Orlando City Announces New ‘Lion Nation’ Subscription Program

Orlando City season ticket packages began arriving yesterday, and with them came mixed reviews on the contents. Last year’s package came with a personalized scarf, while this year’s came with an Orlando City-themed Google cardboard virtual reality headset. On the bottom of the headset is a website, which you can visit here, that explains just what the headset is for. The video below is the official announcement of the Lion’s new online program called “Lion Nation.”

So, lets just break down this announcement a little bit. One of the first things mentioned in the announcement is that season ticket holders get a "one year trial" for this new Lion Nation program. This means that it will be a subscription service for exclusive content for the foreseeable future.

As far as the exclusive content goes, the club promises you will be able to see behind-the-scenes videos, as well as interviews with players and apparently "monthly documentaries."

Now, that's only the portions of video content. With the new program, fans will be able to be a part of different "on-field experiences" which could vary from autograph sessions, flag carrying, or other perks that season ticket holders from last year were able to have. There are also going to be exclusive online polls for subscribers that will help make "crucial club decisions," such as what to name the south stand of the new stadium.

Being a part of the program will also allow you to earn reward points, which you can use towards different fan experiences. How you accumulate these points has not been revealed yet, so we'll have to wait and see.

Now, for the final, and most important part of the program: all of the money they collect from subscriptions will all go back to help the "product on the field." Although I'm not too sure how much that money could help buy Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

So, how much does this amazing experience cost? That also hasn't been announced, since this year's season ticket holders get it for free.

However, if you're not a season ticket holder, is it really worth getting?

There will be onslaught of content that will be coming for Orlando City this year, from the TV27 Orlando City TV show, to the content that will come from other sources, including the club. Now, if the club stops releasing content and makes everything only available to Lion Nation subscribers, that could be a different story. For now, however, no matter the cost, it doesn't seem like it's worth it to me.

Once the program is released to the general public and the price is decided, I may have a change of heart. In the meantime, I'll just wait and see how it all develops.

Polling Closed