Dallas will be home to a new professional football team. Wednesday, the city council will decide whether a sports team can use the 90,000-seat Cotton Bowl at Fair Park.
Leaders of the DFW team of the USL Super League women’s professional team will hold an event on Thursday at Klyde Warren Park to detail their plans. They plan to start playing in the summer. In city records, the agreement the council will vote on Wednesday will also allow a team to begin play in the summer.
A flyer for the “Brand Reveal Celebration for Dallas’ First Women’s Professional Soccer Team” states that USL Super League Dallas CEO Jim Neil and USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort will provide remarks.
A city spokeswoman would not confirm that the two items were related, but said more details will be available at Wednesday’s city council meeting.
Promotional videos are now online promoting a new women’s team in Dallas, featuring the city’s skyline prominently in the videos.
The voiceover says the USL Super League is “built for the future of women’s football, bridging the journey from youth to professional, connected to the global game.”
Wednesday, according to the city council agenda and associated documents, city leaders will vote on a two-year deal worth nearly $600,000. The paperwork says a pro-sports team wants to play in the Cotton Bowl and Fair Park operator Oak View Group has negotiated a deal with the team to start the season this summer.
The USL Super League season also begins this summer.
The sports and entertainment market in North Texas is already crowded. What will this new team need to be successful?
“You have to have an owner who is willing to lose money, frankly. No one starts a team and makes money right away. That just doesn’t happen. And you have to be committed,” said the longtime Dallas Mavericks broadcaster. Chuck Cooperstein, who has seen his fair share of team ideas come and go over his forty-year career.
Cooperstein told NBC 5 that using the Cotton Bowl for professional football has pros and cons. The pros: It’s available, ready for football and says the field and operators are “fantastic.” The downside? It’s big. Really big. Even if football games perform dramatically better, with 20,000 people in attendance, the 90,000-seat stadium will still be practically empty. This appearance can harm the fans and the athletic experience.
However, Cooperstein says this is the best time in years to compete on a professional women’s sports team. The Caitlin Clark “effect has boosted the WNBA and the women’s World Cup soccer game has increased sports spectatorship and jersey sales.
North Texas had three high school girls soccer teams win state championships this spring: Prosper ISD in 6A, Frisco-Wakeland in 5A and Celina ISD in 4A.
“Knowing that women’s sports are on the rise right now — I mean — they’re in a real race with the women’s World Cup team that’s been incredibly popular,” Cooperstein said, “There’s a lot of power in women’s sports right now and that’s going to be interesting. see if they can capitalize on that.”
The Cotton Bowl at Fair Park is also undergoing more than $100 million in renovations that will be completed by the state fair in 2025.
