The Florida State Seminoles, one of the ACC's top football teams, staked their claim and helped sell out Camping World Stadium on Labor Day when they topped Ole Miss.
- NCAA, ACC relocating 15 neutral-site championships from North Carolina
- Orlando is pursuing at least some of the championships
Now that a tipping point has been reached concerning House Bill 2, LGBT advocates are applauding both the NCAA and the ACC's decision to relocate a total of 15 neutral-site championships from North Carolina.
Central Florida sports leaders are now pursuing several of those relocated games.
Opponents to the North Carolina state law believe it limits the civil rights of the LGBT community.
"I think it's fantastic that the business community, the sports community, and really the general public are sending a strong message that what North Carolina has done is un-American," said Hannah Willard, the public policy director for Equality Florida. "It's wrong and it's discriminatory. House Bill 2 must be repealed, and it’s costing the state of North Carolina millions — hundreds of millions — of dollars."
Jason Siegel, interim president and CEO of the Central Florida Sports Commission, said that if the ACC is interested in relocating championships to Central Florida, the agency will "work with our city, county and venue partners to determine the best way for us to move forward."
There was a similar message echoed toward bidding for relocated NCAA championships.
Siegel said Florida Citrus Sports will handle discussions directly with the ACC in regard to the conference's football title game.
Florida Citrus Sports wouldn't comment and referred all questions to the ACC.
There is one issue, though: a scheduling conflict.
Camping World Stadium is already booked to host the Florida High School Athletic Association football championships on Saturday, Dec. 3 — the same day the ACC championship game is scheduled.
The first ACC championship to be relocated, women's soccer, takes place in seven weeks. A relocation decision is expected soon.
Bright House Sports Network has learned that a decision on the location of the ACC football championship could come Friday, Sept. 16. The FHSAA is also evaluating potential schedule changes in case the ACC selects Camping World Stadium to host the football title game.
Meanwhile, LGBT advocates believe the NCAA and the ACC are in the position to send a powerful message of equality with their decisions.
"I think it would send a beautiful message if these championships relocated to Florida — and specifically Orlando — in a show of support for the victims of the recent Pulse massacre, the survivors and their families," Willard said.
The Central Florida Sports Commission says it helped bring 77 events in 2015 that drove more than 234,000 visitors, 196,000 room nights and a $131 million economic impact to the Central Florida region.
In 2016, the Central Florida Sports Commission expects 93 events, nearly 300,000 visitors and a $135 million economic impact in Central Florida.
The neutral-site ACC championships to be relocated are as follow:
- Women's soccer (November)
- Football (December)
- Men's and women's swimming and diving (February)
- Women's basketball (March)
- Men's and women's tennis (April)
- Women's golf (April)
- Men's golf (April)
- Baseball (April)
The seven NCAA championships to be relocated are as follows:
- 2017 Division I men's basketball championship first/second rounds *Note: Orlando (Amway Center) is already hosting first- and second-round games in 2017 and unable to target this event
- 2016 Division I women's soccer championship, College Cup (Cary), Dec. 2 and 4
- 2016 Division III men's and women's soccer championships (Greensboro), Dec. 2 and 3
- 2017 Division I women's golf regional championships (Greenville), May 8-10
- 2017 Division III men's and women's tennis championships (Cary), May 22-27
- 2017 Division I women's lacrosse championship (Cary), May 26 and 28
- 2017 Division II baseball championship (Cary), May 27-June 3