“We are excited to join PSN as a Player Care Partner. The sports industry is a lifelong passion for our team members. Athletes live complex lives, not just in the limelight. Their accounting needs shouldn’t have to be complex, and that’s why so many professional athletes and sports organizations choose Withum. We are looking forward to educating players and helping protect the wealth and reputations of PSN members.” 

- Josh Horowitz

Team Leader of the Professional Sports and Esports Services Team for Withum

Around The Horn.

• Congratulations to our partner Withum, who this week announced a new partnership with Premier Sports Network (PSN). This six-month agreement enables PSN to offer premier accounting services to benefit professional athletes, providing players with access to Withum’s accounting and tax services to set them up to thrive in the long term.
• The Hilton Grand Vacations LPGA Tournament of Champions comes to town Jan. 19-22. LPGA Tour winners and more than 50 celebrities, athletes and entertainers play the Tom Fazio-designed course at Lake Nona. Tour champions compete for $1.5 million in prize money and celebrities play to win $500,000.
• The Orlando Solar Bears are excited to announce the return of the team’s annual Food Festival presented by Publix, which will take place this Saturday, Jan. 21 from 4-6:30 pm prior to the team’s 7 pm game that evening against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at the Advent Health Rink at Amway Center. The Food Festival will take place on Church Street in front of Amway Center.
• XP League, the premier youth esports organization that bridges the gap between conventional youth athletics and competitive esports, is launching in Central Florida this spring. Competing in titles like Rocket League, Minecraft, and Fortnite, XP League provides an innovative structure that fosters social skills and sportsmanship through a positive, fun, and encouraging initiative led by a certified coach.
• It’s time to school the competition! Lake County is hosting the Bassmaster College Series on January 26-27 and Bassmaster High School and Junior Series on January 29. Anglers will takeoff and weigh-in at Ski Beach in Leesburg, FL. For more information on these and other Bassmaster events, visit Bassmaster.com.
• Exploria Stadium is set to host a pair of matches for the eighth annual SheBelieves Cup on Thursday, Feb. 16, with Japan set to face Brazil at 4pm, followed by the United States and Canada at 7pm. All four nations are set to take part in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup next summer and all four are ranked in the top 11 in the world with the USA at No. 1, Canada at No. 6, Brazil at No. 9 and Japan at No. 11.
• The Central Florida Crusaders began their second week of training at XL Soccer World Orlando on Monday. Orlando will enjoy its first local opportunity to take in NISL action when the Crusaders welcome the Memphis Americans on Sunday, Feb. 5.
• After 14 years as an assistant football coach at various stops, Terrell Buckley is starting his first season as a head coach with the Orlando Guardians as part of the reconstituted XFL. The season begins Feb. 18 and The Guardians are set to open the season on the road against Houston Roughnecks at TDECU Stadium on the University of Houston campus.
• Orlando returns to the international soccer stage this weekend when “Premier League Mornings Live” is broadcast from Universal CityWalk alongside a Fan Fest devoted to the game and the British teams. The show — fronted by host Rebecca Lowe and analysts Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe and Tim Howard — will serve as a hub for NBCUniversal’s televised coverage of Premier League matches Saturday and Sunday.
• The 150^th Silver Spurs Rodeo returns to Osceola Heritage Park Feb. 17–19, 2023. Hosted every 3rd weekend in February, this event features all seven traditional rodeo events: bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, tie-down roping, and barrel racing.
• Damar Hamlin returned home last week, and now he's taking even more strides in his recovery. Three days after being transferred to a Buffalo-area hospital -- and nine days after suffering cardiac arrest during a "Monday Night Football" game on Jan. 2 -- the Buffalo Bills safety cleared a comprehensive medical evaluation and continued his rehab at home, and with the Bills medical and training staff.

In The News.

• Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will host his 18th annual Neighborhood and Community Summit on Saturday, Mar. 25 at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando.
• A new Brightline Train connecting south Florida to Orlando to open in 2023. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says, “This new higher-speed rail service will serve as an important connector between south and central Florida.”
• Orange County Government announced the launch of ‘EPIC’, a program for English language instruction taught by UCF Global, that is tailored to the needs of working adults in the I-Drive corridor in September 2022. Orange County’s I-Drive Community Redevelopment Act Advisory Group had recommended an investment in English language instruction to support professional growth and retention. Through this unique model, hotel and resort properties within the International Drive CRA were invited to extend the opportunity to participate in three cycles of ESOL classes to their employees.
• The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will feature new topiary figures based on characters from the film Encanto and one of Princess Tiana this year, Walt Disney World announced Wednesday.
• The push for passenger rail that could link Orlando International Airport, SunRail commuter train, Orange County Convention Center, Universal Orlando Resort and the International Drive tourism district as soon as 2030 launched into reality on Thursday with a formal move to create an entity that would underwrite a big chunk of the project.
• Hoping to make the walk-through Orlando airport terminal C more efficient, Director Kevin Thibault proposes that retrofitting Terminal C’s long concourse and international arrivals area for moving sidewalks will require innovative technology, but is a near-term priority.
• Who turns 50 this year? See which attractions at Walt Disney World, Universal Resort Orlando and SeaWorld will mark significant anniversaries in 2023.

Stay Engaged.

• Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is bringing back its Fly With an Astronaut special-interest tour later this month. The first featured NASA veterans will be Mark Lee and Brian Duffy. The experience includes a catered lunch at the visitor complex, where the guest speakers/astronauts talk about their experiences, followed by a Q&A session.
• Epcot International Festival of the Arts will be taking place Jan. 13-Feb. 20! Let creativity shine with the trifecta of fabulous: artistic cuisine, visual arts and live entertainment. Browse the works of new and established artists, enjoy Disney songs from award-winning Disney on Broadway musicals, and indulge in creative culinary masterpieces. 
• It’s a new year, which means it’s time to celebrate the local brew scene with yet another Orlando Beer Week. This year’s celebrations are scheduled to kick off on Saturday, Jan. 21, with a special party in the Milk District, and will run through Jan. 29, with events popping up all across the city.
• What’s even more exciting than Mardi Gras? Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras! Watch a parade (Feb. 4-Apr.16) of spectacular floats. Sample flavors from the bayou to Brazil and beyond. Enjoy live music concerts, then go ahead and get your beads and your party on!
• The Osceola County Fair is back Feb. 10-19, 2023, at the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, and it's sure to be bigger, better, and more fun than ever before.
• A fancy new Art Deco/Nouveau-styled lounge has opened in Mills 50 called The Moderne. It serves up Asian-inspired tapas and craft cocktails and it’s pretty stunning.
• Florida residents can get free admission for their preschoolers (ages 5 and under) to SeaWorld Orlando theme park and Aquatica water park for the remainder of 2023. The deal is good for unlimited admission to the attractions through Dec. 31.
• Florida Residents can save up to $65 on select multi-day tickets at Universal Orlando theme parks when buying online. Click here for current offers.
• Florida residents can save big while visiting Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Click here to view the current list of special offers.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel spoke at Heart of Florida United Way’s board meeting this week, pictured here with President & CEO, Jeff Hayward. Siegel was pleased to present Hayward with a donation to HFUW’s Mission United program, that provides assistance to veterans in our community.

GO Sports was excited to have an evening of networking and fellowship while attending a UCF Women's Basketball game and supporting women's athletics with a number of our staff and board members.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and Senior Vice President Brent Nelson attended this week's Seminole County TDC meeting.

GO Sports Board Members Adrianna Sekula, Latria Graham, and Dr. Keita Joy had a great time at the UCF Women's Basketball game this week!

New Corporate Partner.



BRIGHTLINE TRAINS

Brightline is the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity rail service in America. The company currently serves Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, with stations in Aventura and Boca Raton opening at the end of 2022 and its Orlando station beginning service in 2023. 

For more information, visit

https://www.gobrightline.com/

https://www.gobrightline.com/orlando

Thank you for supporting sports tourism in Greater Orlando!

Fun & Games.



• Record Number of Manatees Spotted at Blue Springs State Park
• Game Highlights: Magic at Nuggets
• Central Florida Birds in the Running for $5,000 'Superb Owl' Competition