Orlando City Supporters’ Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are right around the corner, Mane Landers and if you’re anything like me, you’ve done little to no shopping in preparation for gift giving. So, what do you get the die-hard city fan, or the casual fan, or even the significant other who couldn’t care less about soccer (let alone the Lions)? I have some thoughts.

For the Die-Hard Fan

The Wall-loving, never-miss-a-game, faithful supporter of Orlando City probably doesn’t need another scarf or jersey, and you’d likely be hard-pressed to find one they don’t already own. So why not hit eBay or Etsy and look for some throw-back gear or memorable collectibles that they don’t have? You could also gift them a customization of a jersey they already own. That might have to be an I.O.U. type gift to make sure they’d want to do that to one of their favorites. Even better, gather a group of their favorite people, purchase some tickets in The Wall and share the enjoyment of his/her favorite activity.

For the Casual Fan

You know the casual fan: they go to the games when they can but don’t arrange their agendas around matches. This is the fan that would probably love some OCSC gear. I’m thinking tumblers, scarves, or maybe even a jersey. You can find all kinds of merchandise online, and Etsy has some fun hand-crafted OCSC inspired gear. I’m partial to the painted Toms, but that’s me.

For the Significant Other

This isn’t for the significant others who fall into one of the other categories; this is for those who love and support their die-hard and casual fans, but just can’t get into soccer. Why not arrange a girls/guys night out for them at the same time as the match? It’s a win-win plan! No one will need to feel guilty for having a fun night. Grab a gift card to one of the restaurants downtown, maybe schedule him/her for a day at the spa, or a nice clean shave at a place like The Art of Shaving or Jacq and Jack, so they can feel fresh when they meet up with their friends.

For the New Fan

This could be the person who has been to a match or two, or someone who has been dying to go but maybe resources are tight. They’d be great candidates for merchandise. If they’re a close person to you, the Holiday Home Opener Pack could be the perfect thing. For $99 you’ll be gifting two tickets to the Orlando City home opener, two tickets to the Orlando Pride home opener, two tickets to the Orlando City B home opener, and two Pride/City coffee mugs.

For the Kids

Your soccer-loving children probably already have a lot of gear, and likely spend their Saturdays out on the field themselves in the early morning sun. I’ve stumbled across two really cool soccer adjacent gifts that kids, and adults honestly, would really enjoy. Sphero makes a soccer mini product. It’s essentially a fully programmable robot that introduces users to beginner coding skills. There are also several “game” apps that you can use with Sphero devices to drive them around to complete missions. A soccer mini isn’t the only device they offer — they have larger robot spheres and Star Wars-themed robots too. The second is a hover soccer ball set. It uses air to help glide across surfaces, I imagine much like air hockey tables, and comes with goals. This way the kids can play ball in the house, but won’t send the hover ball flying into the breakables.

Do you have any other gift ideas for the season? Seriously, I need a lot of help. If you subscribe to the idea of the Five Love Languages, gift-giving doesn’t register any points in my results. As a librarian, obviously I’ll be gifting all my nieces and nephews the latest and most exciting graphic novels, but for the adults in my life, send help!