Walt Disney World Resort and ESPN have teamed up at the Boardwalk to present the ESPN Club. This is the place to go if you’re a sports fan as it provides a 13,000 square foot club which includes a multimedia entertainment centre, a television and radio studio which can do live broadcasts, an arcade of sporting games, a bar and snack area plus a full service restaurant. All of this is set off the Boardwalk area which is themed to look like an early 20th century Atlantic seaside resort
At various times guests visiting the club have the opportunity to take part in live interviews with celebrity athletes which take place in the radio booth. As well as this there are numerous different special demonstrations within the club. These are not limited to the normal indoor sports but can include things like golf and tennis as well as some of the normal indoor events like billiards.
Where ever you go within the club you are never far away from one of the 100 television monitors that are in place throughout the facility. Even if you need to take a bathroom break you will not be missing any of the action as all the sports channels are in the restrooms. They are equipped with monitors built into the walls or hung from the ceiling. The very first time you use there facilities it’s a truly eye-opening occasion.
ESPN Club consists of three areas: Sports Central, The Sidelines and The Yard.
Sports Central
The main dining area is Sports Central and this is the full service restaurant that we use when we are here. It is themed to look like a sports arena with a basketball hardwood floor and giant "scoreboard" projecting the big game of the day. Sports Central also houses the fully equipped television and radio broadcast booth. Many ESPN shows such as "Sports Reporters," "Baseball Tonight" and "Up Close," as well as popular radio talk shows, originate from Sports Central. In addition, "Baseball Tonight" starts its television season broadcasting spring training action.
If your looking a full meal while watch your favourite sports event then this is the place to be. My own personal favourite being the Patriot Clam Chowder, a thick, rich, cream-based soup loaded with clams and potatoes followed by Fish on the Bun Sandwich which is a fresh mahi-mahi grilled and served on a fresh-baked roll with fries. I would like to tell you about how good the desserts are but so far I have never had one as the first two portions are so large.
The Sidelines
The Sidelines is a walk up bar area equipped with more than 40 monitors linked to the club's 25 satellite sources. Here you can have just a drink or order from the bar menu which item such as Macho Nachos. This is a huge plate of crispy corn tortilla chips piled high and topped with spicy ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh pico de Gallo, sour cream, and sliced jalapenos, this is how nachos should be served. You will also find four on-line stations are available to check out scores, news and information from espn.com.
The Yard
The Yard is staged to look like an inner city play area complete with chain-link fence and red-brick walls. It is filled arcade type interactive sporting games. There is also the merchandise area offering authentic ESPN Club items.