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12/11/2015 Building a complex sporting legacy - BBC News

Business

Building a complex sporting legacy

By Chris Sylt

Reporter

1 March 2012 Business

This time next year the London Olympic Games will be a distant memory and the process

of counting the cost will be well under way.

Like those before them, organisers have faced the question of what to do with the facilities built

to house the Games, which, in London's case includes a basketball arena, a velodrome and

main 80,000-seat stadium.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company has appointed operators for the Aquatics Centre, Multi-Use

Arena and Arcelor Mittal Orbit, meaning six out of eight permanent Olympic venues now have a

future.

They promise to offer employment, training, affordability and sporting opportunities, and with the

promise of swimming, for example, at the same price as the average local pool.

In that respect they will be like former Olympic arenas in Munich (1972) and Montreal (1976),

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But will these London venues make any kind of profit post-2012?

Particularly as the promised grass-roots sporting uptake that was initially promised is unlikely

now to materialise.

And is the fact that the London venues will be run by different operators post-Games (such as

Greenwich Leisure Limited operating the Aquatics Centre and the Multi-Use Arena, and Balfour

Beatty Work Place running the Arcelor Mittal Orbit and maintenance of the Queen Elizabeth

Olympic Park) the best way forward?

These are questions that are likely to face the organisers of major sporting events for quite some

years to come.

Governing bodies

On the other side of the Atlantic there is one example of how to use facilities to build grass roots

interest in sport and also make a profit.

Moreover, it is a sporting complex built in collaboration with many sports governing bodies, andwith all venues placed closely together under one overall management.

Just a few miles away from the theme parks of Disney World in Orlando, Florida, lies the Wide

World of Sports (WWS).

Its 250 acres comprise facilities for hosting more than 70 types of sports.

There's an 11,500-seat baseball park, four multi-sports fields, a track and field complex, a six-

field softball complex, 10 tennis courts and two indoor arenas with the flagship able to

accommodate 12 volleyball courts.

The venue is run by Disney's sports brand ESPN but there are no cute and cuddly characters in


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Tourism

What makes the complex different is that the vast majority of the events staged there are youth

and amateur-oriented.

And Ken Potrock, WWS senior vice-president says there is no reason why the organisers of the

London Olympics can't emulate this.

He says it would be easy for an operator to re-purpose many of the Olympic facilities for use by

amateur athletes, and there would be the added attraction of previously being used by

Olympians.

London itself would also be a draw for youth athletes just as Disney World is in Orlando.

"People all over Europe might be interested in competing at brand new facilities and London is a

substantial tourist destination in its own right," says Mr Potrock.

"That potentially becomes what you would call a competitive advantage."

He adds that "London could position itself by saying to athletes you want to come here because

we have got all of these great amenities and opportunities".

National events

When it was first mooted as an idea in the 1990s the Florida venue was modelled on a "from the

ground up" plan with youth sports in mind.

Crucial to this strategy has been the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the largest amateur sports

organisation in the US.

The AAU announced its support of the Wide World of Sports several years before the complex


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It committed to staging more than 30 national events annually at the venue and it hosts 12

national basketball events alone there each year as well as others in baseball, gymnastics, inline

hockey, track & field and wrestling.

The top managers and scouts from America's National Basketball Association (NBA) come to

the AAU national championships to draft the best college talent before each season begins.

Likewise, the winners of the Soccer Showcase, the biggest youth football tournament in the US,

get to train with Chelsea Football Club for a week.

'Challenge'

And, while the youth focus could provide the biggest opportunity, it might also be the biggest

hurdle for Olympic host venues post-Games.

Mr Potrock says is a big difference between "trying to do this after the fact, as opposed to

planning when they are contemplating their facilities about how to best use them after the

Olympic Games."

He adds: "I am not sure what country has quite cracked it. It is a challenge."

In this respect, he feels, Winter Games, which are usually more compact and with less stadiums

than their summer counterparts, may be at an advantage.

London also faces a challenge in having its locations spread so widely across the city.

"That makes it very difficult to manage," he says.

"In contrast we have one venue that has dozens of facilities within it.

"There is one management team and one labour force. There is an efficiency to that."

France and China

Other venues mirror some of the Wide World of Sports' selling points.


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For example, France's Institut National du Football de Clairefontaine is one of the world's top

football academies and also houses the country's national football team.

However, it isn't open to the public so its legacy is restricted to top-flight football teams.

Other venues such as Mission Hills Shenzhen in China share the scale of the WWS, and with

its twelve courses of 18-holes it is accredited as the world's largest golf facility.

It also incorporates the largest tennis centre in Asia with 51 courts, including a 3,000-seatstadium court, and other lavish facilities.

However, it lacks the focus on grass roots sports.

Follow the stars

Many young athletes who competed at the complex went on to reach the top of their games,

including former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, China's NBA star Yao Ming, and US

soccer star Freddie Adu.

The location is also one of only a handful of venues in the US to have hosted practice events for

teams in the three primary American professional sports leagues and in February every year the

Atlanta Braves baseball team holds its spring training there.

Pete Sampras and Serena Williams have played on its tennis courts, Marion Jones has trained

on its track and the British Olympic Association has made the transatlantic journey for warm-

weather training there.

"The idea of being able to play in the spike or sneaker marks of professional athletes is a big

deal for kids," says Mr Potrock.

Mr Potrock says that the venue's Orlando location is its biggest competitive advantage.


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athletes have many tournaments to go to but their families can't afford to travel to them all, we

typically win," he says.

"This is because they can double dip and make a vacation out of it too by going to Disney

World."

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26 SportBusiness International No.188 04.13

LONDONS OLYMPIC PARK is a bit of a ghosttown than a theme park at the moment.

Some of the venues, such as the basketballand water polo arenas, are in the process ofbeing dismantled and many of those thatremain, including the aquatics centre, areunder renovation.

The biggest hurdle with the 2012 legacy

process has been in the way the 430 million,60,000-capacity centre-piece stadium, whereathletes like Mo Farah and Usain Bolt captivatedthe world with their performances last summer,will be operated long-term. Its future wasfinally agreed last month when English PremierLeague football club West Ham United agreeda 99-year tenancy deal with the London LegacyDevelopment Corporation having been chosenas the preferred bidder in 2011. The original dealcollapsed due to a legal dispute.

The stadium, however, is still not expectedto re-open before 2016 at the earliest - andeven then, the most the public will be doing is

watching football matches. Allowing the athletesof tomorrow to train on the same hallowedturf that their heroes competed could havebeen a big legacy draw for London. Howeveras good as that sounds, it is somewhat of apipe dream because instead of opening up thevenues for public use, most have been sold offto commercial operators to recoup some of the

8.9 billion cost of hosting the Olympics.All of which has raised the question ofwhether there could be a better way to keep upmomentum following the success of the Games.A novel solution may come from the mostunlikely of locations: Disney World in Florida.

The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex,located at Disney World, the most-attendedtheme park complex worldwide with 47.4million visitors in 2011, is no ordinary sportsvenue. Its tall yellow towers and spotlessly-cleansweeping archways resemble those found inMediterranean towns and give visitors a regalfeeling of arrival.

