Some of the most unique sports-related attractions in the Dallas area sit outside city limits—and we’re not just talking about AT&T Stadium in Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Frisco, billed as Sports City USA and located 30 miles due north of Dallas, fields an impressive lineup of modern facilities featuring its very own Cowboys connection.
Cowboys corporate headquarters resides at The Star in Frisco, built in 2016. The versatile, upscale, 400,000-square-foot facility offers groups of 10 to 12,000 a one-of-a-kind experience. Convene a board meeting in the War Room, team owner Jerry Jones’ NFL Draft command center, featuring a football-shaped table and 90-inch interactive televisions. Entertain up to 150 guests in the Grand Atrium, set aglow by the 19,200 LED lights in Leo Villarreal’s art piece Volume, which hangs from the ceiling.
Other notable event spaces include Tostitos Championship Plaza, an outdoor area centered around a 50-yard replica turf field, and the 98,0000-foot-field at Ford Center, the Cowboys’ indoor practice facility, which doubles as home field for the Dallas Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse.
Give attendees the hall of fame treatment at the National Soccer Hall of Fame (NSHOF), located within Toyota Stadium, where Major League Soccer team FC Dallas plays its home games. A recent $55 million stadium renovation encompassed a new home for NSHOF, which had been without one since 2010, when its previous facility in Oneonta, New York, closed. The venue’s 19,350-square-foot NSHOF Experience area pays homage to players and ambassadors of the game through memorabilia and interactive exhibits. Groups of 250 to 600 can gather in the Hall of Fame Club, with a dance floor, 100-foot bar, lounge areas and stadium views—or even rent the entire facility.
The Frisco RoughRiders play at Dr. Pepper Ballpark, a minor league baseball stadium that provides major league entertainment. Standout features include Choctaw Lazy River, the largest water feature in a professional sporting venue, plus bullpens ensconced within seating areas and 26 luxury suites. Planners can book pool parties on the lazy river, picnics on the party deck and air-conditioned private suites for up to 100 attendees.
Read more about Texas’ offerings for meeting groups in Courtney Peter’s story, “Texas for the Win: The Lone Star State’s Elite Sports Scene Creates a Competitive Advantage,” in the December issue of Smart Meetings.
