CityofOrlando.net – During his State of the City address last week, Mayor Buddy Dyer highlighted the impact the Community Venues have on the region. These venues continue to provide the community with the ability to host more events that uplift the economy.
Keeping with that theme, this week Mayor Dyer helped announce two collegiate sporting events that will come to Orlando in the next few years. The American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship will be held at the Amway Center in 2016 and 2017, while the reconstructed Citrus Bowl will host a new football postseason contest, the Cure Bowl, starting in 2015.
March Madness at the Amway Center
Last month, the Amway Center hosted the second and third rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the event’s impact on the economy was noticeable as fans filled hotels and dined at local restaurants. The American Championship will help bring supporters from the league’s 11 institutions to Orlando.
“Back in 2007, when we were talking about community venues, this is exactly the type of marquee event we promised our community that we would bring to the Amway Center. It is great to be able to deliver that,” Mayor Dyer said.
UCF will help host the tournament along with the Central Florida Sports Commission. The American is one of the top basketball conferences in the country and includes 2014 national champion UConn.
Bowling for a Cure
Mayor Dyer joined leaders from the Orlando Sports Foundation to announce the creation of the Cure Bowl, which has strong ties to charitable organizations working to find a cure for breast cancer. Teams from The American and the Sun Belt will take the field in the inaugural Cure Bowl in December 2015 at the Citrus Bowl.
“We were committed to enhancing the Citrus Bowl so we could attract more events to Orlando,” Mayor Dyer said. “Adding another postseason bowl game to the schedule will draw more people to our City, benefiting our local economy.”
While most bowl games make contributions to charity, few include the name of their cause in their title.
“The Cure Bowl is the first of its kind to combine the passions of college football with the importance of supporting breast cancer research,” Breast Cancer Research Foundation President and CEO Myra Biblowit said. “The funds raised through this exciting partnership will enable critical research investigations that are bringing us one step closer to finding the cure.”
