Cotton Bowl could soon be the home of a new pro team
DALLAS - The Cotton Bowl Stadium could be the home to a new professional sports team as soon as this summer.
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council is set to vote on whether to pay Fair Park’s management firm nearly $300,000 to be the home of a "professional sports team."
DALLAS, TX - JULY 25: An aerial view of the Cotton Bowl Stadium ahead of a match between FC Barcelona and Juventus FC at Cotton Bowl on July 25, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
The council’s agenda does not name the team, or the sport involved.
But a new women’s pro soccer league called USL Super League begins play in August. One of the teams in the new league is set to be based in North Texas and has yet to announce a home stadium.
That team is set to reveal its club name, logo, and other details about its upcoming season at Klyde Warren Park on Thursday.
FC Dallas hosts Inter Miami, Lionel Messi at Cotton Bowl Stadium
For some fans, being cold and wet is a small price to pay to watch Messi, one of soccer’s greats.
If the city council approves the resolution, it would include a year-to-year event subsidy of up to $296,000 with a company called the Oak View Group, which specializes in developing venues for live events.
"DFW has a huge part in the soccer landscape in this country," said Dan Crooke, who covers FC Dallas and professional soccer for the site 3rd Degree.
He said wherever USL lands it will be in direct competition with the National Women's Soccer League or NWSL.
FOX 4 talked to him about the prospect of women's soccer being played at the Cotton Bowl, now under long-needed renovations.
"Just having it inside the city limits is a big deal. The complaint for FC Dallas is the lack of public transit to Frisco, having to go up the tollway for people inside the city, particularly the south side of the city, just having to go out to Collin County. So it’s a good test of loyalty, but it knocks down a few of those barriers," said Crooke.
Soccer is no stranger to the Cotton Bowl.
It previously served as home to FC Dallas back in 1996 when the football club was called the Dallas Burn. The team returned to the stadium for a game against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in January.
The Cotton Bowl also hosted matches for the 1994 World Cup.
There is a renovation project underway to upgrade the historic stadium.
The $140 million project is part of the largest investment in Fair Park’s 137-year history.
The goal is to turn the Cotton Bowl, which opened in 1930, into a modern stadium for many more year-round concerts, soccer games, and events.
Cotton Bowl renovations underway in Fair Park
The stadium, which opened in 1930, is undergoing $140 million worth of upgrades.
Crooke said the challenge is getting the community to buy in.
"The NWSL had a good start and had the benefits of having the ownership of US soccer to help pull it through tougher times to get us to the place where we are celebrating the Alex Morgans, the Megan Rapinoes," he said.
The USL has already identified eight cities as part of its expansion, including Phoenix, Oakland and Jacksonville, Florida.