While the main focus of this site and many fan sites is on the Disney World theme parks, the Walt Disney World Resort complex hosts many different types of events and more. Today, Pop Warner announced that they would be moving their massive Cheer and Dance, and Football competitions away from Walt Disney World and to Universal Orlando – all due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that Disney is playing host to “bubble” events for major sporting leagues. Here’s what Pop Warner had to say about the news that they would be switching away from the Walt Disney World Resort.
We continue to have a great relationship with Disney and are sure families will visit the parks that week. While Disney has played host to our Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer & Dance Championships for years, our partnership regarding championship week came to a pause when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020.
We were putting final touches on a new agreement when Disney was suddenly tasked with hosting and creating a bubble for professional leagues like the MLS and NBA at their ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. With so much uncertainty it was difficult for Disney to commit to the future and because our first priority is our Pop Warner members, we decided to start searching for a new location to ensure our teams had a first-class Championship home.
Luckily, we did not have to look far and found a highly experienced and well-respected partner in Florida Citrus Sports and an exciting new location at Universal Orlando Resorts and Camping World Stadium, both of which we think will offer some amazing, new experiences for our athletes and their families.
This new agreement is described as a “multi-year” agreement and it looks like Disney may be out of the picture for some time.
Back in 2018, Disney opened “The ARENA”, described as a space “designed specifically for cheer and dance events”. Of course, Pop Warner doesn’t represent Disney’s entire cheer schedule, but there is no doubt that this is significant news to that segment of Disney’s business.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!