It was announced last year that the new stadium for the Orlando City Soccer Club would dedicate a section of its seating to the victims of the Pulse massacre, and the City of Orlando held the official unveiling ceremony this week, releasing a video of the event, that is emotional for what it represents.
The stadium dedicated a seat to each of the 49 killed when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire on the gay nightclub Pulse on Latin night back in June. The seats were placed in section 12 because the shooting occurred on the 12th of the month, according to an official in the video the Orlando City SC released on Twitter.
“They’re right here in section 12. They’re right down by the benches. They’ll certainly be seen by everyone in the stadium, a very significant of that day,” said the official interviewed for the video.
\u201cSee how an Orlando soccer team is honoring Pulse nightclub shooting victims in their stadium https://t.co/6w9rcgyild\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1483656013
Not only are the seats arranged in the colors of a Pride flag rainbow, but each one is emblazoned with a rainbow heart and the hashtag “#OrlandoUnited,” according to LGBTQ Nation.
It’s not the first time the Orlando City SC paid tribute to the victims of Pulse. A week after the tragedy at the first major sporting event in the city since the shooting, at a match between Orlando City SC and San Jose, the stadium teemed with rainbow flags. At mid-field 49 seats were left vacant to honor those lost, according to a moving video ESPN released at the time.
The tribute to the Pulse victims is permanent, according to the city’s Twitter. Officials said that the rainbow seats would “always” be a part of the stadium.
Watch the unveiling of the tribute to Pulse here.
\u201cThe official unveil. #OrlandoUnited https://t.co/YDAcmx9z5N\u201d— Orlando City SC (@Orlando City SC) 1483571334
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