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Category Archives: ESPN WWOS
NFL Star Drew Brees Kicks Off Tournament at Disney
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ first football academy arrives at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex next month. The prestigious three-day academy is open to all skill levels but is expected to attract some of the most highly-ranked high school football players in America from June 27-30.
Some of the high schools participating in the Passing Academy and 7on7 Tournament are Cocoa, Oviedo, Admiral Farragu Academy, Archbishop Carroll, Orange Park, Dr. Phillips, Leesburg and Cardinal Newman. Teams from as far away as California are scheduled to compete, along with teams from throughout the southeast.
Young football athletes will receive elite-level instruction from Brees and other marquee NFL players and coaches. The academy participants will learn insider tips related to virtually every facet of the passing game, from the proper throwing motion to throwing on the run to taking command of the huddle, from one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.
Additionally, the athletes will have the unique opportunity to immediately put what they have learned to the test by taking part in two days of intensely-competitive 7-on-7 competition, a format which has been widely credited with helping accelerate the development of several current young NFL starting quarterbacks.
Memorial Day Weekend at Walt Disney World
Photo via Disney Parks Blog
Spring has sprung—although a lot of areas across the U.S. aren’t exactly feeling it yet—and while Walt Disney World Resort is smack in the middle of the Spring Break craze, we’re already looking ahead to what’s next.
Memorial Day will fall on Monday, May 27, this year. It’s a great time of year to visit the Parks, with perfectly balanced spring/summer weather. Plus, many kids across the nation are still in school, so the crowd levels haven’t yet peaked. So what kinds of Memorial holiday happenings can you expect to unofficially kick off summer fun at the Disney Parks? Well, while there are no specific Memorial Day holiday observances at Walt Disney World, the Parks will offer extended weekend hours, and some Resort events will make the holiday extra memorable.
Star Wars Invades Atlanta Braves Spring Training at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
No, it’s not a galaxy far, far away. It’s Atlanta Braves spring training at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Last weeks Braves-Mets game saw the first mash-up of Disney, Star Wars and Major League Baseball spring training at Walt Disney World Resort.
To catch all the fun, check out the photo gallery below.
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Ninth Annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney
The 2013 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney will feature the Florida A&M University Rattlers of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) against the Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in a gridiron battle at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 1. The yearly event, which features teams from two prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), brings approximately 20,000 fans to Central Florida over Labor Day Weekend for the start of college football season. ESPN will televise the game; exact times will be announced at a later date.
“As a proud supporter of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Mid-Eastern and Southwestern Athletic Conferences, Disney values our longstanding relationship with the African-American community and we continue to build on this with our sponsorship of the MEAC/SWAC Presented by Disney,” said Eugene Campbell, vice president of Domestic Minority Business Development for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “The MEAC/SWAC Challenge is more than just a football game – it’s a celebration for our whole community that underscores the importance of diversity and higher education.”
The ninth annual game will be only the second meeting between the two storied programs – first meeting in 1990 (FAMU won 28-13). Florida A&M played in the 2007 MEAC/SWAC Challenge and was edged by Southern 33-27.
2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic at Walt Disney World
Several of North America’s most storied soccer franchises will take to the field for the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic from Feb. 9-23 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.
The eight-team field includes Major League Soccer’s DC United, Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City, Columbus Crew, Toronto FC and Montreal Impact, as well as the North American Soccer League’s Tampa Bay Rowdies and United Soccer Leagues’ Orlando City Soccer. With six MLS teams, the Pro Soccer Classic is the MLS’ largest preseason soccer tournament. The teams will train at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and throughout Central Florida as part of the Central Florida Sports Commission’s Soccer Spring Training initiative.
Sporting Kansas City will make ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex its official preseason training home. In 2011-12, the team finished first in the East and advanced to the quarterfinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs. As winners of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Sporting KC will represent Major League Soccer in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League.
Joining Sporting KC at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is Toronto FC. The team already has established ties to the Pro Soccer Classic and complex, which has been Toronto’s official preseason training home the past three years. The club is the four-time defending Amway Canadian Champions, and in 2011-12, Toronto progressed to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League tournament.
