The McKinney Chupacabras will make their season debut at Ron Poe Stadium in May 2025.
MCKINNEY, Texas — This story was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original version here.
A local businessman who has invested in 18 teams around the world has chosen to bring the game he loves to McKinney, the place he calls home.
Michael Hitchcock, a former general manager of FC Dallas, is one of the founding forces behind the new McKinney Chupacabras Football Club. The team is set to play its first match in May 2025 at Ron Poe Stadium, a McKinney Independent School District facility at 1 Duvall St. in the city’s historic downtown.
The roster will feature 30 players, many of them local talent, including college players and aspiring professionals looking for their next opportunity. The team will play in a lower-tier developmental league called USL League Two, according to a Dec. 4 announcement. The conference, which consists of 74 clubs across the U.S. and Canada, is operated by the United Soccer League and is three tiers below Major League Soccer.
Hitchcock compares this level of soccer to Single A baseball — where players can work their way up the soccer ladder or simply live out their professional dreams.
The schedule is expected to be released in January 2025. The team is owned by Dallas-based Playbook Management International, a sports management company. PMI is the parent company of ProReal Soccer Ventures LLC, a soccer investment firm that also owns eight teams in the National Premier Soccer League.
As of today, the team has enough local interest to fill about 4,000 seats at Ron Poe Stadium, Hitchcock estimated.
“People who live in McKinney are not going to need to drive to Arlington, Dallas or even Frisco where traffic has gotten bad to go see high-level sports,” Hitchcock said.
More than 1,000 people voted on the team’s name and logo, and an Oct. 23 brand reveal party at Tupps Brewery drew a crowd of 400-plus. Fans will continue to play a key role by helping design jerseys and choose promotions in the coming months. The Chupacabras are ready to let fans show their allegiance with the launch of their first-ever merch and swag. You can browse the online store here.
Hitchcock’s initially invested $100,000 into the team. In the future, the organization’s primary revenue streams will stem from ticket sales, sponsorships and merchandise sales.
Players at the semi-professional level do not get paid the high salaries seen in major league sports. Instead of a yearly salary, players get incentives through endorsements, appearances in the community and coaching opportunities. By being part of the McKinney Chupacabras roster, players have a resume of credibility that offers additional opportunities outside of playing, Hitchcock said.
Hitchcock says most coaches in USL League Two are typically paid $2,500 a month, plus performance-related bonuses.
Plans are currently in motion to recruit players, hire coaches and build partnerships with local businesses. Additional employees will include those in sales and marketing as well as gameday and team operations. The team has already hired a business operations manager and will look to employ interns from local school districts and universities. Next year, there could be about 40 interns on the front office roster.
“What the rest of the fourth quarter is all about, is putting the building blocks in place to make sure that you’ve got everything you need for a successful inaugural year,” Hitchcock said.
Earlier this year, plans were announced to bring a professional soccer team to Sherman. Texoma FC will compete in USL League One, which is two tiers below Major League Soccer. The team aims to build a 7,000-seat stadium as part of a 65-acre mixed-use sports and entertainment district but will kick off its inaugural season in Sherman High School’s stadium.
When speaking about the potential for over-saturation in the soccer market, Hitchcock believes “more opportunities are better” for those looking to start their careers in the soccer business. In fact, Hitchcock said residents in Dallas-Fort Worth could see “more clubs joining pro soccer at some level in DFW over the next couple of years.”
“I think when you get to this level of soccer, it’s a rising tide,” Hitchcock said. “We want the game to grow and we’re excited to be [Texoma FC’s] neighbor.”