Pop Warner football, cheer, dance moving to Universal from Disney World
Every December for more than 20 years nearly 10,000 Pop Warner student athletes and their families from around the country descended on Walt Disney World to compete in football, dance and cheer competitions. Not anymore.
The Pop Warner Little Scholars, which has been a staple ESPN Wide World of Sports since 1997 is moving to Camping Stadium and Universal Studios under a partnership with Florida Citrus Sports.
Under the new long-term agreement, the 60,000-seat Camping World Stadium, which has hosted the NFL Pro Bowl and major college bowl games, will be the feature field during the Pop Warner Super Bowl. Additional games and practices will be held on fields on the expanded stadium campus in Orlando, according to Pop Warner. Universal Orlando Resort will be the host location.
“We’re excited to ensure Orlando will continue as our home to our championship teams and families each December. We think that’s great news,” said Pop Warner Little Scholars Executive Director Jon Butler. “Central Florida has been home to the Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer & Dance Championships for 25 years. With the weather, theme parks and access to top-notch athletic facilities, it’s the perfect location for us to come together and celebrate the season as teams compete for national titles.
The change took place as Disney and Pop Warner working out 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,” according to a statement from Pop Warner. “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.”
The change also creates an alliance with Florida Citrus Sports. “We’ve added another partner whose values align perfectly with our own and Pop Warner teams will be playing on the biggest stage the region has to offer. We’re excited and know they will be as well,” Butler said.
Held in Orlando since 1997, the Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer & Dance Championships generate an estimated 25,000 room nights annually, as competitors and their families visit from across the country for the weeklong competition each year. The national youth sports organization is the largest in the world with approximately 325,000 total athletes ranging from 5 to 16 years old.
“Pop Warner represents the gold standard in the world of youth sports, and we’re humbled to welcome them to the Florida Citrus Sports family,” FCS CEO Steve Hogan said. “With the support of our friends at Disney, Pop Warner has laid an incredible foundation for us to build on, and we can’t wait to see the Pop Warner Super Bowl under the lights at Camping World Stadium.”
