The NFL and city officials confirmed Wednesday that the Pro Bowl will move to Orlando, Florida, in 2017. News of the relocation was originally reported last week.
The game will be played at Camping World Stadium on January 29, 2017, during the week between the AFC/NFC Championship Games and Super Bowl LI. The stadium recently underwent a $200 million overhaul in part to help it draw in more national sporting events.
The game is leaving Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, where it has been played in all but two years since 1980. The game will be televised by ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's senior vice president of events, implied that the move is permanent.
"For us, Orlando is the new home of the Pro Bowl," O'Reilly said.
As part of what the NFL is billing as a "reimagined" event, the game will return to a matchup between AFC and NFC players. For the past several years, players were selected to mixed-conference teams in a fantasy draft. The Pro Bowl will also include what Steve Hogan, the CEO of Florida Citrus Sports, called a "celebration of the sport at all levels."
Scheduled events include:
• Practices alongside youth events and competitions at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
• Invitations to each player's youth or high school coaches.
• The yearly USA Football National Conference.
In addition to hosting the Pro Bowl, Orlando will be the site of a preseason game this year between the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons.
That game is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 25, in Week 3 of the preseason and will be part of the league's celebration of Play Football Month.