The city of Fort Worth is getting a new $450 million multipurpose arena thanks to a pioneering public-private partnership between the city, Tarrant County, the State of Texas, and a group of private-sector backers including individuals, foundations, and organizations.

The facility will be called Dickies Arena under a naming rights agreement between the Fort Worth-based apparel company and the Multipurpose Arena Fort Worth.

Private-sector supporters will provide half of the facility’s cost, plus any overages. Public funding will be capped at $225 million.

Fort Worth billionaire and philanthropist Ed Bass is leading the effort to raise the private funding for the project from private donors.

The facility will be called Dickies Arena under a naming rights agreement between the Fort Worth-based apparel company and the Multipurpose Arena Fort Worth.

The head of the not-for-profit organization managing the project touted the benefits the new arena will bring the city.

“We’re proud that Dickies Arena will redefine what local entertainment means to our neighbors in Fort Worth,” said Philip Williamson, chairman and CEO of Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co., in a prepared statement.

The arena, scheduled to open in 2019, is being constructed just southwest of Will Rogers Memorial Center in the Fort Worth Cultural District.

It will be owned by the city of Fort Worth and managed by the not-for-profit private sector organization. No public money will be used for operations or maintenance, FWMA said on its website.

THE ARENA WILL HOST NCAA BASKETBALL, GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dickies Arena, which recently held a groundbreaking event, will be the epitome of a multipurpose facility, planners said.

It will host the first and second rounds of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and it was pivotal in Fort Worth landing the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships beginning in 2019, according to Arena Digest.

The gymnastics event will take place at the Fort Worth Convention Center in 2019 and then move to Dickies Arena in 2020.

Besides sporting events, the arena’s programming will include concerts, family shows, community events, and it will become the home of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

“Dickies Arena is going to be a premier venue in the entertainment industry that will attract new and noteworthy show and events to the area for all Fort Worth citizens to enjoy,” said Matt Homan, president and general manager of Multipurpose Arena Fort Worth, in Arena Digest.

The $450 million cost includes parking, infrastructure, and roads, much of which already exists, FWMA said.

Dallas-based The Beck Group is leading the construction of the arena and parking.

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