Orlando is ready for its opportunity to prove that it\u2019s more than just tourists and Mickey Mouse. <\/p>\n
For one year, the city will be home to the Jaguars, and they\u2019re more than ready for the opportunity. The City of Orlando rolled out the red, er, teal carpet for the Jaguars braintrust on Wednesday morning, saying that it has waited for this opportunity for decades. Mayor Buddy Dyer said that while the city has never hosted a regular-season NFL game, it already feels accustomed to being an NFL stop because of its familiarity with serving as host to the Pro Bowl. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can promise you we will be welcoming hosts to the Jags fans and we are looking forward to \u201927,\u201d Dyer said. <\/p>\n
The city welcomed the Jaguars and Mayor Donna Deegan with open arms, ticking off all the reasons why it is more than ready to be Jacksonville\u2019s home away from home next year. Outside of the obvious as the hub of all things Disney and theme parks, Orlando is home to the NBA\u2019s Magic, the NWSL\u2019s Pride and the MLS Orlando City teams. They have the ECHL\u2019s Solar Bears and the United Football League\u2019s Storm. <\/p>\n
The Buccaneers are just 85 miles away from Orlando, but the Jaguars will truly feel like the city\u2019s team for a season. Jacksonville will play between six and eight games in Camping World Stadium in 2027. The team and the City of Jacksonville have in their agreement that the Jaguars can play up to three home games in London in 2027 due to the renovation, but the actual number hasn\u2019t been settled on yet. <\/p>\n
\u201cDeep playoff run. With home games,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n
The economic boost to that city\u2019s economy stands to be robust. Deegan said that Orlando should realize more than $25 million a game from hosting the Jaguars, and that Jacksonville was more than happy to share that. <\/p>\n
Temporarily.<\/p>\n
Deegan joked that as much as she\u2019s thrilled the team will be just a short drive away, the relocation is only temporary. <\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get any crazy ideas here, Orlando. We love you. You are our neighbor. We appreciate you. We\u2019re southern through and through and we like to share, but in a year, after \u201927, they\u2019re coming on home,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re coming back down 95. Back to Jacksonville. We\u2019ve got \u2018em for 30 years at least.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the Jaguars, it\u2019s a marriage that feels right. Camping World Stadium is just a bit over two hours away from Jacksonville, close enough for fans to make the drive and have it not feel excruciating. The other option that was explored during the initial phases of the Stadium of the Future conversation was playing games away from Jacksonville for two years and not one. But through various town hall discussions with fans, team president Mark Lamping said the sentiment was overwhelming to keep Jacksonville in town as much as possible. <\/p>\n
Jaguars owner Shad Khan said that Orlando has been a special place for his family for years. Khan said he and wife, Anna, spent three weeks every year in Orlando with their children, Tony and Shanna, and those memories remain some of the family\u2019s most cherished. <\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, we were sold on Orlando from day 1,\u201d Khan said. \u201cI just couldn\u2019t be happier for us to be here under the circumstances to be playing our next season here. \u2026 Orlando is as perfect as our home away from home and we\u2019re grateful to everyone who made it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
A day earlier, the NFL voted unanimously to make Orlando\u2019s Camping World Stadium the temporary home for the Jaguars in 2027 while construction on the Stadium of the Future ramps up. The vote could have been held last year, but Khan said the NFL was meticulous in every detail in the process to make the game-day operation as smooth as possible while playing a home game more than two hours away from Jacksonville.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thrilled to host the Jaguars in \u201927. It\u2019s a historic opportunity that in no way we will take for granted,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n
Dyer said he was familiar with the team\u2019s famous, \u201cDuuuval\u201d rallying call, but said he needed to work on it to make sure he got it right. <\/p>\n
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings was much better on the well-known \u201cDuuuval\u201d, saying that he\u2019s very familiar with Jacksonville because his wife, Val, is from the area. <\/p>\n
Deegan joked that she has heard folks trying to morph \u201cDuuuval\u201d into something that includes Orlando, but joked that is off-limits for change. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a non-negotiable. That has to stay,\u201d Deegan said before suggesting head coach Liam Coen teaches fans how to say it. Coen\u2019s first \u201cDuuuval\u201d became a meme after he botched it at his opening press conference. <\/p>\n
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