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Orlando City Soccer Club To Pay For New Stadium

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Orlando City will pay for its own Major League Soccer Stadium. With $30 million of State funding in limbo during a special legislative session, the Orlando City Soccer club announced they will pay for the entire project themselves

Orlando pledged $15 million and Orange County promised $20 million at the start of the project. With this new funding plan, they’re off the hook. The club will buy back land the city acquired last year.

Along with a new financing plan, team majority owner Flavio Da Silvasays the new stadium will be bigger than the original 19,000 seat plan.  "We are very focused on building a new stadium with 25,000 - 28,000 thousand seats. That’s going to be our new house," he said.

Orlando City Soccer hopes to have the stadium complete by next summer. The Lions currently play in a newly renovated Citrus Bowl.

Da Silva said fan support this season solidify private investment. "This is a big signal of how we believe in the city, how we believe in the community, these people, this market place."

Brendan Byrne is Central Florida Public Media's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing the organization's internship program.

Byrne also hosts Central Florida Public Media's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.