Dallas’ park officials will vote Thursday on a three-year licensing deal with Atlético Dallas, a new United Soccer League team, to use the Cotton Bowl stadium and MoneyGram Soccer Complex for three years, two city officials with knowledge of the deal told The Dallas Morning News.
MoneyGram Soccer Complex, a potential FIFA training location, is operated by a subsidiary of FC Dallas, which has offices in Frisco. Fair Park’s Cotton Bowl stadium is home to Dallas Trinity FC, a new women’s pro-soccer team. Officials are expecting to generate a minimum of $1.2 million in revenue over those three years.
Atlético Dallas declined to comment on the agenda item, but said “the club is excited about opportunities throughout the City of Dallas and Dallas County.” The team will play its inaugural season in 2027.
The contract with FC Dallas allows the city to use the property for 700 to 1,000 hours for youth soccer programs. The three-year licensing deal, if it involves playing time, may exceed those allowed hours, according to the agreement obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
Last month, Garland began discussions to build a $70 million soccer complex to help attract Dallas Atletico and retain it for at least 20 years. The plans include eight soccer fields, a training facility and a youth soccer academy.
Dallas’ contracts with the team include two one-year renewal options.
Andy Hesser, Garland’s assistant city manager, declined to comment, citing ongoing negotiations.
Last week, the 19-field MoneyGram soccer complex was at the center of a vote that pitted industrial development against park properties. The complex is located in an industrial hub in northwest Dallas near the Elm Fork floodplain, and is composed of mulchers and concrete crushing and batching plants.
Environmentalists and park officials won last week’s vote, but there’s rising pressure to correct a “schizophrenic land use” that puts the soccer complex and other park properties, such as the nearby municipal golf course and a tennis and pickleball center, in close proximity to the industrial operations.
Clarification, June 5, 2025, 4:38 p.m.: Atletico Dallas’ training facilities and headquarters are anticipated to be located in Garland. Dallas will host the team until the team finds a soccer stadium.
