ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort is a 220-acre venue widely regarded as the leading facility for youth sports in America.
- Years of Operation: The sports complex opened in 1997 and has been in business for 27 years. AdventHealth Arena was added in early 2018 giving the sports complex an 8,000-seat building specifically designed for cheerleading and dance competitions.
- Sports Destination: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex hosts dozens of sports and entertainment events per year. Since opening, more than 70 different sports have been held at the sports complex featuring athletes from more than 70 countries.
- Sports Complex Versatility: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is the home of Disney Soccer and Disney Spring Training and the premier site for amateur sports in the nation. Designed to provide professional, amateur and youth athletes with experiences synonymous with the names Disney and ESPN, the 220-acre facility features multiple competition venues, including 16 baseball/softball fields; a 9,500-seat stadium; a state-of-the-art indoor arena in addition to two field houses for basketball, volleyball, eSports and other indoor sports; and 17 multi-purpose outdoor fields for soccer, football and field hockey. The sports complex has a track and field facility and a cross-country course.
- Additional Amenities: The sports complex also contains a professional production center that produces content for the Disney family of networks and distributes programming globally. Multiple dining and retail locations are also on site along with a 5,000-space parking lot to accommodate teams and fans during weekends with multiple events.
Architecture (Overall Facility)
Architect: David Schwarz (Washington, D.C.). Schwarz also designed The Ballpark at Arlington, home of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers.
Design: “Florida Picturesque” style embodies a Florida- or Mediterranean-flavor design with Spanish-style roofing, blue and green accent tiling, vibrant yellow colors and symmetrical tower-like structures.
AdventHealth Arena
In January 2018, ESPN Wide World of Sports opened the nation’s first venue specifically designed for cheerleading and dance team competitions, in partnership with Varsity Spirit. The venue includes a flexible design for one large competition space that can be set up for as many as four competition areas. Additional areas are tailored for warm up and practice, along with areas for judges and officials.
With the ability to seat over 8,000 guests, plus performance and warm-up space, the multi-use sports and entertainment venue also has the ability to host six regulation basketball courts, six regulation volleyball courts or concert configurations. There are concessions throughout the building, and an additional box office and entry to the complex.
The Stadium
A retro-style Major League Baseball ballpark that annually hosts numerous amateur tournaments. With permanent seating and existing infrastructure, the facility can also host concerts, corporate hospitality functions, event opening ceremonies and other large gatherings.
Maximum capacity for 11,500 guests, including 9,500 permanent upper and lower deck seats (80 percent are located between first and third base), plus a grass berm in left field that offers seating for an additional 2,000+ guests.
Four luxury suites (all include indoor and outdoor seating areas), plus an additional suite that features a large conference room; two upper-level outdoor suites; and two mezzanine-level outdoor terraces.
Display booth equipped with state-of-the-art production equipment for managing in-stadium entertainment, including a 33′ 7″ wide by 21’7″ high jumbo screen which can display ESPN programming, customized videos, daily highlight reels and interviews from the sports complex
State Farm Field House
50,000-square-foot multi-sport indoor arena includes high arches and trusses and other architectural and design elements reminiscent of a classic 1950s style fieldhouse (capacity: 5,500). This multi-purpose facility can accommodate virtually any indoor sport that does not require ice, including basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, volleyball, martial arts, team handball, roller hockey, cheerleading and dance, trampoline and tumbling, indoor tennis, etc., in addition to concerts and conventions.
The fieldhouse has room for six full-size collegiate basketball courts (four on main level and two upstairs on auxiliary court).
Athletic Center
A state-of-the-art multi-sport fieldhouse, Athletic Center includes space for six college-size basketball courts, or 12 regulation-size volleyball courts, or two roller hockey rinks, and four locker rooms, two conference rooms and two officials’ rooms.
Marathon Sports Fields
The Sports Fields venue is large enough to accommodate a variety of outdoor sports — soccer, football, lacrosse, baseball, field hockey, rugby, softball, cricket, etc. The seven grass playing surfaces and four fields may be used collectively for one large event or multiple events may take place simultaneously on various fields.
Permanent bleacher seating is available at each field and additional bleachers may be added for larger events (capacity: 10,000).
Baseball Quadraplex / Softball Complex
The Baseball Quadraplex includes four professional baseball fields and a half field (used for infield drills). The quad annually hosts MLB players during spring training and minor league players during Rookie League (Gulf Coast League) and Fall Instructional League seasons, as well as camps, clinics and tournaments for amateur and youth players.
The Softball Complex includes six fields that can accommodate fastpitch and slowpitch softball, as well as youth baseball (12 and younger)..
Track & Field Complex
World-class 400-meter polyurethane Track & Field Complex meets IAAF world governing body standards and measurements, and is consistent with Olympic T&F venues throughout the world.
The Track & Field Complex features an adaptable Cross Country course.
Production Center
The Production Center is a 2,500 square foot state-of-the-art facility with two full ESPN control rooms, eight edit bays, a full production studio with customizable graphics and lighting and uplinks to ESPN in Bristol, Conn., Los Angeles and New York.
It features 56 high-definition cameras (42 robotic, 10 handheld and four studio) and 40 high-definition video screens, including 3 jumbo screens that can capture and display footage, event highlights and interviews that will broadcast throughout the complex and on various Disney and ESPN platforms.
ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill
An enlarged and enhanced sports-themed fast casual restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating located across from The Stadium. The restaurant contains a full bar and menu items include burgers, pizza, signature sandwiches and salads, along with a variety of desserts and beverages.