Could the ESPN Wide Worldof Sports in Orlando teachstakeholders in the 2012 LondonOlympics how to fully maximisethe venues built for last summersGames? Christian Syltreports.

NO MICKEY MOUSE OPERATION

STADIA&FACILITIES


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An aerial view of the facilities - ESPN World Wide of Sports

The same attention to detail is foundthroughout the complex, which covers more than270 acres. It has facilities for hosting 70 differentsports, including an 11,500-seater baseball park;four multi-sports fields; a track-and-field complex;a six-field softball complex; 10 tennis courts; andtwo indoor arenas with the flagship big enough toaccommodate 12 volleyball courts.

The complex swung open its doors in 1997and was the brainchild of ESPNs majority owner,the Walt Disney Company, to drive guests to thedestination. If ever there was an example of thepower of sports to drive tourism then the WideWorld of Sports is it, and Ken Potrock, seniorvice-president of Disney Sports Enterprisesand Downtown Disney at Walt Disney Parks &Resorts, told SportBusiness Internationalthat thereis no reason why Londons Olympic Park cantemulate the Wide World of Sports.

Although the remaining venues have differentoperators, crucially, they are all on one site andcould easily be re-purposed for use by amateur

athletes. The unique selling point would be that itwas previously home to Olympians.

There are several key determinants of whatmakes us successful, says Potrock. Thosedeterminants would be similar strategically,not in terms of execution, to what potentiallyLondon could do with the facilities they built forthe Olympics.

The first is point of differentiation. Whatmakes the ESPN Wide World of Sports complexdifferent from facilities anywhere else in theworld is the diversity of facilities that we have- from baseball, softball and soccer to race cardriving, golf, tennis, rugby and lacrosse. That isreally important because it allows our facility tobe busy nearly all-year-round.

To create a level of continuity for any facility,which is important to making it operationallyefficient and viable, you need to have a diversenumber of sports.

The second determinant is that you lookvery hard to have a competitive advantage. Why

is your destination and facility different to anyother facility? This is where I think there mightbe some parallels to the London Games in thatour competitive advantage is we are locatedat the number-one vacation destination in theworld, the Walt Disney World resort.

People want to come here anyway. We talkabout what we call the double dip, which is

that our athletes compete at a great facility fortheir sport but they also get to experience WaltDisney World.

Disney isnt renowned for its investments inathletics, but the Wide World of Sports is at theheart of the business model behind its colossalvacation complex in Orlando. With more than300,000 athletes competing there annually, it isno Mickey Mouse operation.

Being able to play in the spike marks ofprofessional athletes is a big deal for kids,says Potrock.

The custodians of Londons Olympic legacyshould take note.

STADIA&FACILITIES

UEFA, European footballs governing body, is

one sporting behemoth that will be utilising the

Olympic Park post-London 2012 Games with its

annual Champions Festival.

The free four-day football event will this

year take place in the International Quarter, an

entirely new commercial district in the shadow

of the Olympic Park and less than 10 minutes

away, from May 23-26, encompassing the

Champions League Final on May 25.

The International Quarter will become a

vibrant new commercial hub for London. We

are looking to attract early investment in the

form of exhibitions and events this year andare delighted to work with organisations such

as UEFA to ensure benefits from these events

spread beyond their boundaries to communities

in the surrounding areas, says Mark Dickinson,

managing director of development at Lend Lease,

a development partner of the commercial district.

We are delighted that the UEFA Champions

Festival is returning to London and especially

that it will take place on the International

Quarter close to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park,

the scene of our biggest sporting moment,

says Boris Johnson, mayor of London.

It will provide a fantastic week-long family

event and will revive the spirit of community

and celebration that made last years OlympicGames so special.

FESTIVAL OF SPORT

SportBusiness International No.188 04.13 27


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www.instituteofospitality.org THE MAGAZINE FOR HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL

HOSPITALITYISSUE 25 | SPRING 201

How sport tourism works in the US

and what London can learn

The Institutes newpresident

Read Sir David Michels insightsinto management and leaderhip

BRICs and windows

Is the UK ready for a radical

change in global tourism?

Hospital catering:the way orward

How to push food and nutritionup the NHS agenda


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FEATURE

By targeting families and using cross-marketing

and media technology to drive tourism, a sports

complex in Florida is turning a healthy profit.Could this be the blueprint for Londons Olympic

venues? By Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid.

On striding through the giant gates at the entrance

of the Wide World of Sports in Orlando it soon

becomes apparent that this is no ordinary sports

complex. Its tall yellow towers and spotlessly-clean

sweeping archways resemble those found in

Mediterranean towns and give visitors a regal feeling of arrival.

Up close it can be seen that its wrought-iron railings form the

shapes of baseball bats and inside the ballpark clubhouse

even the light fixtures resemble ballplayers.

The same attention to detail is found throughout the

complex, no mean feat given its sprawling size. Its 250 acres

comprise facilities for hosting over 70 types of sports. Theres

an 11,500-seat baseball park, four multi-sports fields, a track

and field complex, a six-field softball complex, 10 tennis

courts and two indoor arenas with the flagship big enough to

accommodate 12 volleyball courts. The intricate touches give

the game away about its heritage.

It is run by ESPN, a sports broadcaster recently ranked by

Forbes magazine as the second most valuable brand in sport with

an estimated worth of US$11bn. The complex was the brainchild

of ESPNs majority owner, the Walt Disney Company and it was

designed by the same people who build Disneys cutting-edge

theme park rides. Perhaps surprisingly, its purpose was to drive

guests to nearby Disney World the worlds most-visited theme

park complex. If ever there was an example of the power of

sports to drive tourism then the Wide World of Sports is it.

Amateur

Disney isnt renowned for its investments in athletics but the

Wide World of Sports is at the heart of the business model

behind its colossal vacation complex in Orlando. With more

than 300,000 athletes competing there annually, this is no

Mickey Mouse investment.

There are no cute and cuddly characters in sight at thevenue and an even bigger surprise comes when the games

begin. What makes the Wide World of Sports truly unique is

that the vast majority of the events staged there are youth

and amateur oriented. Crucial to this strategy has been the

Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the largest amateur sports

organisation in the US.

The AAU announced its support of the Wide World ofSports several years before the complex opened in March

1997 and even relocated its headquarters to Disney World.

It committed to staging more than 30 national events

annually at the venue and it hosts 12 national basketball

events alone there each year as well as others in baseball,

gymnastics, inline hockey, track & field and wrestling.

Talent scouts

The top managers and scouts from Americas National

Basketball Association (NBA) come to the AAU national

championships to recruit the best college talent before each

season begins and the same is true with other sports.

We have a number of football tournaments that bringdozens of teams representing their countries here across a

variety of different age groups, says Ken Potrock, senior

vice-president of Disney Sports Enterprises. He adds that they

Sportingchance

Wide World of Sports in Orlando is run by sports broadcaster ESPN.


