Disney gets a $1M boost from state for soccer training

With rich assist from Florida taxpayers, Walt Disney World and local sports promoters are hoping to make Orlando a magnet for soccer fans this February.

Disney and the Central Florida Sports Commission have organized the region’s first formal “Soccer Spring Training” program, which will feature six Major League Soccer teams holding preseason camps across Central Florida for 18 days in February.

As part of the arrangement, each of the six teams — Toronto FC, Impact Montreal, DC United, the Columbus Crew, the Philadelphia Union and Sporting Kansas City — have committed to play in the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, an annual tournament the giant resort hosts at its ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Underwriting the concept is a $1 million earmark from the Florida Legislature that Disney successfully lobbied for earlier this year even as lawmakers cut state funds for everything from hospitals to universities.

That money is being used in part to pay the six MLS teams for participating in the spring-training events. Each team is getting a $30,000 upfront fee, according to the individual contracts.

What’s more, the public funds are subsidizing the sale of vacation packages to soccer fans. Each team is entitled to payments based on a sliding scale that ranges from $50 to $125 for each package sold. A team can ultimately earn as much as $75,000 in such payments, provided it sells enough vacations.

Not all of the public money will go to the teams. Kevin Coulthart, vice president of marketing and events for the Central Florida Sports Commission, said roughly $250,000 will be used to cover administrative and general marketing costs.

He and other supporters think the spring-training concept has the potential to blossom into a major annual event drawing tens of thousands of passionate soccer fans who would spend money on area hotels, restaurants and attractions. The sports commission expects to draw about 15,000 people this year.