The Greater Orlando Sports Commission, in partnership with Rollins College, is proud to host the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships Festival. The festival will be held next week from May 19-25 and will include the spring sports of men’s and women’s golf at Orange County National Golf Resort & Lodge, women’s lacrosse at Showalter Field, softball at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park, and men’s and women’s tennis at Sanlando Park.

Around The Horn.

• Orlando is hosting the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival on Sunday May 19 - Saturday May 25. Student-athletes from across the United States will compete for six national championships, including men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, softball and women’s lacrosse! Visit our website for more information about the festival and each individual championship.
• The victories keep on coming for the Orlando Pride as they won their sixth match in a row last weekend against Bay FC at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride (6-0-3) have now set a club record for most consecutive wins and lead the NWSL standings. The Pride will look to continue this impressive streak as they travel to take on Seattle Reign FC this Sunday, May 19.
• The UCF softball team earned its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament, and are set to square off against Auburn in the Tallahassee Regional tomorrow, May 17 at 2pm. It is the first time in program history that the Knights (30-23, 12-15 Big 12) have appeared in four straight tournaments.
• Orlando's USTA National Campus in Lake Nona will play host to the second round of Major League Pickleball playoffs later this year on November 22-24. The league consists of 22 teams split up into two divisions, including our very own Orlando Squeeze owned by the DeVos family.
• The UCF basketball program has added two new assistant coaches ahead of next season to bolster their coaching staff and bring in more experience. The Knights announced last week that Los Angeles Clippers player development coach Carlos Dotson will be joining the team, as well as UTSA assistant coach Adam Hood. UCF is entering its second season since joining the Big 12 Conference and will look to build off of their inaugural season where they finished (17-16, 7-11 Big 12).
• Orlando City SC put in one of its best performances of the season last night in front of a sellout crowd in a 0-0 draw with Inter Miami. The Lions (3-5-4) held Miami (8-2-4), an offensive powerhouse, without a goal for the first time since March 23. Orlando City will look to capitalize on this great showing as they travel to San Jose for a match this Saturday, May 18.
• The Orlando Solar Bears' season has come to an end after a hard-fought five-game playoff series against the defending champion Florida Everblades. The Solar Bears finished the regular season as the sixth seed and were heavy underdogs going into the playoffs, but prevailed and pushed through to the ECHL Finals. Congratulations on a great 2023/2024 season and we can't wait for the next one!
• The Orlando Valkyries finished up their inaugural season on a high note with a three-set sweep of the Vegas Thrill last Saturday night at Addition Financial Arena. The Valkyries (8-16) finished in sixth place of the Pro Volleyball Federation rankings, only missing the playoffs by two spots. Congratulations to the Valkyries on completing their first season and we look forward to next year!

The Greater Orlando Sports Commission is proud to partner with Rollins College to host the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships Festival. The festival will be held from May 19-25, and we are recruiting volunteers to assist with all aspects of the championship festival. Individuals or groups interested in volunteering can visit https://forms.gle/V3HW58aiwUf3HiDX9 to sign up and for more information. Volunteers are required to be 18 years or older. 

In The News.

• Seminole County Commissioners approved forming a Tourism Improvement District (TID) on Tuesday which allows hotels with more than 65 rooms to tack on an extra fee to a guest's bill for each room night's stay. This is the first step toward building a large indoor complex for sport tournaments and other events which is estimated to cost more than $65 million. The TID assessment would be set and collected by hoteliers, and the revenue would build and maintain the indoor facility.
• 'Bar Rescue' star Jon Taffer announced he will be opening up a new restaurant on International Drive called Taffer's Tavern, a concept he originally came up with back in 2020. The eatery is a full-service restaurant and bar concept and will be the first location to open in Florida. The location on I-Drive will be in the popular Pointe Orlando outdoor mall with expectations to open this winter.
• AdventHealth announced they will spend $145 million to expand its Winter Garden hospital in the growing West Orange County community. Construction is expected to begin later this summer on the addition of three floors to the patient tower at AdventHealth Winter Garden. The addition will total 105,000 square feet, create more than 100 jobs and is expected to be completed in 2026.
• EA Sports and UCF have long been in partnership together since the creation of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) back in 2004. The FIEA program is a unique collaboration between EA Sports and UCF for students seeking to obtain their degree and work as programmers, artists, and producers. According to EA Sports, approximately 10% of their game development team are graduates from the FIEA program. With the resurgence of the popular College Football '25 set to debut this summer, both UCF Football and the FEIA program have played an integral role in its development.
• Travel + Leisure Co. has been approved by Orlando City Council for incentives that will bring its global headquarters from Orlando's tourism corridor to downtown. The timeshare/vacation ownership giant will move 908 jobs to the new location and create an additional 102 positions in the span of five years.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Orlando is offering an exclusive discount to recent 2024 graduates from May 19 - June 2! Call the reservation number pictured above and reference "Graduates" to receive this once-in-a-lifetime deal.