24/41

range from three on three football matches, with competitors

aged as young as five or six, to collegiate level football where

European players come here to compete in All Star competitions

to get recognised by US college coaches so they can getscholarships to American universities.

Getting these extra guests to Disney World was one of

the key reasons for the creation of the Wide World of Sports.

Our research has indicated that 85% of the athletes that

come to compete would not have come here otherwise. It is

such a lovely complement to the Walt Disney World resort

because it brings an incremental visitor that wasnt necessarily

coming previously, says Potrock.

In between matches in a tournament, or after the games

have finished, the competitors tend to visit the nearby theme

parks so it is good synergy for Disneys business. Since the

athletes tend to be young, they inevitably come with their

families, which brings even more business Disneys way.It creates bespoke packages for competitors so, for example,

they can get park tickets valid after 2pm which is useful if they

have been training in the morning.

London itself would

be a draw for youth athletes

just as Disney World is in

Orlando.

Marathon runners pass through

Disney Worlds theme parks.

Nearly 27,000 took part in the Disney

World Marathon in January 2012.

FEATURE


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FEATURE

Timing

Many of the big sports events

are cleverly timed to coincidewith the slowest times of the

year for Disneys parks. In

January, a marathon passes

through the theme parks and

in December Disneys Soccer

Showcase, the biggest youth football tournament in the US,

takes place. It features more than 500 teams from over 20

countries and in 2009 the under-16 boys division was won

by a team from Manchester.

The Wide World of Sports certainly has a prestigious

patronage and the list of young athletes who competed there

and went on to reach the top of their games reads l ike a roll-

call of sports stars. They include former Wimbledonchampion Lleyton Hewitt and Chinas NBA star Yao Ming.

American soccer star Freddie Adu played in the Soccer

Showcase when he was just 12-years-old. However, aspiring

to these lofty heights is only one of the hooks which lure kids

to the complex.

The Wide World of Sports has hosted practice events for

teams in the three primary American professional sports

leagues and in February every year the Atlanta Braves Major

League Baseball team holds its spring training there. Pete

Sampras and Serena Williams have played on its tennis

courts, Marion Jones has trained on its track and the British

Olympic Association (BOA) has even made the transatlantic

journey for warm-weather training there. The idea of beingable to play in the spike or sneaker marks of professional

athletes is a big deal for kids, says Potrock.

Competitive advantage

Potrock says that the Orlando location is its biggest

competitive advantage. We think about what we call the

double dip which is that I am competing at a great facility for

my sport and I also get to experience Walt Disney World.

The competition is on the fields and the celebration is at

Disney World. It seems to work because what we have seen

is that in our rough economy, where youth athletes have

many tournaments to go to but their families cant afford to

travel to them all, we typically win. This is because they can

double dip and make a vacation out of it too by going to

Disney World. We never fall off that list. Potrock believes

that there is no reason why the organisers of the London

Olympics cant emulate this.

Although previous host cities have struggled to find a

commercial use for some of their venues, The Olympic Park

Legacy Company says that it intends all of its venues to

continue to be used for sport after the games have finished.Operators have already been appointed for the acquatic

centre and the handball arena and the tenant of the main

stadium is due to be announced before the Games start. The

Olympic venues would be easy to repurpose for use by youth

teams, comments Potrock, and London itself would also be a

draw for youth athletes just as Disney World is in Orlando.

People all over Europe might be interested in competing

at brand new facilities and London is a substantial tourist

destination in its own right. That potentially becomes what

you would call a competitive advantage, says Potrock. He

adds that there might be football competitions happening

throughout the country or even throughout Europe but London

could position itself by saying to athletes: you want to comehere because we have got all of these great amenities and

opportunities.

The complex uses 42

robotic HD-quality cameras

which are remotely controlledfrom the broadcast centre.

Competitors can be as

young as five or six.

The softball pitches

are just a fraction of

the total facilties

The majority of events are youth

and amateur-oriented.


26/41

FEATURE

Media exposure

The facilities in Orlando are only half of the story. ESPN got

involved to give kids even more reason to come. In February

2010 ESPN invested in 40 digital boards and Jumbotron

screens around the facility which show clips of action, narrated

by personalities from ESPNs programmes. Potrock explains

that his team, created this ESPN experience to make people

feel like when they compete here, they have made it to the

big time. Often, literally, they have made it on to ESPN and

what makes that so special to us is that no other sports

facility anywhere in the world can say that. In addition to

the authentic on-site experience, participants can end up on

television as action from the complex is streamed to a

dedicated channel in Disney's 27,000 hotel rooms nearby.

This alone is believed to reach up to 10m people annually.

The feed is put together by a team of around 40 staff in

the 2,500 square-feet broadcast centre onsite but they are

aided by a wealth of high-tech touches. Dotted around the

complex are 42 robotic HD-quality cameras which can be

remotely controlled from the broadcast centre. It eliminates

the need for multiple camera operators at each event, which

makes it very cost-efficient to produce shows there.

Potrock says he cant imagine a similar venue being built at

one of Disneys international parks in the near future but events

like the marathon, which dont require bespoke facilities, are

more likely. We would love to be able to explore an endurance

race at Disneyland Paris. We would love to explore one in

Japan and Hong Kong. I think those all make sense, he says.

Profitable

The Wide World of Sports complex is thought to have annual

revenues in the region of a couple of hundred million dollars

and its initial construction costs were around $120m makingit Disneys single biggest sports investment after its ownership

of ESPN itself. The facilitys revenue streams come from

event registration, gate sales, merchandise, food & beverage

and event and facility sponsorship. It makes a nice profit,

says Potrock.

Expansion onsite is either funded by Disney and cashflow,

sponsorship or third parties who then own the relevant facility

and pay rent. We are building six new fields for soccer, lacrosse,

field hockey, football and we are very comfortable that we

will fill that addition for much of the year, says Potrock.

He is also planning a 100-lane bowling alley which will

be one of the largest worldwide. The reason for its size is that

the United States Bowling Congress controls the two biggestbowling tournaments in the world and the Wide World of

Sports is aiming to land them on a rotational basis for the

next 20 years. Potrock says that this will

attract around 85,000 spectators and

take five months to execute so, since

each participant attends with several

family members it will bring to central

Florida probably a quarter of a million

people that would most likely not have

come otherwise. Our challenge right now

is that we are successful. In many peak

times of the year we have more demand

than we have capacity.

Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid

are freelance journalists.

Wide World of Sports:

Quick Facts Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida, opened

in 1997. It is run by the sports broadcaster ESPNand was designed and built by ESPNs majority

owner, Disney.

More than 300,000 athletes compete eachyear, mostly in amateur and youth-oriented events.

Getting extra guests to visit Disney Worldwasone of the main reasons for creating Wide World

of Sports.

Many big sport events are held during Disney Worlds

low season (December-January).

The venue is expanding, with the addition of

six new sports fields and one of the largestbowling alleys in the world.

FEATURE

The Soccer Showcase attracts 500 boy and girl teams.

In 2009 it was won by a team from Manchester.

The entrance

to the Wide

World of Sports

complex.


