City and county officials are looking to collaborate on more than $500,000 in funding for FIFA World Cup-related events to guarantee that Broward County gets a piece of the action when the tournament takes place this summer.
Broward will not be hosting any of the actual games, but it is close enough to Miami-Dade County to be a major beneficiary of the economic impact of the world’s biggest and most-watched sporting event.
Organizers anticipate more than 200,000 athletes and spectators will be in Broward for at least part of their stay during the span of the World Cup, which runs from June 11 through July 19.
Broward County Commissioners Hazelle Rogers and Alexandra Davis are asking for a combined $250,000 to cover a host of “Broward Welcomes the World” events, including a $100,000 kickoff party at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill.
Lauderhill is leading the delegation of Broward cities requesting $250,000 in funding and is being joined by Deerfield Beach, Lauderdale Lakes, North Lauderdale, Miramar and Fort Lauderdale, among others. The cities will kick in the remaining $250,000 in funding and in-kind contributions.
The item placed on the agenda for Tuesday’s Broward County Commission meeting touts a “county-aligned activation strategy tied to the upcoming World Cup matches in Miami Gardens.”
Among the listed events are watch parties, cultural performances and entertainment, food trucks and vendor marketplaces and youth and family-friendly soccer activities.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.