Travel industry entrepreneur John Donnelly has set up a football training programme as a new Orlando attraction.
Donnelly, who runs his own specialist travel business consultancy John Donnelly Associates and is well-known for helping to create the Holiday Hypermarket concept, has teamed up with comedian and broadcaster Nick Hancock and Lord Peter Snape, chairman of Stockport County. Both are non-executive directors of Donnelly’s new company Sunny Soccer.
Sunny Soccer will offer half-day football coaching camps, with training by Orlando City player James O’Connor, formerly of Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion, as well as tickets for a family of four to see an Orlando City home game, for a total price of £49.
Donnelly believes the programme will fill a gap in the market. “This will be an extra attraction for families going to Orlando,” he said.
Virgin Holidays has dropped its football training sessions at the Disney Soccer Academy for 2013.
Sunny Soccer, to run for eight weeks this summer, will be sold to the trade through attraction specialist Attraction World, with prices for agents the same as those available direct online.
Donnelly said: “The most important thing is keeping prices the same. We expect the majority of sales to come through the trade.”
Although lots of people will have booked their holiday in advance they often leave the ancillaries until nearer the departure date so we would expect agents to contact customers who are going to Orlando to tell them about this.”
The coaching packages offer sessions for children aged three up to 13 at Austin Tindall Park. Each child attending the camps will receive a goodie bag including a branded T-shirt and membership of the Sunny Soccer/Orlando City club giving children monthly updates on the progress of the team and other Sunny Soccer news.