Exploria Stadium, the home of Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride will open to full capacity starting in June.
The announcement came Monday afternoon on the Explorida Stadium official Twitter account and website stating that the new policy will begin with Pride’s June 20 match against NJ/NY Gotham FC and Orlando City’s home match against the San Jose Earthquakes on June 22.
Exploria Stadium’s full capacity is 25,500 seats but some seats behind the team’s bench and around the tunnels will be closed off in accordance with MLS and NWLS safety policies.
Orlando City SC CEO Alex Leitão released an official statement saying the stadium and team are excited for the return of a full crowd.
“Over the last year, our fans have been incredible in taking the necessary steps to keep our community as safe as possible so we can eventually bring Exploria Stadium back to the full capacity and, today, we’re excited to announce that moment has arrived,” Leitão said. “With the rates of vaccinations growing each day across Central Florida, as well as the continued safety protocols in place from both our local authorities, MLS and the NWSL, we can’t wait to welcome a full stadium of supporters back to our beautiful venue to cheer on our teams.”
Health and Safety protocols for City and Pride Matches will remain in place.
These protocols include hand sanitization stands placed throughout the stadium, strict cleaning and sanitation implemented before, during, and after events in addition to increased cleaning staff presence at matches.
Orlando City will have one more restricted capacity game on May 22 while Orlando Pride will have two more matches at a reduced capacity on May 26 and May 30.
