A Comprehensive 2007 Guide to Orlando Spectator Sports

Central Florida sports fans – visitors and residents alike – will have plenty to cheer about during 2007 with such popular spectator sports as the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League (AFL) and the University of Central Florida (UCF) Golden Knights football team. Orlando is also bustling with baseball action during Spring Training as the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros come to town this spring, as well as Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp starting in late July.

The Orlando Magic play all their home games at the 17,500-seat Amway Arena (formerly known as the TD Waterhouse Centre) in downtown Orlando. Founded in 1989, the Orlando Magic advanced to the NBA Finals during the 1994-95 season. Many basketball superstars have played for the Orlando Magic over the years such as Shaquille O’Neal, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and Tracy McGrady. The current Orlando Magic roster includes Dwight Howard, Grant Hill, Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick. Brian Hill is the head coach of the Orlando Magic, which compete in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The Magic’s 2006-07 regular season schedule concludes on April 18, 2007, against the Miami Heat. Construction on a new, 20,000-seat Orlando Magic Arena in downtown Orlando is scheduled to begin in early 2008.

Founded in 1991, the Orlando Predators, who captured the Arena Bowl Championship in 2000, compete in the 19-team AFL. The Predators have made the playoffs 15 years in a row and compete in the Southern Division of the National Conference against the likes of the Austin Wranglers, Dallas Desperados, Georgia Force, Las Vegas Gladiators, New Orleans Voodoo and Tampa Bay Storm. The 16-game regular season includes eight home games at the Amway Arena (a.k.a. “The Jungle”) and runs from early February to late May. Jay Gruden is the head coach of the Orlando Predators, which finished the 2006 AFL season with a 10-6 record and lost to Chicago in ArenaBowl XX. The Predators open the 2007 season on March 2, 2007, against the Tampa Bay Storm.

The UCF Golden Knights football team competes in Conference USA against such teams as East Carolina University, Marshall University, Rice University, Southern Methodist University, Tulane University, University of Alabama Birmingham, University of Houston, University of Memphis, University of Southern Mississippi, University of Texas-El Paso and University of Tulsa. George O’Leary is the head coach of the Golden Knights, which finished with a record of 4-8 during the 2006 season. The Golden Knights formerly played their home games at the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando but a new stadium is currently under construction at the UCF campus. The 45,000-seat Bright House Networks Stadium is set to be completed in time for the Golden Knights’ home opener against the Texas Longhorns on September 15, 2007.

Central Florida is also the site of Major League Baseball (MLB) Spring Training when the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros arrive in February 2007. The Braves play 16 home games at a 7,500-seat, state-of-the-art ballpark within Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, while the Houston Astros compete at the recently renovated Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. The Braves’ Spring Training season runs from February 28 to March 29, 2007, while the Astros will be here from March 1 to March 31, 2007. In addition, the 2002 World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers spend Training Camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex starting in late July. Practices are open to the public and admission is free for Buccaneers Training Camp.

Other spectator sports scheduled to take place in the Orlando area over the next year include the Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl, which pits the second-ranked college football teams of the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on New Year’s Day; the Silver Spurs Rodeo, the largest rodeo East of the Mississippi, which takes place at the Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee from February 16-18, 2007; and the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club (March 12-18, 2007) and Walt Disney World Resort Classic (November 1-4, 2007), two immensely popular golf tournaments that draw some of the world’s top professional golfers on the PGA tour.

Orlando visitors should plan ahead and pre-order tickets for spectator sports they wish to attend during their stay, according to Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing for HotelsCorp.com.

“Tickets to sporting events, as well as theme park tickets, can often be added to discount vacation packages, allowing families to enjoy significant savings on their Orlando vacations,” said Collins.