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Defying Expectations: Phil Rawlins and the Orlando City Soccer Story Kindle Edition

by Simon Veness (Author), Susan Veness (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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As an expansion Major League Soccer team, the Orlando City Soccer Club marked the return of professional soccer to Florida for the first time since 2001, selling out the sixty-thousand-seat Citrus Bowl for its home opener and going on to have the second‑highest home attendance for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. It was the successful culmination of a nine-year process orchestrated by the team’s owner, Phil Rawlins, who sold his successful sales consultancy company for a shot at sports ownership and a chance to tap into America’s growing interest in pro soccer.

Rawlins was relentless in building a franchise from the ground up, overcoming crippling setbacks, devious politics, and near financial ruin. Underpinning his efforts was a deep commitment to re-creating the tribal passion and community spirit of his hometown team in the United Kingdom, Stoke City, for which he served as board member for fourteen years. The payoff was the Orlando City Soccer Club, an attractive new team that galvanized the region. The subsequent acquisition of international superstar Ricardo Kaká catapulted the club to celebrity status and ensured that its debut season defied expectations.

Defying Expectations gives insight into the challenges faced on the road to success, challenges through which Rawlins has remained focused on the six core values that he and his wife formulated at their kitchen table years ago, continuing to foster a community institution that gives back as much as it receives.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    University of Nebraska Press
  5. Publication date
    November 1, 2017
  6. File size
    2465 KB
  7. Page Flip
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The authors have gotten to the heart of a vital story about starting a soccer team in North America that highlights Phil Rawlins’s unquenchable passion for the game, and the drive needed to be successful.”—Gary Mellor, managing director of Beswicks Sports (UK)
  Published On: 2017-02-24

“Defying Expectations gets inside the incredible tale of how a kid who grew up in the heart of a grimy industrial city in England brought the Beautiful Game to the City Beautiful. It chronicles, in great detail, how Phil Rawlins turned Orlando into an international soccer destination. Or, as Walt Disney himself once said, ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’”—Mike Bianchi, sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel and host of 96.9 The Game’s Open Mike sports radio program
  Published On: 2017-02-24

"An inspiring story that readers will enjoy."—Guy Who Reviews Sports Books Published On: 2017-10-15

“Phil Rawlins believed in Orlando as a place of opportunity and innovation where his dreams could become a success story. With vision and persistence, Phil brought Major League Soccer to Orlando and created a passionate fan base that has turned Orlando into a soccer city. His story will inspire and motivate you to make your dreams a reality.”—Buddy Dyer, Orlando mayor
  Published On: 2017-02-24

"This is a thoroughly-researched, extremely well-written book by two veteran writers. . . . Soccer fans, indeed all sports fans as well as general readers, will enjoy reading this excellent book."—G. Louis Heath, ARETE

“Defying Expectations is a comprehensive look at the life of a man who has developed a blueprint for building a Major League Soccer franchise. Soccer still has a ways to go to catch up with America’s ‘Big 3’ sports, but Phil Rawlins has helped to close the gap, and this book takes the reader on the wild and often unpredictable ride with him.”—Christian Bruey, sportscaster for WFTV Channel 9 (ABC) in Orlando
  Published On: 2017-02-24

About the Author

Simon Veness has covered the Orlando City Soccer Club since 2011. He has thirty-six years of experience as a sports journalist for media including the Guardian and Sun newspapers, NFL.com, and MLSSoccer.com. Susan Veness is an international travel writer and author of two books, including The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
 

 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B075YGSTKL
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Nebraska Press (November 1, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2465 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

About the author

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Simon Veness

Simon Veness

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Simon Veness (1960-) started out as an archaeologist (at Cardiff University 1978-81) but quickly realised he was never going to be Britain's answer to Indiana Jones (or even Norah Jones) so switched to a journalistic career, first with the University newspaper and then for the Kentish Times newspaper group.

Working as a sportswriter and sub-editor for News International in London, he developed a travel-writing 'hobby ' that quickly became a full-time passion, leading to the birth of the award-winning Brit Guide to Orlando and Walt Disney World in 1995, which has gone on to become the UK's best-selling travel guide of any kind.

After quitting the UK for the USA in 2004, he hooked up with wife-to-be Susan and they created a prolific travel-writing business, Veness Travel Media, with more feature-packed updates of the Brit Guide to Orlando and the Brit Guide to Disneyland Paris, a book on Internet travel and then Susan's magnum opus in 2009, the Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World. The latter then gave rise to another new guidebook project, the Hidden Magic Planner, which, as they say, "is a whole new species of guidebook."

Together, they now contribute to a wide range of media, including online, in newspapers and magazines, and the usual array of social media. Their work can be seen in the USA and UK, while they can often be found in and around the many attractions of Orlando, as they now live in The City Beautiful.

