How Disney Cast Members Keep ESPN Wide World of Sports Game-Day Ready Year-Round

There’s a lot more happening behind the scenes at ESPN Wide World of Sports than fans may realize. Before the first pitch is thrown, before athletes hit the track, and before thousands of spectators pour through the gates, a dedicated team of Walt Disney World cast members is already hard at work making sure every inch of the sprawling complex is ready for game day.

What’s Happening:

• From maintaining championship-caliber baseball diamonds to preparing massive multi-purpose fields for national tournaments, Disney’s Sportscape team keeps more than 260 acres of sports facilities in pristine condition year-round and their work is helping power one of the largest sports destinations in the country.
• Located at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inside Walt Disney World Resort, the complex is preparing to celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. 
• Since opening in 1997, it has grown into a premier destination for professional competitions, youth tournaments, cheer events, track meets, baseball showcases, and more.
• Each year, the venue hosts over 50 sporting events, welcoming nearly 300,000 athletes and around 800,000 spectators. Keeping all of that running smoothly takes an enormous amount of work behind the scenes, especially from the cast members responsible for the fields themselves.

• Among them is John Bolger, a Disney cast member who has spent 36 years with the company and has worked at the sports complex since opening day. John has helped care for the fields since the very first baseball game played there in 1997 and has watched the complex evolve from a modest sports venue into the massive operation it is today.

• According to John, seeing the complex grow from just a handful of fields into more than 30 active competition spaces has been one of the highlights of his Disney career. His passion for Disney also runs deep personally, inspired by his mother who previously worked as a cast member herself.

• The Sportscape team now oversees 17 multi-purpose fields, 12 baseball and softball diamonds, a baseball stadium, and a track and field complex. Leading much of that effort is Maryanne Baglos, Disney’s Turf Manager and Horticulture Manager for Lawn and Ornamental Pest Management.
• For Maryanne, the work is both technical and creative. She described the operation as a true team effort, with cast members bringing different skills and experiences together to maintain the complex at a professional level. During her 27-year Disney career, she’s focused heavily on helping cast members take pride in their craftsmanship while ensuring the fields remain safe and visually impressive for athletes and guests alike.
• That sense of pride is shared by longtime cast member Willie Congrove, a 40-year Disney veteran and Field Manager at the complex. For Willie, ESPN Wide World of Sports carries personal meaning beyond the job itself, as his own children once competed there.
• As the venue continues to grow, so do the demands placed on the team. ESPN Wide World of Sports has increasingly become home to new and unique sporting experiences, including the upcoming Banana Ball games featuring the Party Animals and the Loco Beach Coconuts.
• The wildly popular fan-focused baseball experience brings a completely different energy to the venue, and Disney’s Sportscape crew has already been preparing the stadium to accommodate the event’s high-energy atmosphere.
• While guests may only see the final polished product when they enter the complex, the work behind the scenes is constant. From mowing patterns and field repairs to turf management and event conversions, the Sportscape team helps ensure every athlete, whether competing in a youth tournament or a nationally televised event, gets a world-class experience.
• As ESPN Wide World of Sports approaches three decades of operation, the cast members maintaining the fields remain one of the most important parts of the complex’s continued success.

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