All About Disney's Wide World of Sports

Disney's Wide World of Sports is an international sports complex capable of accommodating amateur and professional training events and competitions, including festivals and tournaments for more than 30 individual and team sports. One of the world’s premier sports destinations for athletes and spectators, the sports complex offers the drama and exhilarating thrill of sports nearly every day of the year. The complex includes weight training equipment and facilities, locker rooms, athletic training facilities, classrooms, office space and media facilities and serves as headquarters for most sporting events at Walt Disney World Resort.

Situated on 220 acres of Walt Disney World property along the southern boundary near Interstate 4 between Osceola Parkway and U.S. 192 in Osceola County.

• Athletes of all ages and abilities participate in events in more than 30 sports year-round. The broad spectrum of competitors includes: youth, recreational athletes, amateurs, seniors, collegians and professionals. Spectator opportunities are also available for all those who love the exhilaration of sports.
• The Atlanta Braves annually participate in Major League Baseball spring training at the sports complex (beginning mid-February). The Braves opened the facility with an exhibition game on March 28, 1997, and moved their spring training headquarters to Walt Disney World in 1998. The Braves’ year-round presence also includes: extended spring training (April-June), the Gulf Coast League season (June-September) and Fall Instructional League (September).
• The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) annually conducts more than 30 championship events at the sports complex. The nation’s largest amateur sports organization moved its national headquarters to Walt Disney World Resort in 1996.
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers conducted their first NFL training camp at the sports complex in 2002 and captured their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. The team has returned for training camp every year since.
• The Pop Warner Super Bowl has been played at Walt Disney World Resort since 1995 and at the sports complex since it opened. The youth football championship also annually includes the Pop Warner Cheer & Dance National Championships.
• The NBA (National Basketball Association) relocated its annual pre-draft camp to the sports complex in June 2006.
• Major league Baseball (MLB) selected the sports complex as a first-round site of the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.
• The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) conducts baseball, softball and other events throughout the year at the sports complex. The USSSA relocated its national headquarters to Osceola County, Fla., in the spring of 2003, and continues to explore new event opportunities at the complex.
• A majority of the sports and fitness events that comprise Disney’s Endurance Series are headquartered at the sports complex. The lineup of events annually includes the Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon, the Walt Disney World Inline Marathon, triathlons, cross country and track & field events, and a handful of 5/10K road races.
• The All Star Cafe sports-themed restaurant at the entrance to the complex is filled with baseball mitt-shaped booths and large-screen televisions. The menu features a variety of bar-fare favorites and traditional Southern dishes.
• Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex is overseen by Reggie Williams, vice president of Disney Sports Attractions. Williams, who played 14 seasons (1976-89) in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals, was named to Sports Illustrated’s listing of the “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports” in April 2003. Other key players include: Mike Millay, director of sports events for Disney Sports Attractions, and Lee Rawls, director of Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and Walt Disney World Golf.

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