Simon has also been the Orlando City writer for Major League Soccer since the Lions joined MLS in 2015, and he and Susan have written their first biography, Defying Expectations: Phil Rawlins & the Orlando City Soccer Story (pub. by University of Nebraska Press Fall 2017) based on this Florida sporting phenomenon.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Andy J. Searles
5.0 out of 5 stars like me, been surprised about how this dream and ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
I read this in just a couple of compelling sittings. It is a thoroughly enjoyable, insightful and accurate portrayal of an incredible story. If you have heard or seen the Orlando CIty journey from a distance, you've probably, like me, been surprised about how this dream and this team has captured the hearts of a region. This book fills in the gaps between the wow and the why by providing the how. It is a story about soccer and social change, vision and victory, risk and reward and engagement and expectation. Not only did Phil and Kay Rawlins defy expectations but they redefined them for anyone who loves the beautiful game. It is a historical must-read for anyone who follows Orlando City and a compelling read for anyone who wants to understand the impact and influence of the worlds greatest game.
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Ben Langevin
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent historical account of the creation of Orlando City SC
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
An excellent historical account of the creation of Orlando City SC. Interesting collection of stories. Never a dull chapter.
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Joe Parra
4.0 out of 5 stars I expected some funny stories and was not disappointed
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2017
Verified Purchase
Dare I say the book...defied expectations? I expected mostly to relive the experience I had as a fan from the inside. I expected some funny stories and was not disappointed. What I did not expect was the level of detail around some of the negotiations. An interesting read for sure, great for any Orlando City fan!
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LSmith
4.0 out of 5 stars Good story on building a soccer team
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2017
No matter the sport, league or level of play, one of the more difficult tasks in the business side of sports is to build a franchise from scratch. Phil Rawlins, his wife Kay and their team of investors and executives did this in Major League Soccer, building the Orlando City Soccer Club from the ground up. Their success, starting with Phil’s success in both business and football in England, is captured in this book by Simon Veness and Susan Veness.

The origins of Orlando City can be traced back to another soccer club, Stoke City who is currently a club in the English Barclay’s Premier League. This team was the one Phil Rawlins followed from childhood and when they had been playing poorly enough to be relegated out of the Premier League, Rawlins felt it was time to do something about that and he became an influential member of Stoke’s board. His innovation put Stoke back on track, but the lure of building a soccer team in the United States brought him to Austin, Texas. There, with his then-wife Wendy (Rawlins would have three wives, Kay being his most recent) they put together a success team in the heart of American football territory, piling up wins and drawing fans to Austin’s minor league team.

However, Phil’s ultimate goal was to build a team in the largest American league for soccer, Major League Soccer (MLS). The league wanted to expand to the southeastern part of the country and Orlando was considered to be one of the markets in which a franchise could be viable. By then, Phil realized he had gone as far as he could in Austin, so he and his new wife decided to make the plunge and go for it in Orlando.

Using Six Core Values the couple developed at the kitchen table, they set out to find investors and other key personnel required to build a team. Like in Austin, the franchise in Orlando started in the United Soccer League, winning the title in their first year, 2011. But unlike Austin, they saw much more potential. Through hard work, perseverance even after setbacks such as denial for stadium funding from the Florida legislature and a very large and loyal fan following, the club became an MLS expansion team in 2015. They made the league sit up and take notice by not only signing Brazillian superstar Kaka, but also for selling over 60,000 tickets for the very first game. Orlando City has been one of the more successful MLS franchises since then and they hope to continue this into the future.

This entire story is told in an easy to read manner by Simon and Susan Veness and covers much of Phil Rawlins’ life successes in both business and soccer. The story of how he went from a hustling salesman to earning $259 million on an initial IPO is just as interesting a tale as is the success of Orlando City. The book is part business, part soccer and part biography of a man who never let setbacks stop him from achieving his visions. It is an inspiring story that readers will enjoy, even if they are not soccer fans.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
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Aaron McQuiston
4.0 out of 5 stars Orlando City Soccer Club origin story.
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2018
"Defying Expectations" is the story of Phil Rawlins finding success in Major League Soccer with Orlando City. It follows the history of Rawlins trying to get his teams into MLS and how the fans, the city, and the league have accepted Orlando City into the fold. Some of the more interesting aspects of the story are the more political parts, like the headaches of trying to get the city of Orlando and the state of Florida to help him with the venture, particularly the building of the stadium. MLS has a rule that before you are given a new franchise, the owners have to have plans for a soccer specific stadium, and this seems to be the hardest step in any sort of new team and/or relocation. To read about the headaches that Rawlins and company had to go through to get a stadium deal is interesting, and it makes me wonder how any of the franchises exist.

Of course with it being the story of Phil Rawlins and his success, the story is told by the winner, i.e. there are some things that are sugar coated a little. An example of this is his time in Austin with the Austin Aztex. The PDL was in dire straits when they joined the league, and even though they tried, the book mentions that Rawlins could not get any support in Austin because if it did not pertain to the Longhorns, no one was interested. Though this is most likely true, it is also true that the city of Austin did not care for Rawlins. I was recently on Twitter talking about the potential of moving the Columbus Crew SC to Austin, and I asked how Austin would support the Crew when they did not support the Aztex. The response was unanimous that Rawlins did not get the support of the city because of his attitude and his decisions that resulted in the alienation of the fanbase. Somewhere in the middle is the truth, but this story does show that there might be a bit of a skewed telling of the tale.

I believe most of it. I cannot watch an Orlando City game and not be impressed by the home crowds. They have chants, they have tifos, they field a good team, they have record setting attendance (until Atlanta United came into the league) and they have a club that they can be proud to cheer for. Most of this is due to Phil Rawlins and his vision. "Defying Expectations" is a well constructed, nice telling of his story, and definitely a must read of anyone who loves MLS, American soccer, or soccer stories in general.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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Daniel Casey
2.0 out of 5 stars With the exception of Orlando City supporters and the insistent ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2017
With the exception of Orlando City supporters and the insistent league boosters, this book has little to no value. In fact, it reads as though Rawlins is looking to run for political office, it's such a hokey book. So less biography and more propaganda. Yet to what end is unclear.
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