SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/739563
26 SportsTurf | November 2016 www.sportsturfonline.com STMA CONFERENCE PREVIEW America's youth athletes enter all new 'world' at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney Nation's leading multi-sport venue for amateur and professional events features signature ESPN elements; one-of-a-kind initiative to take youth sports to next level The widely acclaimed sports facility at Walt Disney World Resort was officially re-launched as ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in February 2010, taking youth sports to new heights. The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex has transformed youth sports by providing an immersive experience for the more than 2 million athletes, coaches and fans who come to the complex each year, while also connecting them to their favorite ESPN programs, personalities and elements. The sports complex offers 75.6 acres of baseball and mixed- use turf; giving youth athletes the chance to compete on the same professional-quality fields as their favorite NFL and MLB teams. Disney uses three types of grass throughout the year to maintain the fields at the sports complex: 419 bermuda, Latitude bermuda, and winter rye. 419 and Latitude are standard, while during the winter the complex crews overseed with the winter rye, which keeps the fields green during the colder months. By using this blend of tough, durable and aesthetically pleasing grass, Disney Sports can stage more than 100 events and has accommodated approximately 70 different sports involving athletes from more than 70 countries. Among these events are Atlanta Braves spring training, Disney Soccer Showcase, the Pop Warner Super Bowl, AAU National Championships, Varsity Cheer events, Disney International Salute to Baseball and the run Disney race series, one of the largest race organizers in the nation. New in 2017, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will be home to the NFL Pro Bowl. Additionally, ESPN televises dozens of sporting events from the complex. ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex also provides advertisers a new platform to reach the youth sports market. As part of the project, Disney and ESPN have added many technological and experiential enhancements designed to replicate the signature elements sportsturf_november_outlines.indd 1 10/7/16 8:51 AM