Orlando Magic Basketball, Orlando City and Orlando Pride Soccer, the nation's best tennis center, college football bowl games, NFL Pro Bowl, U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, Arnold Palmer Invitational, and of course the UCF Knights.
Orlando has a lot to offer fans of all sports. sports business journal Today, Orlando was named the #1 sports and business city for attracting and hosting events.
“Orlando’s rise to the top spot in this year’s rankings is a testament to the vibrant synergies between world-class venues, dedicated sports commissions and what makes Orlando an outstanding destination for sports business. We owe it to our passionate community,” said Abe Madcoure, SBJ Publisher and Editor-in-Chief.
This synergy and success is a testament to the dedicated efforts of city, county, and state governments. Organizations such as the Greater Orlando Sports Commission; There is also a community of fans who embrace the many events held here.
As Orlando's hometown team, the Knights take great pride in contributing to the city's reputation as a prominent sports center.
From its humble beginnings in 1969 with its first college sport (men's basketball) to its first season in the Big 12 Conference in 2023, UCF has enjoyed unprecedented success as the nation's youngest Power 4 program. With one of the top graduate sports business programs in the country, his UCF also provides a pipeline of talented graduates to the nation's biggest sports brands, including franchising in their own backyard.
The university also partners with local governments and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission to host some of the various major events that provide a major tourism boost to the region. These include the NFL Pro Bowl Skills Challenge, U.S. Women's National Soccer National Team training activities, NCAA postseason contests, and more.
“For years, sports have helped bring our community together and demonstrate Orlando's vibrancy and commitment to inclusivity,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Sports allows us to welcome more visitors to our region and also fosters economic growth by boosting the hospitality industry and small businesses. From local teams like the UCF Knights to Sport plays an important role in our community, from the many regional, national and international events we host.”
UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir said the strong partnerships within Orlando are a key reason why many events, including UCF, are successful.
“We are grateful to be in a community whose leaders dream big and work closely together for the benefit of the region's economic development, quality of life, and community spirit,” Mohajir says. “We would also like to thank the many coaches, student-athletes, donors and fans who have driven the tremendous growth and success of our UCF athletics program. , we are proud of the economic and social benefits it will bring to our region.”
“Amazing evolution”
ESPN senior writer Andrea Adelson said that when she moved to Orlando in 2006, she didn't feel like UCF, especially the football team, was part of the community. She's an additional Power 4 program in the middle of the state with three, and she's seen fans favor other teams' colors over the Knights'.
Adelson was quick to point out that today's situation is very different.
“To see past evolution, [18] The last few years have been remarkable, and UCF has won this one,” Adelson said. “UCF built a facility. UCF built a stadium on campus. UCF is committed to football and as a result we are now in the Big 12. …Now we go to a football game. When, it's an event. Tailgating is everywhere. Memory malls are full. It feels like you're going to any other college campus, participating in a storied program that's been around for 100 years. Now, That’s the feeling I get when I go to a UCF football game.”
To be sure, it's not just football that has helped the Knights' success on the field.
During their 10 years as members of the American Athletic Conference before being promoted to the Big 12, UCF teams won more league titles than any other conference member (52 in the AAC from 2013-14 to 2022-23). title (21 regular season championships) and an additional 31 games through the conference's postseason tournament, league title game, or other conference champion designation).
At the same time, the behind-the-scenes efforts of UCF Athletics staff ensure a unique game day experience that participants are excited about and want to come back for.
“We're a modern college athletics experience. For us, it's not about doing the same thing we've been doing for the past 20, 30, 40 years,” says UCF Athletics' chief branding officer. Jimmy Skiles '06. “We want to continue to evolve ourselves while representing the university and campus community as faithfully as possible. We listen to our fans' wishes and respond to what they still need. We also strive to innovate and provide experiences that you may not have noticed before.
“Not every great professional sports city has a great college team to complement it. What's so fun about Orlando is that every sports franchise and team has a very different experience overall. “I think it's important,” Skiles continued. “We're not in conflict or in competition with each other. We meet different needs and different experience buckets, so there's this real 'Team Orlando' feel. I think that's what makes us a great sports city. ”
UCF is a popular sport in town. Trends over the past four years: Season tickets are getting more expensive and often selling out.
The Knights' first season in the Big 12 in 2023-24 set season ticket sales records in all eight ticketed sports (football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball).
Season tickets for the volleyball and softball teams are sold out for the first time, and season tickets for the football team are sold out for the fourth consecutive season.
