ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of soccer fans gathered into downtown Orlando for a parade and ceremony honoring the Orlando Pride.
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The women’s soccer team made history Saturday becoming the first professional Orlando sports team to bring home a championship title.
They beat the Washington Spirit one-to-zero in the National Women’s Soccer League championship hosted in Kansas City.
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“I’m just really happy that they won. I watched the game on TV. I was jumping up and down,” said Orlando Pride fan Kelsey Tuff, “Women’s sports are definitely growing, and I love it.”
Fans told Channel 9 they’ve watched the team’s fan base grow throughout the season, as the team set the league record for victories in a season.
“We dominated the entire year. We went from 4 thousand fans in the beginning to 14 thousand in the end,” said super fan Tom Coffin who is an admin for an Orlando Pride fan page.
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Coffin’s daughter Allison is on a local Special Olympics soccer team.
She told Chanel 9 she’s found inspiration in Orlando Pride players, including team Captain Marta Vieira da Silva and defender Carson Pickett, who was born without a left arm.
“For me, a Special Olympian, to see someone like us on the field that’s an inspiration as well,” said Allison.
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