This years winner of the Orlando City Scholarship sweepstakes presented by Seminole State College is Allison Freebern. Allison wrote and submitted an essay that was chosen by a panel of judges.
“It means a lot, Allison said. “For people to read my essay and see that in me, to give me that opportunity, it’s great for me. I’m very grateful for it.”
Allison will be pursuing a Bachelors in business.
Below is Allison’s winning essay.
Why is Orlando Such A Great Soccer City?
The first thing that many people think of when they hear of Orlando is theme parks. Entertainment juggernauts such as Disney and Universal attract millions of people to their parks every year! However, Orlando is also home to a not-so-hidden gem in the Orlando City Soccer Club. Orlando is an amazing city for a soccer team like the Orlando City Lions because of the frequent visitors, active lifestyles, and the sense of community. These are all essential to a successful team and club, and Orlando definitely exceeds expectations.
First, and most obviously, Orlando is such a great city for soccer because of the frequent visitors and vast amount of residents. To get an idea of just how many visitors we attract, Disney’s Magic Kingdom is the number one most visited theme park in the world, averaging almost 20.5 million visitors a year! This doesn’t even consider Disney’s other 3 theme parks or Universal’s 2 theme parks! Seeing how Walt Disney World is a top sponsor of Orlando City Soccer Club, this allows for the Club and MLS to attract a monstrous amount of new fans to the game. To go even further, there are soccer games happening here all of the time between Orlando City and the Orlando Pride in Orlando, and Orlando City B in Melbourne. Seeing as how we usually attract about 30,000 visitors a game, there is a wide opportunity to expose a whole new audience to “The Beautiful Game”. This in turn will create inspiration to stay active, and will also inspire a future generation of Soccer players, which brings us to the next point.
Second, Orlando is a great city for soccer because of the active lifestyle many of our citizens live. Wherever you go, you will often see people exercising. There are many gyms in Orlando, 20 of which are CrossFit gyms, as well as exercise stations in many of our parks. However, soccer has become increasingly popular as well. Orlando City Soccer Club even has a Youth Soccer Program, where children can train to hopefully one day be selected to play for the Orlando City Lions or the Orlando Pride. Four members of the Orlando City MLS Team are homegrown players and trained in the Youth Soccer Program. However, Orlando City is not the only Youth Soccer program, as there are plenty more around Central Florida. These programs are creating the future of Orlando City and of MLS by training players beginning at a young age.
Finally, and most importantly, Orlando is a great soccer city because of the close-knit community. A close-knit community is one of the most important values in Soccer today, and you can find it in Orlando through the supporter clubs of Orlando City and the Orlando Pride, which are the Iron Lion Firm, the Ruckus, and the Crown. Many fans have made close friends through these groups, and one group (The Ruckus) even has a charity foundation dedicated to helping support various causes around the community. However, one of the most notable examples of our close-knit community is the aftermath of the Pulse Tragedy. Orlando City, its supporter groups, and Orlando’s various other sports teams such as the Magic and the Predators, came together to create a city-wide effort to help the victims and their families. Specifically, Orlando City dedicated their June 18th, 2016 match to the victims by raising and donating funds, recognizing first responders, and having an in game moment of silence, a first for MLS. The attendance was 37,194. Many Orlando City supporters and fans waited for hours in long lines to donate blood, as well as offering food, water, and shelter for those waiting in line. This to me is the best possible reason why Orlando is perfect for Soccer. The ability for a whole community to come together and do all they can to support a cause, whether it be large like the Pulse tragedy, or small like supporting our Soccer teams, is truly inspirational.
In conclusion, Orlando is a perfect city for soccer because of the many visitors, active lifestyle, and close-knit community. Orlando City Soccer Club has attracted new fans and visitors, inspired people to get active, and helped the community come together in times of tragedy. In turn, the fans inspire the players as well, rooting for them from the beginning to the end of every game. In short, Orlando City and its players have inspired people and brought hope and joy to the community in more ways than one. It is therefore obvious that not only was Orlando made for Soccer, Soccer was made for Orlando.
