2000 College Football Final Rankings

A Complete Guide to Orlando 2007 Spectator Sports

Central Florida sports fans - the visitors and residents alike - will have much to celebrate during 2007 with such popular spectator sport as the Orlando Magic National Basketball Association (NBA), Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League (AFL) and the University Central Florida (UCF) Golden Knights football team. Orlando is also full of action during Spring Training baseball and the Braves Atlanta and Houston Astros come to town this spring, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp from late July.

The Orlando Magic play all their home games at the 17,500 seat Amway Arena (formerly TD Waterhouse Centre) in downtown Orlando. Founded in 1989, the Orlando Magic advanced to the NBA Finals during the 1994-95 season. Many basketball star has played for the Orlando Magic in recent years, as Shaquille O'Neal, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and Tracy McGrady. The current list includes Orlando Magic Dwight Howard, Grant Hill, Jameer Nelson and JJ Redick. Brian Hill is the head coach of the Orlando Magic, which compete Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. Magic 2006-07 The regular season schedule concludes on April 18, 2007, against the Miami Heat. Construction on a new stadium with 20,000 seats in the center of Orlando Orlando is scheduled to begin in early 2008.

Founded in 1991, the Orlando Predators, who captured the Arena Bowl Championship in 2000, competes in the 19-team AFL. Predators have reached the playoffs 15 years in a row and compete in the Southern Division of the National Conference against the tastes of the Austin Wranglers, Dallas Desperados, Georgia Force, Gladiators in Las Vegas, Voodoo in New Orleans and Tampa Bay Storm. The regular season includes 16 games eight home games at Amway Arena (also known as "The Jungle") and extends from early February to late May. Jay Gruden is the coach Orlando Predators, which ended the 2006 AFL season with a 10-6 record and lost to Chicago in ArenaBowl XX. The Predators open the 2007 season on March 2, 2007, against the Tampa Bay Storm.

The UCF Golden Knights football team competes in Conference USA against teams like East Carolina University, Marshall University, University Rice, Southern Methodist University, Tulane University, University of Birmingham, Alabama, the University of Houston, the University of Memphis, the University of Southern Mississippi, University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Tulsa. George O'Leary is the head coach of the Golden Knights, who finished with a record of 4-8 during the season 2006. The Golden Knights played before their home games at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, but a new stadium currently under construction on the campus of UCF. 45,000 seats Bright House Networks Stadium is set to be completed in time for the home opener for the Golden Knights' against the Longhorns of Texas on September 15 2007.

Central Florida is also the site of Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training, when the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros arrives in February 2007. The Braves play 16 games in a 7.500-seat, state field next-generation game at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, while the Houston Astros to compete in the recently renovated Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. The Braves' spring season training runs from February 28 to March 29, 2007, while the Astros will be here from March 1 to March 31, 2007. In addition, the 2002 World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp move Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex from late July. Practices are open to the public and admission is free for the Bucs training camp.

Other spectator sports to be held in the Orlando area over the next year include the Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl, which pits university teams Football ranked second in the Southeast and Big Ten conferences at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on New Year's Day, the Silver Spurs Rodeo, the largest rodeo east Mississippi, which takes place at the Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee 16-18 February 2007, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club (March 12-18, 2007) and Walt Disney World Resort Classic (November 1-4, 2007), two popular golf tournaments which are based some of the world's best professional golfers on the PGA tour.

Orlando visitors should plan ahead and pre-order tickets for sports spectators who wish to attend during their stay, according to Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing for HotelsCorp.com.

"The sports tickets and tickets to theme parks, can often be added to vacation packages supply, which enables families to enjoy significant savings on their holidays in Orlando, "said Collins.

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