February 18, 2013 - On the Go in MCO

Orlando City Soccer Receives A Significant

Investment from Brazilian Businessman

Investment brings club one step closer to the goal of securing an MLS franchise for Orlando

Orlando City Soccer announced Monday that Brazilian native Flávio Augusto da Silva has made a significant investment and future commitment to the Orlando City franchise. The investment will be used for the club’s share of a private/publicly funded multi-purpose soccer stadium in downtown Orlando and future acquisition of an MLS franchise.

“Every year, hundreds of thousands of Brazilians visit Orlando,” said Silva. “It’s our number one destination in the US and us Brazilians, besides being famous for our friendliness and willingness to buy at the outlets and malls; we are also a nation that loves soccer. More than that, we are a country of 200 million fanatics for soccer! It is a great honor that I now become a part of this vibrant soccer club, Orlando City, which is being built with boldness to make history in this country and will give much pride to this City.”

Until last week, Flávio Augusto chaired the Ometz Group, with 16 holding companies, including the country’s leading English language schools for adults, Wise Up (FIFA World Cup Sponsor). On February 7^th, the Ometz Group was acquired by Abril Educação, one of Brazil’s largest media companies. Today, Mr. da Silva still leads the Wise Up Group and is also the third largest shareholder in Abril Educação. As part of the acquisition, Mr. da Silva will oversee the development of Abril Educação operations around the world.

He also owns the Canal Geração de Valor “Value Generation”, where he shares entrepreneurial experience and advice; he has more than 304K followers on twitter and 670K on Facebook.

The new owner gives Orlando a major advantage in its drive to be named the next MLS expansion franchise. To secure a move up to the major leagues, MLS requires clubs to have, among other things, a fiscally stable and established ownership group and a stadium seating between 18,000 and 25,000. The Citrus Bowl and its upcoming redevelopment does not meet these needs, therefore, the club is on record stating that a 18,500 seat downtown stadium is their goal. The Lions recently presented an independent economic impact study to local press and political leaders which demonstrated that the stadium and MLS franchise would create a $1.3 billion impact for the region over the next 30-years.

Florida Governor Rick Scott came out in favor of Orlando’s MLS bid last week, stating “I am very supportive and will do everything I can do at the state level.”

MLS Commissioner Don Garber visited Orlando in March of 2012, leaving the town after meeting with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. Impressed by the support from Lion fans at a town-hall style meeting, Garber said “It’s not a matter of if, but a case of when” in regards to a franchise in Central Florida. The club has been in close communication with Garber and the MLS for over two years now.

Mr. da Silva’s investment gives Orlando’s MLS bid a unique advantage, immediately gaining ties to one of the biggest soccer countries in the world, Brazil. More announcements will be made on specifics regarding the ties to Brazil in the upcoming weeks.

The existing ownership group, which includes President Phil Rawlins, will remain in place and continue to run day-to-day operations at Orlando City. Flavio Augusto joins Orlando’s current local ownership group, which includes amongst others, entrepreneur John Bonner and Morgan & Morgan’s Scott Bates.

About Orlando City Soccer Club:Orlando City Soccer Club (OCSC) is a premier professional soccer sports franchise in the United States and is a member of the USL PRO. The Lion’s pro team has won two regular season titles and one postseason championship during their short time in Orlando. Outside of the pro squad, OCSC also has their own youth club, Orlando City Youth Soccer (OCYS) and a U23s team that participates in the PDL. For more information on the pro and youth clubs, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com and www.orlandocityyouth.org.

You’ve signed up for a Run Disney race, trained physically and prepared mentally. You have the perfect running shoes and you’ve picked out your race day running clothes, a basic running shirt and shorts. Ok, so it’s practical, it will be sufficient for running, but you could have so much more fun. What about wearing a running costume?

RunDisney Costume — Tower of Terror Birthday Shirts

Costumes for Disney races are becoming increasingly popular and creative. The easiest and most popular thing to wear is a tutu. Runners wear everything from a simple one color tutu to a detailed specific character inspired creation. It’s a fun way for anyone, of any age, shape and size to add a little kick to their running attire. There are Minnie’s, Tinkerbell’s, Pirates and lots of Princesses, especially for the upcoming Walt Disney World Princess Half Marathon. And RunDisney Costumes are not just for the ladies!

Wondering where to start to design your costume? Start with a good moisture-wicking running shirt in the color of the character you are trying to emulate. For example, to dress as Rapunzel, I purchased a lavender running shirt and attached pink ribbons to give the laced up corset effect. I also added tulle and ribbons to the sleeves. I made a lavender and pink tulle tutu and decorated it with ribbon, rhinestones, and flower accents. Top it off with a sparkling tiara and it’s an easy princess look.

Tutu’s are great for running because they are practically feather weight and can be worn over any running skirt or shorts. Tutu’s aren’t the only option when it comes to running costumes but an important thing to consider is materials and fabrics. It’s always a good idea to do a practice run in your costume before race day to be sure it’s comfortable and doesn’t inhibit your ability to run properl

Run Disney does have a few guidelines when it comes to costumes so be sure to follow their specifications. A really fun thing to do is to run in costume with a group. This is an especially popular idea for the upcoming inaugural 10k in Disneyland this summer. The race is rumored to be themed to Alice in Wonderland so lots of participants are planning groups of Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen and the Cheshire Cat.

Go look in your closet or visit your craft store for inspiration and supplies to make a unique running costume. If you aren’t crafty, let someone design and create it for you. Be creative, have fun and let your imagination run free!