The Dallas Wings are no longer just a Dallas team in name.
On Wednesday, the City Council voted to approve a multimillion-dollar contract to move the team from Arlington to Dallas.
The 15-year, $19 million deal will see the team become a featured attraction at Dallas Memorial Auditorium starting in 2026, relocating from the University of Texas at Arlington's College Park Center.
“For the past two years, we've been working with the Dallas Wings. It's now on record that the Dallas Wings are our great WNBA team and a great partner of ours,” said Dallas Mayor. Eric Johnson said at Wednesday's City Council meeting.
“It takes us to a different place,” said Wings President and CEO Greg Bibb.
Bibb said relocating a professional sports team from Arlington is no easy task. It is an inevitable reality that they have begun to explore in recent years.
“When we started thinking about how we were going to serve our fans, how we were going to meet the demand for our product, there was a reality for College Park Center, which seats 6,251 people. We want to continue to grow. “So we need more seats. We need bigger buildings. We need facilities where the players can train at the level they need to train.”
The current women's basketball craze sweeping the nation makes the deal a win-win for both parties.
“What a perfect time for the Wings and the city of Dallas to make this historic announcement,” Bibb said.
“Whether it's the NCAA women's basketball ratings, the just-concluded WNBA draft, or the fact that season tickets sold out three weeks before our first home game, this is a moment in time, and we We're creating a new moment with the city of Dallas, and it's special.”
For city leaders, the announcement marks a victory in a years-long campaign to lure professional sports teams back to the city after leaving other cities.
“We're going to brag that we have sports teams that live, work, play and have jobs in the city of Dallas, Texas, and that our tax dollars go to businesses in the city of Dallas.” . City Councilman Tennell Atkins.
UTA issued the following statement in response to the news on Wednesday:
“The Wings have been a great partner to UTA since 2016, providing a national platform in the 7,000-seat, state-of-the-art College Park Center. We remain focused on continuing to provide an exceptional experience for our fans and team.”
Bibb said the Wings hope to move to their new home in Dallas in the spring of 2026, in time for training camp.
The city of Dallas plans to renovate the approximately 10,000-seat auditorium as part of a major redevelopment project centered on a new convention center to replace the aging Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The city will pay the incentive over three years.
