“The Dallas Wings will soar in the city they represent.”
Eric Johnson
Mayor of Dallas
.…on the Dallas City Council approving a 15-year, $19 million use agreement for the Dallas Wings to play in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas Memorial Arena, beginning in 2026.
The WNBA’s Dallas Wings have played at College Park Center in Arlington for the last eight seasons and will be hooping there through 2025. But thanks to a Wednesday vote by the Dallas City Council, the team will finally be playing in the city emblazoned on their jerseys starting in 2026.
The council approved a 15-year, $19 million use agreement for the Wings to play in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas Memorial Arena. The deal is still awaiting approval by the WNBA.
“The Dallas Wings would like to thank the city of Dallas and especially Mayor Johnson for his strategic vision and commitment,” Dallas Wings President and CEO Greg Bibb said in a statement. “The city of Arlington, the University of Texas at Arlington, and College Park Center continue to be valued partners, and we look forward to playing in Arlington for the next two seasons.”
Dallas WIngs player Arike Ogunbowale may look like she’s pointing the way to Dallas, but she’s really just into her game. [Photo via Dallas Wings]
The deal comes amid skyrocketing interest in women’s basketball after Iowa’s Caitlin Clark set a new NCAA single-season scoring record in March. Clark was drafted by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever earlier this month.
Interest in the Dallas Wings has spiked, too. The team saw record attendance in 2023, and “virtually every business metric record has been, or will soon be, broken during the 2024 season,” the team said Wednesday. The Wings have sold out of season ticket memberships for the first time ever, and have already experienced ticket sales growth “north of 200%.” Individual ticket sales are up more than a staggering 1,100%, the team said.
The Wings have established a waitlist for season ticket memberships, with benefits including presale access to 2024 WNBA Playoff games and an opportunity to purchase discounted tickets to select 2024 regular-season games. The team said it expects to announce “multiple individual-game sellouts” in the coming days.
“Dallas is the place to be right now—for residents, for businesses, and for professional sports teams and their fans,” Mayor Johnson said in a statement. “This deal has been a top priority for us because we know the Dallas Wings will soar in the city they represent. We will be thrilled to welcome the Wings to the heart of our city—and we’re even more excited to see this franchise anchor our new convention center district that will transform downtown Dallas for decades to come.”
For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.
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