Disney to build massive arena, will cover nearly 45,000 square feet

[crazy4wdw]

Disney to build massive arena

The Jostens Center will have nearly 45,000 square feet of competition space.

Andrew Astleford | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 28, 2007

Officials from Disney and Jostens Inc. will announce the construction of a 70,000-plus square-foot arena today as part of 10th-anniversary celebrations for Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

The Jostens Center, which will house more than 44,800 square feet of competition space, will contain six basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts, two roller hockey rinks, four locker rooms, two conference areas and two officials' rooms. The venue is scheduled to open in fall 2008.

Disney officials said events at the Jostens Center would be comparable to those that take place at the Milk House, the complex's current indoor facility that holds 30,000 square feet of competition space.

The Jostens Center is expected to host basketball tournaments, volleyball tournaments, cheerleading events, wrestling matches and other events that have become staples of the Milk House's schedule during the past decade.

"It will more than double our ability to host sports events," said Reggie Williams, vice president of Disney Sports Attractions. "The Milk House is booked 50 out of 52 weekends a year. Now, we will be able to book another facility as frequently as the Milk House and, more importantly, have multiple events happen simultaneously."

The Jostens brand will become a visible sight with the deal. The company will offer custom memory books and Internet services for athletes competing on the grounds.

The company already offers a similar service for Disney World's theme-park patrons. Plans for the arena include a Jostens "Hall of Fame," where the company will promote Super Bowl rings, athlete memory books and other products.

"The additional venue offers us a lot more flexibility," said Alex Vergara, Disney Sports manager of sports marketing and technology.

"If an event would come to us and we only had one venue, you put them in that space and you customize the venue specific for the event. Now with the Jostens Center coming aboard, it will provide us an alternative that might be a better fit for a specific event."

The announcement coincides with events planned to celebrate Disney's Wide World of Sport's 10th anniversary. From 12:15-12:45 p.m. today at the complex, Disney officials and athletes will be on hand to mark a decade in Central Florida.

The 220-acre complex, which hosts more than 180 events a year, has seen more than 1.5 million athletes come through the facility.

The first major event occurred on March 28, 1997, when the Atlanta Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-7 before 10,000 fans during a spring-training exhibition.

As Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex prepares to move forward, Disney officials say the Jostens Center will become a centerpiece for the future.

"It's a part of the continued expansion of our facility," Vergara said.

"It will continue to enable kids in arena-facility sports to compete at our site."

Andrew Astleford can be reached at aastleford@orlandosentinel.com.

 

[DisOrBust]

Now they will have to finish Pop.

 

[jimh13432]

Now they will have to finish Pop.

Yuck, do they have too?

 

[larry_poppins]

another big yawn!

 

[patsal]

Oh goody, even more inadequately supervised teens! It'll be like Cheer and Pop Warner weeks on steroids!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Yuck, do they have too? . . .

1) It makes too much financial sense.
2) They get a partner to build the building, so little cost to WDW.
3) They they REQUIRE participants to stay on-site. *
4) It is BIG, BIG BUCKS.

* As an example, the contract with Pop Warner specifies that all contestants must stay on site, or they cannot participate. Other contests have the same requirements. (Cheerleaders do not have this contract clause, and can stay off-site if they wish.) That a huge revenue pool for WDW.

 

[EUROPACL]

1) It makes too much financial sense.
2) They get a partner to build the building, so little cost to WDW.
3) They they REQUIRE participants to stay on-site. *
4) It is BIG, BIG BUCKS.

* As an example, the contract with Pop Warner specifies that all contestants must stay on site, or they cannot participate. Other contests have the same requirements. (Cheerleaders do not have this contract clause, and can stay off-site if they wish.) That a huge revenue pool for WDW.

The best part is that we all know that this money that they will be making hand over fist on this deal(according to you) will be poured right back into the parks...and not used to prop up some crappy failing unit of the Disney media "empire". Gosh I can't wait for the Haunted Mansion II direct to DVD release.

 

[YoHo]

Seriously, It will be twice the movie Norbit is. Eddie Murphy will be sure to get the Oscar for it.


I thought I remembered reading something a few months ago about how Disney was losing some of these comps, because of cost.

 

[seashoreCM]

How does this "have to stay on site" work?

Do the various groups all get a "convention rate" or do individual families with kids participating have to book resorts with everyone else with a limited number of rooms for each kind of package or using code rates subject to availability?

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[mitros]

Oh goody, even more inadequately supervised teens! It'll be like Cheer and Pop Warner weeks on steroids!

Man, I'm with you on that!

 

[Mickey1122]

A 70,000 square foot arena for the Wide World of Sports complex that no one goes to but nothing for popular EPCOT's 25th? That's not right to me.