Disney Sports & ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

 

• The Orlando Sentinel (06/2012) Even among the hordes of British travelers who annually descend on Walt Disney World, these three U.K. athletes stand out: the former captains of the national soccer teams in Wales and Northern Ireland, and the starting goalkeeper from England’s 2006 World Cup squad.

• The Washington Times (10/2011) 8,268 finishers. 13.1 miles. Three theme parks. And one magical race. This self-proclaimed Disney girl—my dog’s name is Cinderella after all—finally did it. I ran my first runDisney race. Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon on Oct. 1 did not disappoint. It was everything the little girl in me hoped it would be.

• ESPN the Magazine-Mexico (7/2011) El mundo mágico de Walt Disney World tiene un lugar especial para todos los aficionados al deporte. ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex es más que un centro hotelero con 27 mil habitaciones, albercas y gimnasios, es con sus 93 hectáreas el complejo deportivo más grande del planeta.

• Athlon Sports Golf Magazine (3/2011) A bunker shaped like Mickey Mouse? Yep, that magical mouse is seemingly everywhere at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando. The sand trap guarding the green of the par-3 sixth hole of the Magnolia course is one of the few clues that you are playing golf on Disney’s sprawling 40-square-mile property in central Florida.

• Sports Pro: Stadiums and Venues (1/2011) Disney World does not immediately spring to mind when thinking of sports destinations. However the Disney-owned ESPN brand is hoping to change that perception, and has lent its name to one of the world’s most unique venues to pull it off.

• Sports Travel Magazine (12/2010) The Disney Soccer Showcase made its debut in 2000 with 64 boys’ and girls’ teams competing against one another. It has grown to include more than 500 teams playing on pro-quality fields, under lights and in front of television cameras.

• Destinations of the World (3/2010) Disney isn’t renowned for its investments in athletics, but at the heart of the business model behind its colossal Disney World vacation complex lies a sports facility with 250,000 athletes competing there annually. This is no Mickey Mouse investment says Christian Sylt.

• The Houston Chronicle (2/2009) Paul Berry, San Antonio businessman, walked through the gates of Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex and found himself overcome with childlike wonder. Mickey and Goofy were nowhere to be seen. But for the adult-league baseball player, here for a national tournament, it was a magic kingdom nevertheless. 

• SportsBusiness International(12/2008) Perhaps the most significant initiative for 2009 is the rebranding of the sports complex with the ESPN brand, creating an entertaining and immersive experience for youth athletes competing here that will leave them feeling like they’ve reached the “big time.” 

• PanStadia (6/2007) Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, having seen more than one and a half million athletes and sports enthusiasts compete here since it first opened in 1997.

• SportsBusiness International (3/2007) Fairytale venues: Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando is used by all the U.S. major leagues and has helped pioneer the use of sport as a magnet for tourism and business. Christian Sylt discovered the magic ingredients.