The stadium will anchor the $1.5 billion entertainment district, which is planned to eventually also feature a hotel and conference center.
MANSFIELD, Texas — This story was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original version here.
Construction has started on the centerpiece of Mansfield’s new Staybolt Street Entertainment District: a stadium with capacity for more than 7,000 that will host a professional soccer team.
The stadium will anchor the $1.5 billion entertainment district, which is planned to eventually also feature a hotel and conference center, a High5 Entertainment venue, retail and houses across 100 acres. Infrastructure work for the district began in August.
It was announced earlier this month that North Texas Soccer Club, the reigning 2024 MLS Next Pro champion, will play all of its home games there once the stadium opens, which is expected in summer 2026. North Texas SC competes in the third tier of American soccer as the MLS Next Pro affiliate of FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. Both teams are owned by the Hunt family.
City of Mansfield officials as well as executives from FC Dallas and REV Entertainment were on hand for a Dec. 18 construction ceremony and shared more details about the vision for the new stadium.
Mansfield Mayor Michael Evans expressed excitement about the project and said it will be “the southern gateway for professional soccer in the Metroplex.”
Jason Moore, executive director of the Mansfield Economic Development Corp., said the estimated cost of the stadium is about $88.27 million. Architecture firm Perkins&Will is designing the project and Moss & Associates Construction is the general contractor. REV Entertainment and FC Dallas will operate the completed venue.
The stadium complex is expected to span around 200,000 square feet. In addition to stadium seating, it will feature suites plus four locker rooms and a club space.
But the Mansfield stadium won’t just host soccer.
Jared Schrom, senior vice president at REV Entertainment, said while soccer is the focus, his company aims to attract all sorts of sports and cultural events. He said REV has a relationship with Mansfield Independent School District and hopes to host high school football games at the arena. Other ideas include rodeos, dirt sports, concerts and festivals. REV Entertainment is the official sports and entertainment partner of the Texas Rangers, and also oversees and manages all business operations for partner sports affiliates such as the Cleburne Railroaders.
“Anything to engage the city of Mansfield and the surrounding areas is going to be a win for us,” Schrom said.
Dan Hunt, president of FC Dallas, said it’s important to have a soccer-specific stadium for a pro sports team. Creating a home for North Texas SC will drive growth for the team and players, he said.
“We … all the time talk about critical games for young soccer players, and it’s not just playing a tough opponent on the field,” Hunt said. “It’s playing in a stadium with the stands full, understanding the importance of what it is — and that’s the home field advantage that we’re going to have here in Mansfield to develop those players.”
Pro soccer is having a moment in North Texas. In addition to FC Dallas and the new Dallas Trinity FC in the National Women’s Soccer League, efforts are underway to launch Texoma FC north of the Metroplex and compete in USL League One. Plus, a McKinney businessman wants to launch a new team in the USL League Two called McKinney Chupacabras Football Club. And the World Cup is slated to arrive in the region in summer 2026.
Hunt, whose family helped pioneer pro soccer in America, doesn’t consider the area oversaturated with teams.
“Soccer is the world’s sport, and it was late here in the United States,” he said. “I mean, it was regionalized and small. I don’t think you can have enough of it. And the population is showing they want to consume it.”
Hunt said he’s unsure whether Hunt Sports Group LLC will pursue other soccer-specific stadiums, but is interested in bringing more fields to the area. FC Dallas Foundation has developed 11 youth sports fields in the Metroplex and is working on as 12th, and the organization manages more than 60 throughout the region.
Several other stadium projects are in the works across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
FC Dallas is looking to make Toyota Stadium in Frisco the centerpiece of a large sports and entertainment district, with a $182 million renovation that will add shade, more seating and amenity improvements. Hunt Sports Group plans to develop more than 1 million square feet of office space, add a 200-room hotel and 200-unit apartment tower around the stadium.
The Cotton Bowl in Dallas is undergoing a $140 million upgrade and is slated to be finished at the start of 2025 State Fair of Texas. Roanoke is adding a 122-acre youth sports complex.
Plamedie Ifasso contributed reporting.