The NFL American football league has announced that the 2018 edition of its Pro Bowl annual all-star event will remain in Orlando, Florida.
The Pro Bowl has traditionally take place in Honolulu, Hawaii, since its inception in 1980, with the exception of 2015 in Arizona, as well as both the 2010 and 2017 events in Florida.
However, after a successful event in Orlando this year, the NFL has opted to return to the city in 2018 and has confirmed that next year’s Pro Bowl will again take place at the Camping World Stadium on January 28, with an earlier kick-off time of 3pm EST.
Peter O’Reilly, senior vice-president of events at the NFL, said: “We received tremendous feedback from players, coaches, and fans about Orlando’s first Pro Bowl, and we are excited to build upon that enthusiasm with a week-long festival that celebrates the entire football community.”
Orlando saw off reported competition from Houston and Honolulu in the US, as well as Sydney in Australia, to secure hosting rights to the 2017 Pro Bowl.
In addition to the main Pro Bowl game, the week-long festival includes various other events, such as the NFL Flag Championships and the USA Football National Conference, the annual congregation of youth and high school American football administrators and coaches in the country.
Steve Hogan, chief executive of Florida Citrus Sports, the non-profit group that secured the 2017 event for Orlando and also operates the Citrus Bowl collegiate game at the Camping World Stadium, added: “This year's sold-out game was a landmark moment for Orlando and our reputation as a preferred destination for world-class sporting events.
“We became an NFL city for a week last season and look forward to making the 2018 Pro Bowl bigger and better.”