Stay Engaged.

• Join the founding president of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, Joanie Schirm, for Curator Conversations: Orlando's World Cup at the Orange County History Center tonight! The History Center’s curator of collections, Travis Puterbaugh, leads this conversation highlighting a pocket exhibit of FIFA World Cup 1994 soccer memorabilia. Hear Joanie's firsthand account and never-before-heard stories of overcoming challenges and rallying the community to bring this historic event to Central Florida.
• Walt Disney World has officially released a debut date for its new Magic Kingdom attraction called Tiana's Bayou Adventure. The new water ride, which reimagines the iconic Splash Mountain, is set to open for guests on June 28 of this year.
• Universal Orlando has set an opening day for its DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios theme park, and has unveiled plans for a new parade, new nighttime lagoon show, and new castle projection show at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade. DreamWorks Land, the "Hogwarts Always" projection show, and the "CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular lagoon show are scheduled to debut on June 14 of this year, with the new Universal Mega Movie Parade set to begin on July 3.
• Join the Downtown Orlando Partnership for its Chow on Church event from 3:30-6pm on Tuesday, June 18th, at Inter&Co Stadium! Admission includes business networking, food tasting, the opportunity to meet Orlando Pride players, and two complimentary tickets for an upcoming Pride match! 
• Orlando's USTA National Campus located in Lake Nona is one of hundreds of facilities nationwide hosting a 'Hit To Be Fit Day' this Sunday, May 19 from 9:00am to 12:00pm. This is the inaugural year for this event and is a valuable experience which promotes health, wellness, and community engagement through tennis and related activities.
• Florida residents can save up to $65 on select multi-day tickets at Universal Orlando theme parks when buying online. Click here for current offers.
• Florida residents can save big while visiting Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Click here to view the current list of special offers.

In The Community.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and his wife Sarah Grafton were proud to support the Runway To Hope Gala organized by Josie and Mark NeJame (NeJame Law, P.A.), pictured with four-year-old Sebastian as they walked the runway together.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and his wife Sarah Grafton attended the Make A Wish Gala with Associate VP Chase DeMayo and his wife Sarah DeMayo, pictured with board members Mike Harris (Uproar PR) and Jesse Martinez (Celeste Hotel).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and the entire team congratulate the leadership team at NBCUniversal on the transformation of the Golf Channel Studios, the house that Arnold Palmer built, in Orlando. Jason is pictured with Amy Saunders (Arnold Palmer Invitational) and Kyle Goudy (GolfNow).

GO Sports congratulations our partners at Seminole County on the the creation of Central Florida's first Tourism Improvement District. This initiative marks a significant milestone in our region's commitment to expanding our tourism sector, pictured is Robert Agrusa (CFHLA), and Seminole County Commissioners Bob Dallari (District 1), Jay Zembower (District 2), Lee Constantine (District 3), Amy Lockhart (District 4), and Andria Herr (District 5).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel joined iHeart radio station Johnny's House on XL106.7 this morning to promote the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival, as well as upcoming AAU Volleyball tournament and pro soccer matches in Orlando.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and Associate VP Chase DeMayo had the opportunity to gather with some of GO Sports' board members for lunch earlier this week, pictured with William Giraldez (Crowne Plaza), Jesse Martinez (Celeste Hotel), Benjamin McCarney (Grand Bohemian), Chris Mueller (Hilton Orlando), and Scott Weisz (Marriot Vacations).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel attended the I-Drive Chamber of Commerce event recognizing Harris Rosen and Abe Pizam with the 2024 Innovator award, pictured with Harris Rosen (Rosen Hotels & Resorts).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel participated in the Consulate of Mexico's Bi-National Sports Week event, pictured with Juan Sabines (Mexican Consul) and two-time World Cup player for the men's Mexican National Team Enrique Borja.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and Senior VP Michael Kalinich attended the ribbon cutting ceremony with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer for the opening of the first Orlando-based Inter&Co Lounge, pictured with board member Latria Graham (GLB Media Group).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and Associate VP Chase DeMayo met with board members Mike Harris (Uproar PR) and John Mahony (Kavaliro) earlier this week.

Corporate Partner Spotlight.

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Fun & Games.

• What's Happening: Osceola County Things To Do
• What's Happening: Orange County Things To Do
• What's Happening: Seminole County Things To Do
• What's Happening: Lake County Things To Do