27/41

12/11/2015 pitpass - Finding the right formula

Finding the right formula11/11/2011

NEWS STORY

Scarcely a month goes by without talk of a new race being added

to Formula One's calendar. In the past year alone we have heard

reports of Grands Prix being planned in Argentina, France, Hong

Kong, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Thailand and even more in

America which already has two races due to join the calendar

over the next two years. In 2014 there will be a Russian Grand

Prix and by then F1 will have two races more than the

maximum number agreed by the teams in the Concorde

Agreement, the contract governing the distribution of the sport's

profits. All it takes is for a couple of the planned races to be

signed and F1 will have to drop a total of four of the current

Grands Prix. It could leave a lot of top circuits in need of a

replacement for F1 to engage fans and keep them on the

motorsport radar.

The current Concorde expires at the end of next year and the teams are currently

renegotiating terms with F1's boss Bernie Ecclestone. As Pitpass has reported, there are

clauses in the agreement for the teams to increase the limit beyond 20 races which

would suit Ecclestone down to the ground because more races means more profit.

According to F1's industry monitor Formula Formula Money, the average fee for hosting a

Grand Prix comes to 18.7m ($29.7m) so there is a lot at stake. Pitpass' business editor

Christian Sylt understands that the teams may consider increasing the number of races

beyond this limit in return for them getting more than their current 50% share of F1's

profits. Ecclestone says that this is not an option so it would seem that the 20 race limit

will stick which brings us back to the question of what is the best route for a circuit to

take if it loses a high profile event such as F1. They may need to think laterally

A good example they could follow comes from America where the Richard Petty Driving

Experience (RPDE) offers fans the option of riding in a 600bhp NASCAR-style stock car

which is either driven by them or a trainer driver whilst they sit in the passenger seat. It

is named after NASCAR legend Richard Petty who won its championship seven times and

scored a record 200 race victories. The RPDE operates at 22 circuits in the US but one

venue shows the potential for benefit better than any of the others.

This venue is in the unlikely location of Walt Disney World in Florida where its Speedway

hosted the first round of the Indy Racing League (IRL) in 1996. The Speedway is owned

by Disney but its estimated 3.8m ($6m) construction cost was funded by IRL. Capacity

is 50,000 plus hospitality suites in the infield and for several years spectators watched

NASCAR's Craftsman Truck series race there as well as IRL. The last race it hosted was in

2000 which is when the RPDE knocked on their door.

"Disney was looking for tenants who would be at the race track a lot more, so we came

in," says Dave Williams, operations manager for the RPDE at Disney World. Whilst a race

gives a temporary boost to a circuit's exposure, an event such as the RPDE brings fans to

it year-round.

"The Richard Petty Driving Experience started in Charlotte and they opened a permanent

facility in Las Vegas at the end of 1996 so the driving experience was looking to expand "
http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=43907http://www.formulamoney.com/http://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.formulamoney.com/http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=43907


28/41


He adds, "I've driven on about 20 of the tracks around the country in a stock car and [the

Speedway] is one of the top five tracks for me. It is a technical track, it is a drivers' track."

This is reflected in the success of the RPDE at the circuit. A customer survey gave the

experience high marks, and one-third of the customers said they'd come back for another

drive in the next 12 months. "We do about 10-12,000 ride-alongs at this track each

year," says Williams and at an average cost of around 250 ($400) it gives the RPDE

revenues from that single circuit of around 3.1m ($5m).

The circuit's biggest cost is a low double-digit revenue share deal with Disney and Williamssays that "after that [our biggest costs are] labour and probably racing fuel. We take

about 8,000 gallons at a time so that's a big cheque." He explains that around 20 people

work at the circuit every day and 12 cars are kept there with around 100 in total run by

the RPDE.

Overall, the RPDE has over 100,000 customers annually who either choose the 'ride-

along' experience - three laps with an experienced driver for 69 ($109) - or one of the

driving programs, the most popular of which is the 'rookie experience,' with eight laps

behind the wheel for 251 ($399).

When the company first started it bought old cars from NASCAR but as it grew bigger it

found that it was more beneficial to build its own vehicles. "First of all we can build themthe way we want them," says Williams explaining that "for example, the windows you

have to climb through are slightly bigger because all different body sizes need to get in

and out. We also have fibreglass bodies so they last longer and look better for longer. If

you buy cars from different race teams they would all have different parts but when we

build them every car is exactly the same which is a lot more cost effective for us." RPDE

even builds its own engines. "We have a full blown shop," adds Williams.

In addition to attracting thousands of fans, the RPDE at Disney World has also been

visited by a long list of celebrity wannabe racing drivers including John Travolta, Leonardo

di Caprio, Michael J Fox and Samantha Mumba. You will also find plenty of real racers

there. The circuit was home to one of US driver Danica Patrick's first NASCAR tests and,

closer to home, Williams' driver Rubens Barrichello is a Disney World regular. However,when he races there it isn't on four wheels.

The Speedway is part of a giant sports facility, known as the Wide World of Sports, which

is a model for facilities of the future.

Run by sports broadcaster ESPN, the Wide World of Sports spans 220 acres with state-of-

the-art facilities for hosting around 40 types of sports and around 180 events annually.

Its centrepiece venues are a baseball park and an indoor fieldhouse which has four full-

size basketball courts on its ground level and another two on an upper level.

Complementing these are four baseball diamonds, four multi-sports fields, a track and

field complex, a six-field softball complex, a 10-court tennis facility and five further sports

fields. And it doesn't stop there as the world's two most-visited water parks are located on

its vast site.

But, beyond its sheer size, perhaps the most surprising aspect of the venue is its focus.

The vast majority of the events staged at the Wide World of Sports are youth and

amateur oriented which essentially makes it a sports-themed park. In December every

year the venue hosts the Soccer Showcase, the biggest youth football tournament in the

US, which is sponsored by Chelsea Football Club. The star players go to Stamford Bridge,

all expenses paid, and practice for a week with Chelsea's first team.

Cleverly, the Wide World of Sports has also hosted practice events for teams in the NFL,

NBA and MLB with the Atlanta Braves baseball team holding its spring training there in

February every year. It is clever because it gives young fans the opportunity to play on

the same grounds as their heroes. This even applies to F1 fans.
http://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williamshttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/11/williams


29/41


passion for motor racing. "I visit twice a year more or less," adds the beaming Brazilian

and he is proud of it. From his Twitter page Barrichello links to photos of him and his

family standing in front of Disney World's famous Cinderella castle and with F1's low

profile in the US it isn't likely he will be pursued by fans there.

"It's very peaceful and my kids enjoy it so much," he says and whilst the theme parks are

the big draws for his two sons Eduardo and Fernando, Disney World also has the added

attraction for Barrichello of having five lush golf courses. "The golf is also great," admits

Barrichello who is friends with local Orlando resident Tiger Woods. Barrichello's boast

about the quality of Disney's golf courses is no exaggeration since a round of the PGATour has been held there for the past 40 years.

