ORLANDO, Fla. — Ten years after the Pulse nightclub massacre, Orlando's professional soccer clubs are honoring the 49 victims with permanent rainbow seats and a new jersey designed to support survivors and their families.
WATCH BELOW: 'We as a club stand united with our LGBTQ+ community here in Central Florida,' Kaya Hyde tells WPTV
The rainbow-colored chairs sit in Section 12 of the downtown stadium — a deliberate reference to the June 12, 2016 date of the shooting, when a gunman killed 49 people and wounded dozens more at the LGBTQ+ nightclub just 10 minutes from the venue.
Kaya Hyde, vice president of community impact and diversity, equity and inclusion for Orlando City and Orlando Pride, said the seats serve as a visible and lasting statement of solidarity.
"We will have 49 rainbow seats in permanent remembrance of those that lost their lives during this time, and that would be forever Orlando United," Hyde said. "From anywhere in the stadium that you are, you can see visibly the reminder of how we as a club stand united with our LGBTQ+ community here in Central Florida, and we will always remember."
Hyde joined the club in 2015, a year before the shooting. She recalled how staff and fans gathered almost immediately after the attack to grieve and to plan how to respond. A week after the shooting, at an Orlando City home match at what was then the Citrus Bowl, the stadium became a place for collective mourning and solidarity.
"You could feel the energy in the stadium," Hyde said. "Everyone was united in our presence in raising up, and how we were going to stand together as Orlando United."
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Fans in the stands organized themselves into a rainbow pattern — an effort Hyde said came entirely from the supporters, not the club — as Major League Soccer paused competition for the first time ever, in the 49th minute for a full minute of silence to honor those killed.
When the club's current stadium opened in 2017, ownership made a decision to anchor the memory of Pulse into the venue itself. Hyde said the club's message is intentional.
"It gave us a unique opportunity as a club to say we stand with you, we stand with all, and soccer is for all, and all means all," she said. "Regardless of your gender, your faith, your background, your religious beliefs, your sexual identity, all means all."
The club is continuing that commitment this season with a new Unity Kit, designed in partnership with Nike and the National Women's Soccer League to mark the 10-year observance. Hyde said the kit was created to "embody the togetherness and the spirit and the strength of unity coming together," including visual details and symbols such as a universal sign for peace and togetherness.
"When our players wear this jersey this season and they're on the pitch, they will be unified as one in our ongoing support for this community as we move forward," she said.
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The jersey is also tied to a fundraiser. A portion of sales, $20,000, will go to The Center Orlando's United Resiliency Services Program, known as the OURS program, which provides ongoing mental health and support services for those affected by the Pulse tragedy, including family members and community members who still need care.
"The $20,000 will go to that nonprofit and will go a long way to continuing to provide much needed services, even 10 years later," Hyde said.
The club plans to share the jerseys with survivors and families as the anniversary approaches.
Hyde, now in her 12th season with the organization, said the work is personal.
"I'm so proud to work for this organization. I'm so proud to work for an organization that is inclusive, soccer is for all," she said. "To have an opportunity to be part of shaping our influence on Central Florida, and how we show up as a good neighbor, has been the greatest joy of my career."
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