A proposed agreement could see a new professional sports team make Dallas’ Cotton Bowl Stadium in Fair Park its home starting this summer. The Dallas City Council is expected to vote on Wednesday to approve a deal that would pay Fair Park’s management firm, Oak View Group, $296,000 annually. This would enable an unnamed sports team to play their home games at the stadium.
City Council documents do not mention the team or the sport involved, nor do they detail any other city incentives for the team. The proposed resolution describes the $296,000 as an event subsidy payment, equivalent to $18,500 per game, indicating that the team is likely to have 16 home games.
City documents state, “The City Council has designated the Cotton Bowl and Fair Park as an economic development initiative and strategic priority for the southern sector. In alignment with this strategy, the city, through Convention and Event Services and OVG, began negotiations with the professional sports team to conduct their season league game play at the Cotton Bowl beginning in summer 2024.”
Julian Bowman, an OVG spokesman, declined to comment on the proposal.
Under the proposal, the city would provide the subsidy to OVG, which would also continue to book the stadium on days when it is not reserved for the unnamed team. The agreement shows the city budgeting no more than $592,000 for this arrangement, covering two years.
A new women’s pro soccer league called the USL Super League is set to begin play in August, with one of the eight teams based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The team’s website features a 17-second video showcasing downtown Dallas and announcing, “Women’s professional soccer coming to Dallas this August.”
Dori Araiza and Trip Neil, two of the team’s owners, declined to comment on whether the club would play at the Cotton Bowl.
“It’s an exciting time in women’s sports, and we appreciate the interest and support,” Araiza said. “Our leadership has been in touch with several local venues as different options for our team to play.”
Neil stated that the team plans to reveal its name, logo, branding, and more details about the upcoming season during an event on Thursday at 10:15 a.m. at Klyde Warren Park.
“It’s an exciting time because we’ve never had a pro women’s soccer team in North Texas, and it’s a hotbed for female youth players,” Neil said. “It’s been a long time coming, and we look forward to jumping into the greatest sports city in the country and being a part of the fabric here.”
On April 24, the City Council approved a 15-year, $19 million deal for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings to relocate from Arlington to Downtown Dallas, pending approval by the WNBA’s Board of Governors. The proposal would see the Wings play at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium starting in 2026.
The Cotton Bowl Stadium, with over 90,000 seats, is currently undergoing about $140 million in renovations expected to be complete by the 2025 State Fair of Texas. Improvements include upgrades to restrooms, concession stands, seats, and new escalators for the more than 90-year-old stadium. During the state fair, the venue hosts the Red River Showdown football game between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma, as well as the State Fair Classic football game between Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M University.
The Cotton Bowl also hosts soccer matches. Recent games include FC Barcelona vs. Club Amèrica in December, Club Atlético River Plate vs. C.F. Monterrey on Jan. 17, and a Major League Soccer pre-season game between FC Dallas and Inter Miami FC on Jan. 22. Before the January game, FC Dallas had not played in the Cotton Bowl since 2009.
FC Dallas, formerly known as Dallas Burn, was based in the Cotton Bowl from 1996 to 2002, again in 2004, and for part of the 2005 season. Since 2005, the team has been based in Frisco at the Toyota Stadium, which seats around 20,000.
In 2026, the Cotton Bowl is also planned to host a FIFA Fan Festival, which are public viewing events for World Cup matches. AT&T Stadium in Arlington is hosting nine World Cup matches that year, including a semi-final game.