Sport is never far from Barrichello's mind on vacation and in January last year he mixed

business with pleasure when he ran a half marathon from Epcot, Disney's science-

themed park, to the fairytale-inspired Magic Kingdom. It was also arranged by the Wide

World of Sports and attracted 17,143 runners. Barrichello was not amongst the top

finishers and there is good reason for this.

"I did it for pleasure and fitness," says Barrichello adding "it was my first one." Despite

this, he still finished in 1671st place but was pipped to the post by former Jaguar driver

Luciano Burti who was ranked 1383rd. They had an unexpected factor hampering

progress as the weather in Orlando was far from what would usually be expected of the'sunshine state.'

Temperatures hovered around zero during the race as the runners were pelted with snow

and rain. "It was really cold and I started too far back so had to overtake a lot of people,"

says Barrichello adding that despite this "the rest was great and I had lots of fun." It

didn't put him off and he ran again this year finishing in an improved 1,208th place.

The marathon complemented Barrichello's usual training regimen and he explains that

"because of F1 I have to be well prepared but I had never run such a long distance. I had

to alter my training a little but at the end it was good fun and it was good for me."

Whilst F1 drivers are supremely fit, their training prepares them for a different kind ofexertion to marathon runners. Aside from Barrichello, only a handful of F1 drivers are

known for incorporating this kind of endurance training into their fitness schedules. Two

famous exceptions are Jenson Button, who is renowned for taking part in triathlons

involving a 1.9km swim followed by a 90km cycle ride, and Mark Webber who broke his

leg in 2008 during a mountain bike competition in Australia.

This year the Speedway is allowing fans to drive supercars, including the Ferrari F430 and

the Lamborghini Gallardo, around the track. It could prove to be all too tempting for

Barrichello who has said in the past, tongue-in-cheek, that after leaving F1 you will find

him riding his beloved roller-coasters. F1 circuits could do a lot worse than taking his lead

by visiting Disney World and seeing the benefit the RPDE has brought to the circuit after

IRL's exit. At the rate F1 wants to expand, the circuits are a lot more likely than

Barrichello to be out of a job soon.

Article from Pitpass (http://www.pitpass.com):

Published: 11/11/2011Copyright Pitpass 2002 - 2015. All rights reserved.
http://www.pitpass.com/drivers/4/jenson-buttonhttp://www.pitpass.com/drivers/22/mark-webberhttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/2/ferrarihttp://www.pitpass.com/teams/2/ferrarihttp://www.pitpass.com/drivers/22/mark-webberhttp://www.pitpass.com/drivers/4/jenson-button


30/41

12/11/2015 Rubens Barrichello's busman's holiday | Formula 1 | F1 features | ESPN.co.uk

Formula Money Comments: 1

Augu st 1 6, 201 1

Enlarge

Rubens Barrichello combines his training with family holidays Rubens Barrichello

RELATED LINKS

Drivers:Rubens Barrichello

Teams:Williams

Enlarge

Jenson Button uses triathlons to maintain fitness GettyImages

Barrichello's busman's holidayChristian Sylt and Caroline Reid

Many F1 drivers have well-known training regimes.

Jenson Buttonfamously frequently takes part in

triathlons which involve 1.9km swim followed by a

90km cycle ride. Mark Webber is renowned for being

a cycling fanatic who broke his leg in 2008 during a

mountain bike competition in Australia. Having raced

in more Grands Prix than any other driver it's no

surprise that Rubens Barrichello's training schedule is

a little different to that of his colleagues. He can be

found in Florida's theme parks preparing for racing but

the exercise is far from Mickey Mouse.

Barrichello is a theme park fanatic and has been a

regular visitor to the Disney World complex in Orlando

for over 25 years. He has already been there several

times this year and flew from Orlando to last month's

British Grand Prix.

From his Twitter page Barrichello has linked to photos of him and his family standing in front of the world-

famous Cinderella castle and there's good reason that he enjoys it. Despite the castle sitting inside the Magic

Kingdom, the world's busiest theme park with an estimated 17m visitors last year, Barrichello doesn't get

mobbed by fans there due to F1's low profile in the United States. "It's very peaceful and my kids enjoy it so

much," he says.

Sport is never far from Barrichello's mind, even when he is on holiday, but in January last year he began to mix

business with pleasure when he ran a half marathon from Epcot, Disney's science-themed park, to the Magic

Kingdom. "I did it for pleasure and fitness," says Barrichello adding "it was my first one." Despite this, he still

finished in 1,671st place out of 17,143 runners but was pipped to the post by another famous face from F1.

Former Jaguar driver Luciano Burti ran with Barrichello but was ranked 1,383rd. They had an unexpected

factor hampering progress as the weather in Orlando was far from what would usually be expected of the

'sunshine state.' Instead, temperatures hovered around zero during the race as the runners were pelted with

snow and rain. It didn't put Barrichello off and he ran again this year finishing in an improved 1,208th place.

It might seem a long way away from the corners of

Spa or Silverstone, but there is more overlap than is

immediately apparent. One of the best ways for a

driver to prepare for the demands of a Grand Prix is

through intensive cardio-vascular training such as

distance running and swimming and a marathon

runner and F1 driver require many of the same skills.

Forces generated by cornering in an F1 car regularly

reach 4G - four times the force of gravity - with some

of the most extreme corners reaching 5.5G. In an

accident the forces can be many times higher: Robert

Kubica faced peak forces of 75G during his crash at

the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. This is one of the

main reasons that drivers need to be supremely fit

and strong.

While a normal person has a resting heart rate of

around 60 beats per minute, rising to around 150

during a run on the treadmill, top racing drivers

typically have a resting rate of 40 beats per minute,

rising to more than 200 during a Grand Prix. This is

approximately the same rate experienced by a

marathon runner crossing the finish line. In addition to

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31/41

12/11/2015 Rubens Barrichello's busman's holiday | Formula 1 | F1 features | ESPN.co.uk

Enlarge

Running marathons will aid Rubens Barrichello's fitness and

concentration during grands prix Sutton Images

man.

Then there's also the heat to consider. At the hottest races, such as Malaysia, temperatures in the cockpit can

reach almost 60 degrees Celsius with humidity of as much as 80%. This puts a vast strain on the drivers and

they can sweat off as much as 3.5kg of their body weight during a race. It's for this reason that drivers also

drink large amounts of liquid on the grid, even if they don't feel thirsty. Even a slight loss of body fluid can

cause lapses in concentration, which are potentially fatal at 200mph, so it's vital that drivers get used to these

extreme conditions during training. The level of endurance needed to complete a Grand Prix has been

compared to that required to run a marathon, so it's no surprise that drivers such as Barrichello turn to running

for practice.

Fitness is therefore vital for mental as well as physical reasons. According to Nick Harris, who worked with

Barrichello at the Stewart team and now runs Human Performance Engineering which is a partner of Team

Lotus, "the more conditioned a driver is, the longer he can maintain his ability. They're amazingly gifted, but

there is more to it. You can be the best footballer in the world, but if you aren't fit enough, in the last 20

minutes of the match you will start to make lots of mistakes. You can be an amazing driver, but over 60 laps if

you can't maintain that ability you won't do yourself or the team justice. When a driver is conditioned he can

maintain his ability for longer. If a driver feels tired in the car he will begin to think of negative things and a

lapse of concentration can occur."

