The Dallas City Council on Wednesday approved an agreement that will pay the WNBA's Dallas Wings $19 million in incentives to relocate from Arlington to downtown Dallas starting in 2026.
Under the 15-year agreement, Wings will become the featured attraction at Dallas Memorial Auditorium, part of the downtown convention center complex, and will relocate from the University of Texas at Arlington's College Park Center.
The City Council announced that some elected officials will wear Wings-branded hats and shirts to celebrate the move, which the city hopes will boost economic development in the downtown area and capitalize on the growing popularity of women's basketball. The agreement was approved 13-0.
The deal is still pending approval by the WNBA Board of Governors. If approved by the board, the Wings would join the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars as the major professional sports teams based in the city.
“This is the perfect time to do this,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who helped initiate and approve the deal, according to city and team officials. Johnson said it took two years of talks to “bring the Dallas Wings back to their home in Dallas.”
City Council members Jaime Rezendes and Adam Bazaldua were absent during the vote.Bazaldua said dallas morning news After the City Council meeting, it was discovered that he and Rezendes missed the vote because they were attending a housing policy workshop at Arizona State University. “I had my full support, but I just wasn't able to participate virtually at that time,” Bazaldua said.
The Wings have played in the 7,000-seat UTA Arena since arriving in North Texas ahead of the 2016 WNBA season after spending nearly five years at Oklahoma State as the Tulsa Shock. The team will play the 2024 and 2025 seasons at College Park Center.
The Wings' contract with UTA expires at the end of the 2025 season.
“University and arena staff remain focused on continuing to provide an exceptional experience for our fans and team for the upcoming 2024 and 2025 seasons,” UTA spokesperson Jeff Carleton said in a statement. ” he said.
Wings President and CEO Greg Bibb told City Council members that the move makes sense for the team, fans and Dallas residents. He vowed the team would be the “best community partner possible.”
“The Wings are a growing team and Dallas is an evolving city,” he said. “Together, we can accomplish great things on the court and in our community.”
The city of Dallas plans to renovate the roughly 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.
Bibb, Wings Chief Operating Officer Amber Cox and All-Star forward Sato Sabally were among the team representatives who participated in the council's vote.
Several Dallas City Council members spoke about the progress women's basketball has made.
“I'm a basketball mom,” said City Councilwoman Paula Blackmon. “I have three boys that play. I think I spend more time in the gym than I do here at City Hall.”
Blackmon brought up a recent conversation with her son that focused on the NCAA women's finals between South Carolina and Caitlin Clark's Iowa. “She couldn't understand anything about the men's game,” Blackmon said.
She said she hopes more professional teams using the Dallas name will actually be based in the city. The Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington and have their home and practice facility in Frisco.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold said she grew up playing basketball.
“But in my day, it was limited to half court,” she said.
Arnold said she wants to focus on equity in the redevelopment of the convention center and is excited about the possibility of Wings partnering with schools in south Dallas, especially in the south Oak Cliff area, which she represents. Ta.
“We need you. We need that bond. We need internships. We need camps,” she said.
Wings chose Dallas over other prospective municipalities
The deal comes as women's basketball continues to grow in popularity. The Wings announced this week that they had sold out off-season tickets for the first time in franchise history. The team has seen a 220% increase in revenue from ticket sales ahead of the WNBA season, which begins next month.
After the vote, Bibb declined to say whether the Wings were considering cities other than Dallas and Arlington.
“We have a great relationship with the City of Arlington and the University of Texas at Arlington, and that is due to Mayor Johnson's vision and the work of the City's leadership, agreements, partnerships, council and many members gathered here today. “What has been proposed so far is second to none,” Bibb said.
He said the team plans to move to the convention center arena by early spring 2026.
When asked what the $19 million incentive meant, Bibb noted that moving the team comes with risks and challenges.
“We are moving on from a venue that set records for ticket sales for the last game of last season, and we have broken all those records heading into this year,” he said.
Bibb said teams have less work to do in terms of attracting fans and moving season ticket holders to new venues and seats.
“So that funding will help fill the gap that we're going to experience over the next few years,” he said.
According to the city's proposed resolution, the city's incentives would be paid to the Wings over three years. The city plans to offset the costs with at least $1.5 million in annual revenue over the next 15 years, and the agreement could be extended for up to another 15 years, according to the resolution.
The proposal to bring the Wings to downtown Dallas includes year-round use of the building for training and office space, with the team obtaining a final certificate of occupancy no later than March 1, 2026. I am supposed to do it. The proposal would require Dallas residents to make up the next day. At least 40% of part-time workers are employed as match-day jobs.
The city would also split parking revenue 70% to 30% in favor of the event manager and the city, according to the resolution. Ticket sales include a $2 service charge, half of which will be donated to the city.
The resolution says the city would retain ownership of the arena and be responsible for all inspections and issuing certificates of occupancy. He will also be responsible for building league-approved courts, scorecards and digital displays. Meanwhile, the team will oversee the installation of the necessary supplies, furniture, and equipment.
According to City Council documents, the city began negotiations with the team in late 2022 at the request of Johnson and other city leaders, and an agreement was reached last year. Johnson created a City Council committee in 2022 to explore ways to bring more professional sports franchises and events to the city while preserving the ones that exist.
“Let's get the trophy.”
City officials said last year that they expected renovations to the arena would include adding more seating and making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Rosa Fleming, the city's director of convention and event services, said the agreement is expected to spur further development around Memorial Arena. The arena is attached to the current convention center and will remain after the convention center is demolished and a new one is built nearby.
Fleming said there is potential for new restaurants, retail stores and hotels there, and since then, news After breaking the news over the weekend that the Wings would be relocating, the city said it had received “hundreds of calls about other types of organizations wanting to come to Dallas.”
“This is an opportunity to build a brand with the Dallas Wings,” Fleming told council members. “But we also want to take that opportunity to show other teams that Dallas has a large fan base in most sports and that it's an economic opportunity not only for them but for us as well.” It’s the purpose.”
A move to Dallas could have championship implications for the Wings, according to at least one council member.
“We're going to win a trophy. We know we are,” said City Councilman Omar Narváez, who is described as a Wings “superfan.” “We're going to get the trophy and have a big parade for the Dallas Wings here in downtown Dallas.”
