Impact Update for Thursday, July 24 | | |
"Our five-year extension with the Greater Orlando Sports Commission ensures that we continue to keep Real Florida, Real Close. Hosting major sporting events in Lake County grows our local economy, supports small businesses, and brings national attention to our facilities. Partnering with the Greater Orlando Sports Commission helps us remain a premier sports destination."
-Kirby Smith
Lake County Commissioner
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Quote of the Day
"Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow."
-Robert Kiyosaki
NY Times Best-Selling Author
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Across the Board (Of Directors)
- Congratulations to Greater Orlando Sports Commission Board Members R.P. Rama on his recent appointment to serve on the Orange County Tourist Development Council.
- Congratulations to Board Member Kaleb Harrell on Hawkers getting an investment from Savory Fund.
- Congratulations to Board Member Sean Murphy, whose company 3N2 was featured on The Today Show for their partnership with the Cosmic Baseball League. See it HERE
- Congratulations to Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine on being honored with the Marlene Young Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida Association of Counties.
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Around The Horn
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GO Sports is proud to announce a five-year contract extension with Lake County, continuing the successful partnership that began in 1996. The agreement extends the collaboration through 2030, reinforcing a shared commitment to growing sports tourism in the region. Over the past five years, the partnership has driven a significant number of hotel room night stays annually, underscoring Lake County’s status as a premier destination for championship-caliber events.
- The sports community mourns the loss of Terry Bollea, the man behind the Hulk Hogan persona, who passed away Thursday morning at the age of 71. The former WWE Superstar had strong ties to Orlando, even opening a memorabilia shop on International Drive in 2017. In his stints with the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) and later with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action (TNA), he wrestled often at Disney and Universal, and filmed some TV projects here as well.
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Orlando City SC was honored last week with its first-ever Golden Matrix Award at the annual Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Conference — a prestigious recognition from industry peers for excellence in event presentation. Specifically, Orlando City took first place in the "Best Overall Soccer Production" category which celebrates the technical, artistic, and overall entertainment quality of their matchday programming.
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The Orlando Magic have signed center Orlando Robinson to a two-way contract, according to President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. Undrafted by an NBA franchise, Robinson has appeared in 111 career NBA regular season games (16 starts) with Miami, Sacramento and Toronto, averaging 4.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 13.5 minutes per game.
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Orlando City SC earned a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, securing its 10th victory of the 2025 MLS regular season. The Lions (10-6-8, 38 points) were led by Martín Ojeda, who scored a brace and brought his goal contribution total to 22 on the season. Orlando City will remain on the road to face Columbus Crew this Friday, July 25 at 7:30pm, with live coverage on MLS Season Pass.
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The Lake Mary All-Stars won the Little League World Series last year, and in the state tournament that started on Friday, they showed championship form, defeating Chaires/Capitola of Tallahassee 19-0 in three innings in Crane Park at the Tim Wakefield Sports Complex. Lake Mary will play again this Saturday, July 26 at 10am against the loser of Friday night's game between Lakewood Ranch and Windermere.
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UCF Athletics announced that it has generated an all-time high in fundraising, with $52.8 million in cash and commitments for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2025. The record-setting total was amassed from contributions of more than 13,206 donors, 467 Shareholders Society donors and 579 Varsity Knights members, marking the fourth consecutive year UCF has surpassed $40 million in annual fundraising commitments for the Charge On Fund.
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The Orlando Pride has unveiled “Summer Break presented by Orlando Pride,” a series of community-wide events designed to engage fans, give back and celebrate the spirit of summer across Central Florida during the NWSL’s midseason pause. The festivities, which will run through the end of July, will build momentum toward the Club’s return to league action on Sunday, Aug. 3, when the Pride host the Utah Royals during Florida Night presented by Heineken at Inter&Co Stadium.
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The Orlando Squeeze won two out of four matches during the Major League Pickleball Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids from July 9-13. The Squeeze (12-8, 34 points) are currently ranked 7th in MLP standings and will close out the regular season at the MLP Salt Lake City Tournament from Thursday, July 31 to Sunday, Aug. 3.
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GO Sports is proud to announce the 7th annual Celebrating Women in Sports Luncheon presented by Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute will be hosted at Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday, September 17, 2025. This year's featured speaker is 3x Olympic Beach Volleyball Gold Medalist, Misty May-Treanor!
In addition to Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute returning as the presenting sponsor, Florida Blue is returning as the sponsor of the featured speaker's fireside chat. Last year’s luncheon sold out with more than 725 guests in attendance.
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Around Town
- The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), in partnership with Orange County and MetroPlan Orlando, has officially opened a new diverging diamond interchange between Interstate 4 and Daryl Carter Parkway. The interchange, designated as Exit 70, includes three new ramps providing direct access between I-4 and the parkway. The new design briefly shifts traffic to the opposite side of the road to eliminate left turns across oncoming traffic, improving safety and traffic flow.
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Visit Orlando's Magical Dining, presented by Orlando Health, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025 with a record-breaking 160 restaurants in the program which will run from Friday, Aug. 15 through Tuesday, Sept. 30. The extensive list includes 24 newcomers and 15 Michelin Guide-recognized options, each offering three-course prix fixe menus priced at $40 and $60. A portion of every meal sold will benefit the REED Charitable Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to early childhood development and literacy.