The marathon complemented Barrichello's usual

training regimen and the driver explains that "because

of F1 I have to be well prepared but I had never run

such a long distance. I had to alter my training a little

but at the end it was good fun and it was good for

me."

That wasn't the only thing that Barrichello enjoyed

while he was in Orlando. Being in the vacation capital

of the world meant that there were endless

opportunities to recuperate and Barrichello's favourite

Disney attraction, Soarin', is as peaceful as they

come. The ride is a simulated hang glider ride over

some of America's most well-known landscapes and

landmarks with a sweeping orchestral score and smells of pine and orange piped in as the glider swoops over

forests and groves.

Disney has been pioneering attractions in Orlando since the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971 at a ceremonyattended by celebrities including Bob Hope, Julie Andrews and coincidentally Barrichello's former team boss

Sir Jackie Stewart. However it can be just as much of a fantasyland for adults as it is for children.

"The golf is also great," says Barrichello and testimony to this, a round of the PGA Tour has been held on one

of Disney's five courses in each of the past 40 years. There's also a motor racing connection. Tourists who

want to get a taste of what it is like to do Barrichello's job head to the Richard Petty driving experience. It

takes place on a the same one mile tri-oval Speedway which held the first race of F1's American rival IndyCar

in 1996 and it was also home to one of US driver Danica Patrick's first Nascar stock car tests.

There are no illusions here and the only reminder that it is in Disney World are the spires of Cinderella's castle

which rise in the distance. But for Barrichello there is a serious side to everything. Drivers need to keep training

even when away so that they don't lose their competitive edge. A busy schedule makes this all the trickier and

according to Nick Harris, drivers "run the risk of having not enough time for a full session, and if you train too

hard you will be too sore and tired when you get to the track. So if you can somehow achieve the maximum

goals in the shortest timeframe, that is the best situation for the driver. So using a scientific framework, we

make sure we don't leave that to chance. We need to maximise a driver's time."

So although it's not quite all work and no play, an F1 driver's life away from the track is certainly not just one

big holiday.

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32/41

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35/41

INTERVIEW

50 November/December 2009

The Richard Petty Driving Experience is justone of the successful business enterprises ofNASCAR legend Richard Petty


36/41

www.thepaddockmagazine.com 51

Decembers Motor Sport Business Forum in Orlando may seem to be

taking place in an unusual location but in fact right on its doorstep is

one of the most unique circuits and sports venues in the world. It is little

surprise given that its stakeholders are the two of motorsports most

famous personalities and the biggest name in entertainment

Sporting driveBy Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid


37/41

It is a glorious September morning in

Orlando and there is a commotion at

the Disney World Speedway, a one

mile tri-oval which usually hosts NA-

SCAR track days. The King is coming and

it shows. Striding into the Speedway en-

trance, bearing his trademark Stetson and

grin revealing teeth which shine brighter

than the Florida sun, is Richard Petty, NA-SCARs most successful driver.

Petty is here to preside over the inaugural

Kings Cup a track day Experience with

a difference. His Richard Petty Driving

Experience (RPDE) which operates at 22

circuits around the US offers fans the op-

tion of riding with a trainer driver or tak-

ing to the wheel themselves and the Kings

Cup is one step between this and a race.

Around 40 motorsport fans paid between

$600 and $900 to race in a 600bhp NA-

SCAR-style stock car in two timed events

with the driver scoring the highest cumu-

lative score being handed the Kings Cup

by Petty himself. Fans came from as far

aeld as Ireland and Australia for the event

and they got their moneys worth.

Participants got an engraved souvenir

and timesheet certicate with the win-

ner, a devoted Petty fan called Paul Sea-

man who had raced at the RPDE around

50 times, getting a die-cast car signed by

Petty along with the eponymous Cup it-

self. Petty is as affable as they come and

in addition to his trophy presentation

duties he would stop and pose with fans

and sign incredibly ornate autographs for

them. There is an aura about him and its

not hard to see why.

During his 26-year racing career, Petty

won the NASCAR championship seven

times and scored a record 200 race vic-

tories. He has won the Daytona 500 a

record seven times and in the 1967 sea-

son alone won 27 races. You wont nd

many other drivers who can hold a candle

to that. Likewise, his record of more than

125 pole positions and over 700 top-ten

nishes is unlikely to be matched by any

driver in NASCAR or similar top level

motorsport for a long time to come.

Indeed, so iconic is Petty that in May 2010

he will be inducted into NASCARs inaugu-

ral hall of fame alongside two of the sport's

late pioneers: Bill France, who founded

NASCAR and ruled from 1948-71; and Bill

France Jr, who took over from his father as

president from 1972-2003. The two other

inductees are the equally historic names of

seven-time champ Dale Earnhardt and Ju-nior Johnson, who won 50 races as a driver

and six titles as a car owner.

When you get down to it Im 72 years old,

Im still going to all the races. How many

people are that lucky? says Petty adding

the good lord looked down and put me in

the right place, in the right circumstances

with the right people and Ive not done

anything its all the people around me that

made it work.

Off-track, Petty made motorsport busi-

ness history in 1972, 14 years into his ca-

reer, by securing NASCARs rst national

sponsor the oil company STP which paid a

whopping $200,000 to sponsor his car an

incredible sum given than racing partner-

ships were still in their early days. STPs

red and blue colours still adorn the RPDE

cars but NASCARs nances have moved

a long way since Pettys early days.

Top sponsors such as Budweiser are pay-

ing around $20m per year moving down

to around $3m annually paid by insurance

rm Aac which has its mascot goose em-

blazoned on the car of the Roush team. The

deals tend to be much more exible than

those in F1 with two sponsors sometimes

sharing space on cars and jointly paying forit. For example, Ofce Depot and Old Spice

sponsor the Stewart Haas team with Ofce

Depot appearing on the car at 60 percent

of races. Like Budweiser they pay a total

of $20m but they dwarf in comparison to

the Cup series title deal with telecoms rm

Sprint, a 10-year deal which began in 2004

and is believed to be worth $750m. How-

ever, this is not the norm any more.

We are getting more sponsors now but

they are $1m sponsors not $10m or $15m

sponsors so now youve got to get ve

guys before you can get your operation

going, says Petty. It used to be that

when the season started the car was pur-

ple and it would be purple all year long.

Now youve got 36 races and 36 different

colours. Thats what it takes for teams to

operate. I dont know if I ever see it going

back the other way, he adds.

Returns for sponsors are still on pole po-

sition. Pepsis Amp brand is a Hendrick

Motorsport sponsor and it says that as a

result of the deal ve million consumers

have tried the drink who had never tried it

before with its exposure increasing from

50 percent to 70 percent. Signicantly, it

adds that $750m of Amp branded mer-

chandise was sold last year at NASCAR

tracks almost as much as F1s entire

revenue from race sanction fees and me-

dia rights. In total, NASCAR fans report-

edly spend $2bn on NASCAR-branded

merchandise annually and are three times

more likely to buy products and services

connected to teams than non-fans. In con-

trast, F1 itself makes around 250 times

less from merchandise annually.