At the end of the 2023-24 regular season, the men's basketball team broke a 13-year-old single-season school record for attendance. The Knights hosted a total of 130,076 for 18 home games, including wins over three Top 25 programs (No. 3 Kansas, No. 23 Oklahoma and No. 23 Texas Tech).
All of the football team's Big 12 home games this season have been sold out. The first three games (Baylor, West Virginia and Oklahoma State) were announced as sold out more than three months before the games started.
Part of the success is UCF's ability to be at the forefront of technology and innovation within the market. UCF is one of a select few universities in the country to serve as beta testers for new products and features that Ticketmaster plans to roll out. Recent hires include digital ticketing and virtual venues at FBC Mortgage Stadium and Addition Financial Arena. This allows ticket buyers to see a vantage point of the field/court from their seat before purchasing.
“It's been a total team effort to get to the goalposts these past few years,” said Brooke Smalley, senior associate athletics director of ticket sales, strategy and analysis. “It's easy to point to a jump to the Big 12 as an attractive ticket, but before this season we had sold out tickets three years in a row. I'm proud of the work we put in to make that happen. Our mission is to generate revenue so our teams can stay competitive, and we work hard to keep prices affordable for fans to make memories with their friends and family.”
It's important to remember that UCF still has a year to go before it becomes a full share member of the Big 12 Conference (while operating on a fraction of its peers' budgets). But you have to keep your foot on the gas. Equally prioritize investment and financing in four key areas: working capital, personnel, equipment and maintenance costs, and talent recruitment.
Investing in this program means it positively impacts and uplifts the communities in which it is based.
team orlando
In 2007, UCF opened both its on-campus football stadium and new basketball arena on consecutive weekends. These two buildings of his became the anchors of what is now known as the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village, which is now a thriving center for athletics.
Consider the recent weekend of March 1-3. UCF hosted 22 events from Friday through Sunday, including a softball tournament, professional volleyball, rivalry games and a men's basketball game against the No. 8 team in the country.
“The arrival of Athletic Village opens up a whole new sports district in Orlando and creates new opportunities to support all of Orlando's events,” Skiles said.
Whether you want to host a training session for an international soccer team. Annual bowl game. With high-profile events (the NFL Pro Bowl Skills Challenge and the Harlem Globetrotters) and some of the best and biggest college football games in prime time, UCF has leveraged its facilities to become a valuable partner in the Orlando sports scene. Ta.
Built by UCF
In addition to the economic impact of sporting events and partnerships, UCF supports the city's sports businesses in other ways. It's a talented workforce.
The university has been running the DeVos Sports Business Management program, one of the top graduate sports business programs in the country, for more than 20 years. Many other alumni of his UCF program also serve in important roles for Orlando sports organizations, from marketing to ticket sales, strategy to event management.
Name any local sports organization that doesn't have a UCF graduate on their staff.
UCF Athletics itself is a testament to how the business continues to run in the family. Approximately 25% of our full-time staff are alumni, spanning 22 departments (from sports medicine to brand improvement, business operations, academics, and everything in between) and his eight sports, including his two Includes head coach (baseball coach). Rich Wallace '04 and of the spirit Linda Gooch '85).
These are examples of the many hard-working Knights contributing to Team Orlando.
- Orlando Magic: Alex Martins '01MBACEO; and Sherry Wilkes '02 '04MBA '04MSExecutive Vice President of Marketing and Social Responsibility
- orlando city soccer: Jessica West '12 '14MBA '15MS, Vice President of Facilities and Operations.and Christopher Kamke '09MBA '10MSChief Strategy Officer
- orlando pride: Thais Cotta '17MBA '18MS; manager, player affairs and administration; Savannah Blake '19Data Analyst/Sports Scientist
- United States Tennis Association: Lesina Warren '09MBA '10MS; and Jenna (Dorfler) Kelly '13 '14MBA '15MS Director of National Event Initiatives and Experiences
- Nascar: Derek Cowan '09MBA '10MSpartnership marketing
- Orlando Valkyres: Jean Racine '17Media Relations Manager
- Track Shack (co-sponsor of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials): Michelle Maretti '95, Director of Finance. Kelly Gregory '16, Wellness Outreach/Galloway Training Director.and Caitlin Waldmiller '16manager
“I can truly say that I am who I am today because of the DeVos Sports Business Management Program,” Wilkes says. While he was a student in Orlando, he worked on a magic class project, and when he graduated in 2004, he was offered a job and is currently involved in the program. 20th Spend a season with your team.