Six of the 49 rainbow colored #OrlandoUnited seats, one of each color, that have been donated to the National Pulse Memorial & Museum’s permanent collection. (Photo by Mark Thor, courtesy Orlando City SC)
In honor of the five-year mark of the Pulse shooting, Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride will be celebrating their “true colors” as they remember those affected by the tragedy. The teams will be hosting soccer matches near the end of the month where they will honor the lives lost.
The Orlando Pride match will be held on Sunday, June 20, at 6 p.m. against the NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Orlando City SC match will be held on Tuesday, June 22, at 7:30 p.m. against the San Jose Earthquakes. Both matches will be at their home, the Exploria Stadium, and tickets can be purchased from the Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride websites, or a special two-match ticket plan can be found here. The events will be presented by the National Pulse Memorial & Museum.
“One of my most vivid memories in the immediate aftermath of the Pulse tragedy in 2016 was the visual of the Orlando City game. The stands were filled with cheering fans, waving pride flags and an incredible sense of love, hope and unity. Sport is a great unifier, and that soccer game truly brought Orlando together, and was such a bright light after one of the darkest moments in our community and across the world,” said Barbara Poma, CEO of the National Pulse Memorial & Museum, in a statement. “We are so proud of our partnership with them and look forward to being a beneficiary of the Pride games on June 20 and June 22.”
“Mission Rainbow” and “Pride in Our City,” as the Orlando Pride and Orlando City SC game day events are being called, respectively, are both intended to celebrate love in the City Beautiful.
(L-R) The #OrlandoUnited seat removal and donation to the National Pulse Memorial & Museum, Orlando City’s “Love Unites” prematch top and Orlando Pride’s Mission Rainbow patch. (Photos by Mark Thor, courtesy Orlando City SC)
“The tragedy at Pulse was something that impacted so many close to us, our Club and our community. Five years ago, we were so proud to be able to play a part in bringing the City of Orlando together, to show how strong our neighbors are, and we are proud that we are still able to do that today,” Orlando City SC CEO Alex Leitão said in a press release.
Along with jersey tributes and items such as the captain’s armband, patches and game day posters being auctioned off, the Club will donate six of the 49 rainbow colored #OrlandoUnited seats, one of each color, to the National Pulse Memorial & Museum’s permanent collection. The six original seats will be replaced with new seats of the same color to maintain the Section 12 tribute. A portion of the proceeds from select items will be donated to the National Pulse Memorial & Museum.
There will also be game day activities which will pay tribute to the 49 victims of the Pulse tragedy, including recognizing family members of the 49 and members of the Orlando Health staff that aided the victims on June 12, 2016.
For more information, visit orlandocitysc.com or orlando-pride.com.
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