The Citrus Bowl in Orlando has submitted a bid to host the Pro Bowl for three years, starting in 2017, the Orlando Sentinel reported Tuesday.
Steve Hogan, CEO of Florida Citrus Sports, told the newspaper that his group is “aggressively” pursuing the annual all-star game that in recent years has been played the Sunday before the Super Bowl. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said she’s working to secure funding for the game.
The report said NFL is seeking $2.5 million from Florida Citrus Sports’ bid, which would be paid using various local funds. The numbers would be negotiable for 2018-19.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press in an email that Houston, the site of next years Super Bowl; Sydney, Australia; and Honolulu, the traditional site for the game, have also shown interest in hosting the Pro Bowl. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported earlier this month that Honolulu has a deal in place to host the 2017 game, but either the NFL or the city can opt out of that deal before May 31.
More than $200 million went into a makeover of the Citrus Bowl that began in 2014. Last week, Hogan told the Orlando Sentinel he was focused on bringing the NFL, in some form or fashion, to the stadium, which hosts college football, a Major League Soccer team and has hosted NFL preseason games in the past.