the courtyard in front of the building.

"It's a big, exciting event," Dyer said. "It brings extraordinary viewership, patriotism and nationalism," Dyer said. "With our 120,000 hotel rooms and attractions of all sorts, we would be a very logical pick for one of the host cities. We would enhance any bid with our international brand."

Fonte: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-worldcup-bid-orlando-071609,0,4577334.story