With the recent boom of construction and development taking place in the blink of an eye here in Lake Nona, residents usually know what to expect and what’s coming to the Nonahood. However, a recent turn of events has caused a change in plans for a major announcement that took place in January 2016.
The original plan consisted of a new 23-acre training facility for Orlando City of Major League Soccer (MLS), minor league Orlando City B, and the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, with an investment upwards of $20 million, according to former Orlando City president Phil Rawlins. Those intended plans were set to open for use by March 2017.
Nearly three years later, both Orlando City SC and Lake Nona have experienced tons of fluctuations. The MLS team announced its most recent plans for a new training complex in Osceola County. This facility at Osceola Heritage Park is set to debut in July 2019. Osceola Heritage Park was the spring training compound for Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros previously and will now undergo a complete renovation to become the MLS Orlando City Lions’ and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Orlando Pride’s permanent and exclusive training facility.
“The training complex is the heart of our soccer operations. It’s where our product on the field reports to work every day, where they eat and recover, and, most importantly, where they build the team culture and attitude that carries over to the stadium on match days,” Orlando City SC CEO Alex Leitão stated. “We’ve worked hard to secure the best opportunity to support both player development and the recruitment of top talent over the past four seasons with the establishment of a top-notch soccer stadium in 2017 and now the addition of a new state-of-the-art training complex in 2019.”
The remodeled amenities will feature four full-size soccer fields, a film room (for play and drill review), a players’ lounge and dining area, and a training, fitness and recovery center, all on approximately 20 acres. Working staff will enjoy a private, 30,000-square-foot building for office space and media operations; two main locker rooms nearly identical to the ones at the Orlando City Stadium are also included in the plans.
Jessi Blakley, senior director of Tavistock Development Company, explained, “We understand Orlando City’s financial decision of where to locate their training center. We are great friends and neighbors and look forward to always being strong supporters of the team and their role in our community.”
Both the Lions and the Pride will continue to train at their current training facilities in Sylvan Lake Park and Seminole Soccer Complex through the beginning of the 2019 season. Once the Osceola Heritage Park facility has undergone its renovations and is ready to open, the MLS and NWSL teams will transfer over to their new training grounds and the youth teams from the academy will stay put at Seminole Soccer Complex.