NASCAR Inc is the sports sanctioning

body but Petty says that it will help the

teams secure deals if possible. NASCAR

has never been in a situation where it has

gone out and got a potential sponsor and

brought it to a team but if you call them up

they will try to give you an introduction,

he adds. It also helps in other ways but a

budget cap, as suggested in F1 by its gov-

erning body the FIA, is not one of them.

If we were spending all $10m and NA-

SCAR came back and said we are going to

save you $1m, we would still spend $10m.

They try to keep a deal where we dont

have to wipe the cars out and start all over

again. With most of the rule changes they

gave us two years and said if youre going

to build cars build these new ones.

NASCAR Incs sister company is Interna-

tional Speedway Corporation (ISC) which

is oated on New Yorks NASDAQ and

It used to be that when the season startedthe car was purple and it would be purple all year long. Now youve

got 36 races and 36 different colours.

INTERVIEW



38/41

controls 13 circuits. However, it is far from

the only entity to share in the series spoils.

Ticket money goes to the circuits and 65

percent of money from media rights is tak-

en by the promoter with 10 percent going

to NASCAR and 25 percent being a prize

money fund.

Every cent counts since some tracks havereportedly seen an attendance decline of

25 percent in 2009 and ISC is predicting

an eight percent dip in revenue in 2009

to $700m. It typically costs $0.5m to get

each team car to each of the 36 Cup races

and the annual budget for a top team is

around $30m. The high costs have forced

some teams to merge and Pettys own

outt, Richard Petty Motorsports, has

done so twice, rst with Gillett Evern-

ham Motorsports and then, in November

this year, just 12 months after the previ-

ous tie-up, the team announced it would

merge again, this time with Yates Racing.

It is a formidable partnership since Yates

has 57 wins under its belt and nearly 50

poles as well as a Sprint Cup Champion-

ship in more than 20 years of racing.

For the 2010 season, the new team will

eld Kasey Kahne, A.J. Allmendinger,

Paul Menard and Elliott Sadler. The merg-

er involves the team moving from using

Chrysler vehicles to instead running with

Ford from next year and it is a reunion of

sorts. In 1969 Petty raced with Ford and

won a total of nine races for the car manu-

facturers team before eventually losing

out on the title to David Pearson's Holman

Moody-prepped Ford Torino.

If you had talked to me three years agoId say it will never happen but this is our

second merger, says Petty. He adds that

the older the companies are, the more

stable they are as far as racing is con-

cerned. They were able to bite the bullet

and tighten up on some stuff and they

could sit it [the economic downturn] out.

What happens in the future is anybodys

guess but it will make the teams that do

survive that much stronger and the stron-

ger the teams are the better the show we

are going to put on.

He explains this point further by saying

that in previous years we had things so

easy but now we sit down and say this is

not in the bank so we are going to tighten

up our business and as things open up its

going to be a long time before we ever get

as loose playing as we did maybe two or

three years ago. He expects that his part-

ners at Dodge will weather the storm.Dodge can survive with one team. The

reason a lot of the companies are in it is not

that they are going to get more advertis-

ing out of it they just dont want somebody

else to get all of it.

But racing is just one element of the Petty

empire. The RPDE is becoming an equal-

ly public face as the team, particularly in

Orlando. Richard Petty Driving Experi-

ence is trying all kinds of different things

to entice some of the people who have

been here to come back and enjoy what

I enjoyed for 50 or 60 years, says Petty

adding being in Disney World you have

people coming from all over the world. It

made us feel good that we were getting our

name out there and it made me feel good

that people still recognise that Cup Racing

is a pretty big thing.

So successful was the rst Kings Cup that

a second round will take place in Las Ve-

gas on 3 December this year. It makes a

fantastic addition to the RPDE itself which

at Orlandos Disney World Speedway alone

has been taken up by stars such as Michael

Phelps, John Travolta, Leonardo di Caprio,

Michael J Fox and Samantha Mumba.

The Richard Petty Driving Experiencestarted in Charlotte and they opened a per-

manent facility in Las Vegas at the end of

1996 so the driving experience was look-

ing to expand, says Dave Williams, op-

erations manager for the RPDE at Disney

World. What better place to expand to

than Walt Disney World where you have

people from all over the world coming ev-

ery day, he adds.

The Speedway is a remarkable product

which hosted the rst round of the Indy

Racing League (IRL) in 1996. It is owned

by Disney but its estimated $6m construc-

tion cost was funded by the IRL. Capac-

ity is 50,000 plus hospitality sky suites in

the ineld and for several years spectators

watched NASCARs Craftsman Truck

series race there as well as IRL. The last

race it hosted was in 2000 but the RPDE

makes an ideal-year round alternative ten-ant. Disney was looking for tenants who

would be at the race track a lot more, so

we came in, says Williams. The circuit is

extremely slick and probably the nest in

the US not to host a race.

Ive driven on about 20 of the tracks

around the country in a stock car and it

is one of the top ve tracks for me. It is a

technical track, it is a drivers track, adds

Williams. This is reected in the success

of the RPDE at the circuit. A customer

survey gave the experience high marks,

and one-third of the customers said they'd

come back for another drive in the next

12 months. We do about 10-12,000 ride

alongs at this track each year, says Wil-

liams and at an average cost of around

$400 it gives the RPDE revenues at that

single circuit of around $5m.

The circuits biggest cost is a low double-

digit revenue share deal with Disney and

Williams says that after that labour and

probably racing fuel. We take about 8,000

gallons at a time so thats a big cheque. He

explains that around 20 people work at the

circuit every day and 12 cars are kept there

with around 100 in total run by the RPDE.

Overall, the RPDE had more than 100,000customers last year who either chose the

ride along experience three laps with

an experienced driver for $109 or one

of the driving programs, the most popular

of which is the rookie experience, with

eight laps behind the wheel for $399.

When the company rst started it bought

old cars from NASCAR but as it grew

bigger it found that it was more bene-

cial to build its own vehicles. First of all

we can build them the way we want

Spanning 220 acres, the Wide Worldof Sports has state-of-the-art facilities for hosting around 40 different

types of sports on one site and attracts around 180 events annually.

www.thepaddockmagazine.com 53


39/41

them, says Williams explaining that for

example, the windows you have to climb

through are slightly bigger because all dif-

ferent body sizes need to get in and out.

We also have breglass bodies so they last

longer and look better longer. If you buy

cars from different race teams they would

all have different parts and pieces so when

we build them every car is exactly the samewhich is a lot more cost effective for us.

RPDE even builds its own engines. We

have a full blown shop, adds Williams.

