Ford Center at The Star

Ford Center at The Star is a 12,000-seat indoor stadium located in Frisco, Texas. Its main use is as the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility.[4] It is also used for Whataburger's Friday Night Stars, an event every Friday showcasing Frisco Independent School District high school varsity football.[5] The synthetic turf is Hellas Matrix Turf with Helix Technology. It can also be used as a regulation soccer field.

Ford Center at The Star
Tostitos Championship Plaza, at the entrance to Ford Center at the Star.
Address9 Cowboys Way
LocationFrisco, Texas
Coordinates33.1105°N 96.8281°W / 33.1105; -96.8281
OwnerCity of Frisco Texas
OperatorDallas Cowboys
Capacity12,000
SurfaceHellas Matrix Turf
Construction
Broke groundAugust 22, 2014
Opened2016
Construction cost$1.5 billion[1]
ArchitectGensler[2]
General contractorManhattan Construction Company[3]
Tenants
Dallas Cowboys practice facility (NFL) (2016–present)
Dallas Rattlers (MLL) (2018–2019)
Texas Revolution (CIF) (2019)
Website
www.thestarinfrisco.com

History

The project was announced in 2013 as a partnership between the City of Frisco and the Dallas Cowboys as part of the "$5 Billion Mile" in Frisco Station, Texas. The Ford Center is part of a 91-acre development called The Star that includes the Dallas Cowboys’ team headquarters and training facility which moved from Valley Ranch, Texas, a 300-room Omni Hotel, the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor Walk, and retail and restaurant space. The Ford Center at The Star aside from the main stadium 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 and Ford Motor Company signed a ten-year deal for naming rights.[7]

Dallas Rattlers

On November 16, 2017, Major League Lacrosse announced it was relocating the Rochester Rattlers to Frisco and the Ford Center as the Dallas 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 the Denver 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

On December 18, 2018, the Texas Revolution of Champions 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
Interior of Ford Center at the Star.
  • Major League Lacrosse (MLL) hosted the 2017 Steinfeld Cup, the league championship game for the 2017 season at the Ford Center.[14] The MLL later moved the Rochester Rattlers to the facility permanently for the 2018 season.
  • Conference USA holds its men and women's 2018, 2019, and 2020 basketball tournaments at The Star in partnership with the University 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 with Errol Spence Jr. successfully defending his IBF title against challenger Carlos Ocampo.[16] On February 2, 2019, Eleider Álvarez and Sergey 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.
  • The Alliance 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.[17] Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas was originally announced as the host site for the game in October 2018, but the venue was changed in March.[18]

References
  1. "Dallas Cowboys open $1.5 billion mixed-use HQ, practice facility with Detroit Lions connection". Crain's Detroit Business. August 22, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  2. Nast, Condé. "The Dallas Cowboys' New World Headquarters Is Game-Changing". Architectural Digest. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  3. "Manhattan Construction Company Makes The Star in Frisco a Reality | November 24, 2015 | ACP". www.acppubs.com. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  4. "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. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  5. 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 from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  6. Cameron, Carolyn (September 1, 2016). "A Star is Born". Frisco STYLE Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  7. "Cowboys, Ford Unveil 10-Year Naming-Rights Deal For Team's New Frisco Complex". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  8. "Rattlers relocate to Frisco for 2018 season". Dallas Rattlers. November 16, 2017.
  9. "Dallas Rattlers win first home game in Texas". Dallas Rattlers. April 29, 2018.
  10. "Texas Revolution to play home games at the Ford Center at The Star". Community Impact. December 18, 2018.
  11. "May 4th Game Cancelled". Texas Revolution. May 4, 2019.
  12. "BREAKING: Texas Revolution done at Ford Center". LastWordOnSports. May 7, 2019.
  13. "May 9 Texas Revolution announcement". TexasRevs.com. May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  14. "2017 MLL championship game set for Frisco, TX". MLL. February 15, 2017.
  15. "C-USA BKB Championships Moving to Frisco, Texas". Conference USA. May 16, 2017.
  16. "Errol Spence Jr. to defend welterweight title as part of The Star's boxing debut". ESPN. April 30, 2018.
  17. Rothstein, Michael (April 3, 2019). "AAF suspends operations; Polian 'disappointed'". ESPN.
  18. Associated Press (March 20, 2019). "AAF shifts title game from Vegas to Frisco, Texas". ESPN. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
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