Brevard County’s tourism agency is looking for a big payoff from its investment in professional soccer.

The Space Coast Office of Tourism is partnering with the Orlando City Soccer Club to promote the Orlando City B team that will play its home matches this year at the Titan Soccer Complex at Eastern Florida State College’s Melbourne campus.

The Brevard County Tourist Development Council and its Sports Commission and Marketing Committee agreed to provide $60,000 in sponsorship fees for Orlando City B, an expansion team that will play in the 29-team United Soccer League. The money will be used for marketing the team’s 15 home games in Melbourne, with an average of $4,000 spent per game.

The money comes from Brevard County’s 5 percent Tourist Development Tax on hotel rooms and other short-term rentals.

The Office of Tourism expects a strong return in various ways, including increased hotel room rentals by visiting teams and out-of-town fans; use of Orlando City B logos for Office of Tourism promotions; social media promotion of the Space Coast on Orlando City B Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts; ads on online broadcasts of OCB’s home and away games; a field board sign at home games; and game-day promotions.

“It’s a really good deal” for Brevard County, said Space Coast Sports Promotions President Rusty Buchanan.

Buchanan said the timing is good as well, with the Space Coast about to lose major league baseball spring training. The Washington Nationals plan to move their spring operations now based as Space Coast Stadium in Viera to a new complex under construction in West Palm Beach in 2017.

Although “Brevard” “Space Coast” or “Melbourne” are not in the Orlando City B team name, Buchanan said there will be a social media push to promote the area using the hashtag #OCBeach.

The Orlando City B regular season runs from March to September, with home matches starting at 7:30 p.m. The first match is at home on March 26 against North Carolina’s Wilmington Hammerheads Football Club.

Scott McCulloch, OCB’s sales manager, said the Office of Tourism is the team’s biggest sponsor.

McCulloch told Sports Commission members that the Space Coast is likely to derive spinoff benefits from the Orlando City parent club, the Orlando City Lions, one of 20 teams in Major League Soccer.

Despite playing in the MLS only since last year — after previously being in the United Soccer League — Orlando City has developed an international following, McCulloch said. That’s largely due to its Brazilian superstar, midfielder Kaka. Last month, Kaka tweeted photos of himself and some teammates training at Titan Soccer Complex to his 24.4 million Twitter followers.

McCulloch said the Orlando City B team will include “the up-and-coming stars,” many of whom also will make their way onto the MLS roster.

McCulloch noted that even the distinctive purple color scheme of Orlando City and Orlando City B’s uniforms and logos attracts fans.

Buchanan said, because Orlando City B is the only Florida-based United Soccer League team, opposing teams, their staffs, families of team members and out-of-state fans likely will be spending two nights at local hotels, helping boost revenue from the tourist tax.

The Office of Tourism uses the tourist tax money to market the Space Coast to tourists. The Tourist Development Tax also helps pay for beach renourishment, tourism-focused facilities, cultural events marketing, visitor information centers, and Brevard Zoo and Space Coast Stadium upgrades.

Buchanan said hotels on the South Beaches generated more than 500 nights of hotel room rentals when Orlando City held extended training at EFSC recently.

Orlando City B’s commitment to Brevard County and EFSC is for one year.

Buchanan said EFSC added 2,000 temporary seats to its 1,500-seat Titan Soccer Complex for the Orlando City B games.

But the current seating capacity of 3,500 remains short of the 5,000-seat minimum that the United Soccer League will require for the team next year. Titan Soccer Complex seating potentially can be expanded to 5,000 to accommodate the team’s needs.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByDaveBerman and on Facebook at facebook.com/dave.berman.54

Saturday doubleheader sold out

The Orlando City B squad will play the Eastern Florida State College’s men’s soccer team in the opening game of a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday. In the second game, the Orlando Pride women’s pro team of the National Women’s Soccer League will play the Eastern Florida women’s soccer team at 3 p.m..

Tickets are required, and EFSC has reached the maximum capacity, with no more tickets available. Admission to the exhibition will not be allowed without the appropriate ticket.