Ford Center at The Star is a 12,000-seat stadium located inFrisco, Texas. Its main use is as theDallas Cowboys' practice facility.[4] It is also used forWhataburger's Friday Night Stars, an event every Friday showcasingFrisco Independent School District high school varsity football.[5] The synthetic turf surface is Hellas Matrix Helix Turf. The field's dimensions can also be marked for and accommodate a regulationsoccer pitch andlacrosse field.
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 Tostitos Championship Plaza, at the entrance to Ford Center at the Star. The plaza's field is a miniature3⁄5 representation of an official field. | |
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| Address | 9 Cowboys Way |
|---|---|
| Location | Frisco, Texas |
| Coordinates | 33°06′38″N96°49′41″W / 33.1105°N 96.8281°W /33.1105; -96.8281 |
| Operator | Dallas Cowboys |
| Capacity | 12,000 |
| Surface | Hellas Matrix Helix Turf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 22, 2014 |
| Opened | 2016 |
| Construction cost | $1.5 billion[1] |
| Architect | Gensler[2] |
| General contractor | Manhattan Construction Company[3] |
| Tenants | |
| Dallas Cowboys practice facility (NFL) (2016–present) Dallas Rattlers (MLL) (2018–2019) Texas Revolution (CIF) (2019) Frisco ISD football[a] (2016–present) East–West Shrine Bowl (2024–present) | |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
editThe project was announced in 2013 as a partnership between the City of Frisco and the Dallas Cowboys as part of the "$5 Billion Mile" inFrisco Station, Texas. The Ford Center is part of a 91-acre development calledThe Star, which includes the Dallas Cowboys' team headquarters and training facility. The Dallas Cowboys decided to move to Frisco fromValley Ranch, Texas, and now uses The Star for their practice games. Hosting a 300-roomOmni Hotel, theDallas Cowboys Ring of Honor Walk, and retail and restaurant space, it is used for multiple events and football games. Asides from the main stadium, it features practice fields and a sports training complex called the "Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research center for sports medicine".[6]
In 2015, the Cowboys andFord Motor Company signed a ten-year deal for naming rights.[7]
Dallas Rattlers
editOn November 16, 2017,Major League Lacrosse announced it was relocating theRochester Rattlers to Frisco and the Ford Center as theDallas Rattlers.[8] The Rattlers, the first professional team to play their games in the facility, played their first home game at the Ford Center on April 29, 2018, against theDenver Outlaws. The Rattlers won the game in overtime, 15–14 with a reported 7,217 attendance.[9] The Rattlers ceased operations after the 2019 season.
Texas Revolution
editOn December 18, 2018, theTexas Revolution ofChampions Indoor Football announced they had signed a three-year lease to play home games at the Ford Center beginning with the 2019 season.[10] However, after three home games in its first season in the arena, the team was evicted.[11][12] On May 9, the team announced it had ceased operations after the ownership failed to back its financial obligations.[13]
Other events
edit
- Major League Lacrosse (MLL) hosted the 2017 Steinfeld Cup, the league championship game for the2017 season at the Ford Center.[14] The MLL later moved theRochester Rattlers to the facility permanently for the 2018 season.
- Conference USA held itsmen andwomen's basketball tournaments from 2018 through 2023 at The Star in partnership with theUniversity of North Texas, the Dallas Cowboys, and the city of Frisco.[15]
- On June 16, 2018, the venue hosted a welterweight world championship boxing match withErrol Spence Jr. successfully defending hisIBF title against challenger Carlos Ocampo.[16] On February 2, 2019,Eleider Álvarez andSergey Kovalev fought at the arena for the WBO light heavyweight title, for which Kovalev regained his title after a hard-fought and rightfully deserved win.
- Bob Seger performed at The Star on March 9, 2019.[17]
- TheAlliance of American Football (AAF) was scheduled to hold its 2019 championship game at The Star on April 27, but wasn't played after the league suspended operations on April 2.[18]Sam Boyd Stadium inLas Vegas was originally announced as the host site for the game in October 2018, but the venue was changed in March.[19]
- In June 2023, organizers of theEast–West Shrine Bowl announced that the annual all-starcollege football game would move to Ford Center at The Star as of the 2024 playing; the bowl had most recently been held atAllegiant Stadium near Las Vegas.[20]
Notes
edit- ^The Frisco Independent School District stages high school football games as a member of theUniversity Interscholastic League.
References
edit- ^"Dallas Cowboys open $1.5 billion mixed-use HQ, practice facility with Detroit Lions connection".Crain's Detroit Business. August 22, 2016. RetrievedMarch 21, 2019.
- ^"The Dallas Cowboys' New World Headquarters Is Game-Changing".Architectural Digest. September 20, 2017. RetrievedMarch 21, 2019.
- ^"Manhattan Construction Company Makes The Star in Frisco a Reality | November 24, 2015 | ACP".www.acppubs.com. RetrievedMarch 21, 2019.
- ^"Dallas Cowboys' New Frisco World Headquarters and Multi-Use Event Center to Be Called The Ford Center at The Star".www.dallascowboys.com.Dallas Cowboys. September 11, 2015. RetrievedOctober 22, 2015.
- ^Smith, Corbett (May 20, 2015)."A sneak peek on construction at the Cowboys' Star Event Center, also the first domed high school venue in Texas".highschoolsportsblog.dallasnews.com.Dallas Morning News. Archived fromthe original on June 22, 2015. RetrievedJune 25, 2015.
- ^Cameron, Carolyn (September 1, 2016)."A Star is Born".Frisco STYLE Magazine. RetrievedMarch 21, 2019.
- ^"Cowboys, Ford Unveil 10-Year Naming-Rights Deal For Team's New Frisco Complex".www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. September 14, 2015. RetrievedMarch 21, 2019.
- ^"Rattlers relocate to Frisco for 2018 season". Dallas Rattlers. November 16, 2017. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018.
- ^"Dallas Rattlers win first home game in Texas". Dallas Rattlers. April 29, 2018. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018.
- ^"Texas Revolution to play home games at the Ford Center at The Star".Community Impact. December 18, 2018.
- ^"May 4th Game Cancelled". Texas Revolution. May 4, 2019.
- ^"BREAKING: Texas Revolution done at Ford Center".LastWordOnSports. May 7, 2019.
- ^"May 9 Texas Revolution announcement".TexasRevs.com. May 9, 2019. RetrievedMay 9, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^"2017 MLL championship game set for Frisco, TX". MLL. February 15, 2017.
- ^"C-USA BKB Championships Moving to Frisco, Texas".Conference USA. May 16, 2017.
- ^"Errol Spence Jr. to defend welterweight title as part of The Star's boxing debut".ESPN. April 30, 2018.
- ^"Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band Setlist at Ford Center at the Star, Frisco".setlist.fm.
- ^Rothstein, Michael (April 3, 2019)."AAF suspends operations; Polian 'disappointed'".ESPN.
- ^"AAF shifts title game from Vegas to Frisco, Texas".ESPN. Associated Press. March 20, 2019. RetrievedMarch 20, 2019.
- ^"Historic East-West Shrine Bowl Moves to Ford Center in Frisco in 2024".shrinebowl.com (Press release). June 2023. RetrievedJune 5, 2023.