In the beginning of June, the National Basketball Association was the first U.S. sport to announce the continuation of their season at the Walt Disney World Resort. The following week Major League Soccer announced they will resume their 25th season at the resort as well.
The league’s board of governors and the player’s union approved a 22-team, eight-game wrap-up to the regular season. The season, which will be held at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, also includes possible plans for a play-in tournament for the eight seed and playoffs. The resumption of the 2019-20 season will begin on July 31.
According to ESPN, “Players will be tested for COVID-19 every night in the contained Orlando campus environment, with test results returning the next morning, sources said. NBA teams will be contained to three specific hotels within the Disney complex, sources said.” The NBA said the Bucks, Lakers, Raptors, Clippers, Celtics, Nuggets, Jazz, and Heat will be staying at the Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort; the Thunder, 76ers, Rockets, Pacers, Mavericks, Nets, Grizzlies, and Magic will be at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa; and the Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns, and Wizards will be housed at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. zThe Gran Destino will be considered the “main” hotel and Disney’s Coronado Springs Convention Center is to be one of them main hubs for the NBA. Additionally, Disney said they will “cross that bridge when/if we come to it” if the playoffs cause teams staying at the Grand Floridian and Yacht Club to extend their stays. According to Kevin Smith of Yahoo! Sports, “Part of Disney’s play is to get rooms back into inventory for paying guests.” Players and their families will not have access to any of Disney’s theme parks during their stay.
The NBA said that 22 teams will return for the season restart. They are the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards from the Eastern Conference and the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns from the Western Conference. The 2019-20 season would conclude with a traditional playoff format with best-of-seven series in the first round, conference semifinals, conference finals and the NBA Finals.
On June 10, 2020, Major League Soccer (MLS) announced it will resume its season beginning on July 8 at the Walt Disney World Resort. Billed at “MLS is Back Tournament,” they will also play at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. The MLS has had a long history with Disney ESPN complex. In 1998 it was the host venue of the MLS preseason and it held events there for the 1998 and 2019 MLS All-Star Games.
The teams will be staying at Walt Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Hotels located in the EPCOT Resort area. According to the MLS website, the Walt Disney World Resort and the Swan and Dolphin Hotel will be providing enhanced cleaning of all venues and enforcing appropriate capacity-management and other social distancing guidelines. They will also be subjected to two Polymerase Chain Reaction (“PCR”) pre-arrival tests, another as well one upon arrive in Orlando.
During an individual’s first two weeks in Orlando, that person will be tested every other day. After those first 14 days, players, coaches and PRO staff will be tested regularly, including the day before each matchday. In addition, self-temperature screenings and the completion of standardized screening questionnaires will be required for all individuals traveling to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex or providing services at the hotel and convention center where MLS league and club personnel will be staying. A positive response to the daily questionnaire or a temperature check above 100.3 degrees must be reported and the individual in question will be isolated immediately and PCR testing will be performed.
In addition to the screenings and testing described above, an MLS task force has worked with leading experts to create guidelines and best practices to help reduce risk and prevent spread of COVID-19. These include: Wearing face coverings / face masks; Social distancing; General hygiene (Ex. avoid touching face, washing hands frequently, avoid sharing food, bottles, towels or equipment); and Cleaning and sanitization (disinfecting surfaces). Click here for a complete list of the MLS health and protocols.
Players from all 26 MLS teams will begin arriving at the Walt Disney World Resort beginning June 24. According to The Hill, the format will resemble a World Cup tournament with the championship game scheduled for August 11.
“We are pleased to team up with Disney to relaunch the 2020 MLS season and get back to playing soccer,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Wednesday in a statement. “The opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment enables us to help protect the health of our players, coaches and staff as we return to play.”
All 54 matches will air on MLS partner networks. Broadcasts will feature experimental technologies, including interactive fan elements and unprecedented access to players and coaches, to create a unique experience for viewers.