- The University of Central Florida is launching a new advanced degree to meet the needs of the growing space industry, according to Orlando Business Journal. The online space MBA program will take two years to complete, and focuses on space commercialization, business strategy, and innovation. Applications are open for the degree now through Dec. 1, and classes will begin in Spring 2026. The degree is being geared so that students can work either in the private sector or public sector entities like NASA or Space Force.
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More changes are coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park as Walt Disney World recently announced the park's Animation Courtyard will be reimagined into a version of the real-life Walt Disney Studios. Included in this renovation is the replacement of Star Wars: Launch Bay in favor of a new attraction dubbed, "The Magic of Disney Animation." The new animation activities are expected to debut in 2026, and the building will feature a tall Mickey’s sorcerer hat over the entrance.
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High Point Climbing and Fitness has officially opened its doors as rock climbers living in the flatlands of Florida now have a massive new venue to hone their skills. The 45,000-square-foot indoor climbing gym located in Orlando's Packing District features 52-foot walls, a bouldering area, a full-service gym, a yoga studio, party rooms and a dedicated children’s climbing area. The new facility is the largest climbing gym in Florida, and the sixth largest in the United States.
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Legoland Florida Resort has announced it is building its "most technologically advanced attraction" in park history. In a July 15 press release, the Winter Haven amusement park shared details about the new space-themed area set to open in early 2026. The new attraction is the first to be built in Legoland Florida since the park opened in 2011 and is described as an interactive space adventure, with the experience beginning in the queue of the ride and including homage to original Lego space-themed sets.
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All Around
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Universal Orlando has announced that Frequent Fear Passes and other multi-night tickets for Halloween Horror Nights are now available for purchase. The event's Fear passes are tiered, allowing different levels of access on multiple nights of the event, which runs for 48 nights between Friday, Aug. 29 and Sunday, Nov. 2 at Universal Studios theme park.
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Walt Disney World's new nighttime parade, "Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away," debuted at Magic Kingdom on Sunday, July 20. Parade times will be 9:00pm and 11:00pm nightly and it will start on Main Street then travel back to Frontierland, a reversal of the usual course for Magic Kingdom parades. The parade will have the Blue Fairy as a through line and guiding light, and the final float will feature Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
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SeaWorld Orlando has revealed two of the five houses slated for this year's Howl-O-Scream event, which will be held 28 nights between Sept. 6 and Nov. 1. The theme park is currently selling single-night tickets, unlimited-admission passes, front-of-line tickets and bundles, and more. This will be the fifth year that SeaWorld Orlando has held the after-hours event for "mature audiences."
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Madame Tussauds has created 13 new Taylor Swift wax figures for installation in attractions around the globe, including the ICON Park location on International Drive. The looks are tied to Swift's global Eras Tour, which had 149 sell-out dates. Visit their website to learn more of what ICON Park has to offer and purchase your attraction tickets ahead of time.
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The Orange County Regional History Center is celebrating the City Beautiful's 150th anniversary on Thursday, July 31 with free admission from 10:00am to 5:00pm. In addition to free History Center admission, you can also enjoy free admission on July 31 at Orlando’s Mennello Museum of American Art and Harry P. Leu Gardens.
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Monster Jam returns to Orlando on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2-3, at the Kia Center. Start your day of fun at the Monster Jam Pit Party and see the massive trucks up close, or grab a ticket for the Monster Jam Post-Event Driver Meet and Greet for an exclusive opportunity to meet and mingle with the drivers shortly after the event. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
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K92.3’s All Star Jam is returning to Addition Financial Arena for its 30th annual concert celebration on Sunday, August 17 at 7:30pm, and tickets are on sale now! The 30th Annual All Star Jam will feature eight Country musical performances by: Kane Brown, Brett Young, Chris Lane, Locash, Michael Ray, Raelynn, Mark Wills and Chad Brock.
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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.
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Florida residents can save big while visiting Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Click here to view the current list of special offers.
| | GO Sports Executive VP Michael Kalinich, Associate VP Chase DeMayo and Coordinator Jordan Henderson traveled with a group of board members and corporate partners to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' training camp in Tampa. | | GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and Executive VP Brent Nelson attended the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners Meeting where the Commissioners recognized three local softball teams who competed in the 2025 FHSAA State Championships. Pictured with Seminole County Commissioners, Danny Trosset & Mike Baker (Seminole County), and coaches and student-athletes from Hagerty High School. | | GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and his wife Sarah Grafton attended the Anthony J. Nicholson Endowed Chair in Education Innovation, Obstetrics & Gynecology Ceremony honoring Dr. Sarah Weaver, pictured with Tony Nicholson and his wife Sonja Nicholson, and Dr. Alexander Cartwright (UCF) and his wife Melinda Cartwright. | | Congratulations to GO Sports Director Jordan Lyda and summer intern Reilly Harris on winning gold at the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center “Carboard Boat Races" to raise money for swim lessons and programming for children with autism and special needs. | | Corporate Partner Spotlight. | | |
GO Sports is proud to welcome our newest corporate partner, Courtyard by Marriott Orlando Altamonte Springs/Maitland! For more information, click the logo above.
Thank you for supporting sports tourism in Greater Orlando!
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