2016 has been a year of milestones for the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex! From unveiling plans for our new indoor sports venue to hosting The Invictus Games, this past year was full of magical moments.
Check out some of our favorite moments from 2016 that made this past year so memorable:
1) 2016 Invictus Games – ESPN Wide World of Sports was host to Prince Harry’s international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick Service personnel. The event was overflowing with emotion and truly once-in-a-lifetime moments. Check out the video below to see some highlights from this magical event:
2) New Indoor Sports Venue – Earlier this year, we announced that ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will build a new indoor multi-sport venue, adjacent to the Jostens Center and featuring a flexible design that can accommodate competition groups of varying sizes.
3) Pop Warner Celebrates 20 Years at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – Earlier this month, teams from across the country who battled in regional competitions played for national titles at Walt Disney World Resort for the 20th straight year. The week-long tournament featured 64 football teams and more than 400 cheerleading squads from around the nation who competed for the coveted national championships in various divisions. Select games and competitions were even broadcast on ESPNU!
4) Orlando City Soccer Club Players Take on Mickey Mouse – We were excited to welcome Brek Shea, Antonio Nocerino, Servando Carrasco and Tyler Turner from Orlando City Soccer Club to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for a little friendly competition with Mickey Mouse. It was an especially magical moment since the team had just played their last USL-Pro season at the ESPN Complex! Here’s a fun video from the match:
5) Atlanta Braves Annual Spring Training – We were excited to welcome the Atlanta Braves back to ESPN Wide World of Sports in 2016 for their annual Spring Training. To go along with the high quality baseball that comes with games, there were plenty of entertainment opportunities for everyone in the family while at the ballpark. Just last month, we announced the schedule for the Atlanta Braves’ 20th Annual Spring Training Season.
6) ESPN Wide World of Sports Goes Global – Did you know the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is host to international sporting events? In total, more than 70 different countries have visited and competed at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. International competitions include baseball, soccer cheer and more! The Disney Cup International is a competitive soccer tournament that attracts teams from more than 20 countries. Best of all, these international events will return in 2017 for even more friendly competition! Learn more about all of our events at https://www.espnwwos.com/events.
7) NFL Pro Bowl Week Activities Coming to Walt Disney World Resort – Over the summer we announced that the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl will take place in Orlando, with select events and activities staged at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The practices as well as the NFL Flag football event and other youth football events will take place at our sports complex. Best of all, registration for this January event, including NFL Pro Bowl 5K Race at Epcot, are still available at ESPNWWOS.com/NFLProBowl, so you and your family can join in the fun!
Those are just a few of the highlights from 2016! Thank you to everyone who participated in these memorable events and the countless others held at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex!
Will you be visiting us in 2017? Tell us which event you’ll be participating in or cheering on using the hashtag #ESPNWWOS. Follow ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Facebook and Twitter.
