Disney to add new venue at its Wide World of Sports
By Emily Badger | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 4, 2004
Walt Disney World officials today will announce an expansion of the resort's Wide World of Sports complex, further strengthening its position as the world's largest multi-sport facility for amateurs.
An industry source closely tied to the negotiations, who asked not to be identified, said Disney will break ground later this month on the project -- the first expansion of the complex since it opened seven years ago.
The 20-acre addition will increase the size of Wide World of Sports to 220 acres. The new area, which will combine four baseball diamonds with other multi-use fields for soccer and football, should be completed by August, the source said.
Wide World of Sports, which was completed in March of 1997, houses Cracker Jack Stadium -- the Atlanta Braves' spring training home -- along with four-and-a-half professional baseball fields, an indoor arena, a softball quadruplex, tennis and track and field complexes, and four other multi-use fields.
The campus hosts about 170 events a year, a number that should gradually expand with the new facility, to be named Hess Sports Fields for petroleum company Amerada Hess Corp.
The new venue will accommodate as many as 10 different sports, with the versatile outfield of the four baseball diamonds -- there will be no outfield walls -- being converted into field hockey or lacrosse fields. The facility also can accommodate flag football, ultimate Frisbee, windball cricket and archery, an Olympic sport that's been in demand at the Wide World of Sports for past events such as the U.S. National Senior Games.
Since it was built, the complex has been poised for expansion in an area of the park surrounded by greenery. The new venue will be carved out of some of that land beyond Cracker Jack Stadium and adjacent to the current multi-use fields.
This time of year, the complex is busy with professional baseball -- the first game of the preseason will be played today against the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and an annual program called Disney Spring Training.
During that 10-week stretch from mid-February to mid-April, high school and college athletics programs -- mostly from the North and Midwest -- come down to train at the facilities for a week during their spring breaks.
The expansion will allow Disney to cater to even more such schools and expand the program from just track and field, lacrosse and softball. The new fields will also allow amateur tournaments to expand from 60- to 80-team affairs.
Annual attendance figures were not available for the complex.
Spokesman Bill Hofheimer said Disney plans to make an announcement at a 10:30 a.m. news conference today before the 1 p.m. spring training opener. Reggie Williams, the vice president for Disney Sports Attractions, and Lee Cockerell, the executive vice president of operations for Walt Disney World Resort, are expected to unveil the new plans.
Neither was available for comment Wednesday.
By Emily Badger | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 4, 2004
Walt Disney World officials today will announce an expansion of the resort's Wide World of Sports complex, further strengthening its position as the world's largest multi-sport facility for amateurs.
An industry source closely tied to the negotiations, who asked not to be identified, said Disney will break ground later this month on the project -- the first expansion of the complex since it opened seven years ago.
The 20-acre addition will increase the size of Wide World of Sports to 220 acres. The new area, which will combine four baseball diamonds with other multi-use fields for soccer and football, should be completed by August, the source said.
Wide World of Sports, which was completed in March of 1997, houses Cracker Jack Stadium -- the Atlanta Braves' spring training home -- along with four-and-a-half professional baseball fields, an indoor arena, a softball quadruplex, tennis and track and field complexes, and four other multi-use fields.
The campus hosts about 170 events a year, a number that should gradually expand with the new facility, to be named Hess Sports Fields for petroleum company Amerada Hess Corp.
The new venue will accommodate as many as 10 different sports, with the versatile outfield of the four baseball diamonds -- there will be no outfield walls -- being converted into field hockey or lacrosse fields. The facility also can accommodate flag football, ultimate Frisbee, windball cricket and archery, an Olympic sport that's been in demand at the Wide World of Sports for past events such as the U.S. National Senior Games.
Since it was built, the complex has been poised for expansion in an area of the park surrounded by greenery. The new venue will be carved out of some of that land beyond Cracker Jack Stadium and adjacent to the current multi-use fields.
This time of year, the complex is busy with professional baseball -- the first game of the preseason will be played today against the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and an annual program called Disney Spring Training.
During that 10-week stretch from mid-February to mid-April, high school and college athletics programs -- mostly from the North and Midwest -- come down to train at the facilities for a week during their spring breaks.
The expansion will allow Disney to cater to even more such schools and expand the program from just track and field, lacrosse and softball. The new fields will also allow amateur tournaments to expand from 60- to 80-team affairs.
Annual attendance figures were not available for the complex.
Spokesman Bill Hofheimer said Disney plans to make an announcement at a 10:30 a.m. news conference today before the 1 p.m. spring training opener. Reggie Williams, the vice president for Disney Sports Attractions, and Lee Cockerell, the executive vice president of operations for Walt Disney World Resort, are expected to unveil the new plans.
Neither was available for comment Wednesday.