The best indication of its efforts is that

it is extremely rare that RPDE cars are

crashed. Company-wide last year we put

two million miles on our cars and you can

count the damaged cars on one hand, says

Williams adding that the reason for this

is the way we operate the programme

its a lead follow so anyone who pays to

drive the race car they follow an instruc-

tor and that takes a lot of the guess work

out of it. We also have limits depending

on which programme you purchase and

we have a certain target speed and a very

strict maintenance programme. The cars

are of very high quality and we have atyre person every day on track checking

the tyres throughout the day to make sure

they arent getting worn out. There are a

lot of things that put us on top of the list

when it comes to safety and quality. It is

no idle boast.

The Speedway was already on the podium

when it came to the RPDE and with the

new Kings Cup it is moving into top gear.

It is no surprise that the Disney World

Speedway is getting attention from theRPDE. The millions of tourists visiting the

nearby theme parks annually make for an

ideal audience and it is particularly popu-

lar with dads who can race whilst mum

and the kids hit the parks. It is also soon

likely to get a boost from one of the biggest

names in spor t: ESPN.

The Speedway is part of a giant sports fa-

cility, known as the Wide World of Sports,

which sits inside the 39 square miles of

Disney World. It is a model for facilities

of the future and it is as cutting-edge as

they come.

Spanning 220 acres, the Wide World of

Sports has state-of-the-art facilities for

hosting around 40 different types of sports

on one site and attracts around 180 events

annually. Its centrepiece venues are a

7,500-seat retro-style baseball park andthe Milk House - a 5,500-seat indoor eld-

house which has four full-size collegiate

basketball courts on its ground level and

another two on an upper level. Comple-

menting these are the 20-acre Hess Fields

which include four baseball diamonds

and four multi-sports elds. In addition

there is a baseball quadraplex, track and

eld complex, six-eld softball complex,

10-court tennis facility and ve further

sports elds. And it doesnt stop there.

Disney Sports & Recreation, which is re-

sponsible for the Wide World of Sports,

also runs the Walt Disney World bass sh-

ing facilities, the worlds top two water

parks Blizzard Beach and Typhoon La-

goon and ve championship golf courses

in addition to the Speedway.

Signed sporting memorabilia and pictures

of stars such as Tiger Woods standing

side-by-side with Mickey Mouse adorn

the ofce walls of the sprawling yellow

complex. Designed by David Schwarz,

architect of the Texas Rangers Ballpark

at Arlington, the Wide World of Sports

architecture resembles that found in

Mediterranean towns with tall towers and

sweeping archways.

But, beyond its sheer size, perhaps the most

surprising aspect of the venue is its focus.

The vast majority of the events staged at

the Wide World of Sports are youth and

amateur oriented. This is the backbone

of its business model and it makes it truly

unique. Crucial to this strategy has been the

Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the largest

amateur sports organisation in the US.

The AAU announced its support of the

Wide World of Sports several years before

the complex opened in March 1997 and

even relocated its headquarters to Disney

World. It committed to staging more than

30 national events annually at the venue

and hosts 12 national basketball events

alone there each year as well as others in

baseball, gymnastics, inline hockey, track

& eld and wrestling.

The AAUs support has acted as a magnet

for collegiate events and three top college

leagues have also held conference cham-

pionships at the Wide World of Sports.

This collection is crowned by the National

Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

which hosts its Leadership Conference

there every year. But its the venues con-

nection to professional sports which brings

its biggest allure.

The top managers and scouts from the

National Basketball Association (NBA)

come to the AAU national championships

to draft the best college talent before each

season begins. Likewise, the Disney Soc-

cer Showcase is the premium domestic

soccer tournament for recruitable age kidsand as Alex Vergara, Disneys sports mar-

keting and technology director says, We

have 800 coaches that come here. A lot of

these athletes get scholarships on the spot

and we provide the coaches an opportu-

nity to them all in one place.

Getting these extra guests to Disney World

was one of the key reasons for the creation

of the Wide World of Sports. The purpose

was to reach a market that at that point

in time the Disney brand was not reach-

ing, says Vergara adding that it was re-ally a brand extension to get incremental

guests to come to the resort that normally

wouldnt. He says that a good two-thirds

to three quarters of our athletes when they

are here will be going to the parks, and

this in itself benets the Wide World of

Sports offering.

Once the games are over, as we like to say;

from the ballparks to the theme parks.

You can celebrate your athletic achieve-

ment, your championship by going to the

The Wide World of Sports is the onlysports facility in the US to host training events for teams in the three

primary American professional sports leagues.

INTERVIEW



40/41

parks. It is a very integrated approach to

what we are doing, says Vergara and it

goes deeper than that.

By staying at our property and leverag-

ing all that Disney has such as the dining

programme, the transportation and the ho-tel rooms so that they are close, it becomes

a seamless experience for the athletes,

adds Vergara. By doing that they can fo-

cus more on the competition and having a

good time while they are here and making

sure that that becomes an experience they

will remember forever. Disney even cre-

ates bespoke packages for competitors so

for example, they can get park tickets valid

after 2pm which is useful if they have been

training in the morning. The next step is

making the experience even more authen-

tic. Enter ESPN.

In February 2010 the facility will be re-

named the ESPN Wide World of Sports

and to create a compelling experience, the

company has 40 digital boards and Jumbo-

tron screens around the property that will

show clips of action at the complex, nar-

rated by ESPN on-air personalities. Visitors

also will be able to view game action at the

complex on a dedicated TV channel in any

one of Disney's 27,000 hotel rooms at the

nearby resort.

We want the athletes who come here to feel

like they have made it to the big time, says

Vergara adding there is going to be a lot

of ways that that brand is going to come to

life here with highlight packages and video

monitors. All these boards will be designed

with that ESPN look and you will be able tosee your highlights on those video boards

which give them a form of their own ESPN

experience. Other developments will in-

clude robotic cameras on 50 percent of the

elds which will lm highlights packages

that are then given an ESPN look before be-

ing broadcast.

Vergtara says that there is even an ESPN

innovation lab - a group of ESPN folks

housed here trying to discover the next new

broadcast technology. They have this 220

acre stage and the athlete populations andthe event schedules to work with their engi-

neering people and their broadcast techni-

cal people. ESPN is always thinking about

what is next so this innovation lab will be a

petri dish.

The rebranding is a multi-million dollar

project which has been underway for around

a year and a half. The construction started

this summer and we are doing it in stages

but by late January to early February every-

thing will be complete, adds Vergara.

It should bring even more guests through

the gates at the Wide World of Sports and

even though it has only been open for 12

years, some of the young athletes who

have competed there have already gone on

to reach the top of world sport.

These include former Wimbledon tennis

champion Lleyton Hewitt and Chinas

NBA star Yao Ming who played one of

his rst US events at the Wide World of

Sports with the AAU. His fellow players

Richard Jefferson, Amare Stoudamire

and Darius Miles all competed in AAU

basketball tournaments there too. Anto-

nio Gates, now an all-pro tight end with

the San Diego Chargers, played for the

Michigan Mustangs at the Wide World

of Sports and American soccer star

Freddie Adu played in the venues an-nual soccer showcase when he was just

12-years-old. But aspiring to these lofty

heights is only half of the hook to lure

kids to the complex.

The Wide World of Sports is the only

sports facility in the US to host training

events for teams in the three primary

American pr

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