FRISCO – In a joint press conference this afternoon at Toyota Stadium, FC Dallas, the City of Frisco, ESPN Events and the American Athletic Conference (AAC) announced the creation of the Frisco Bowl.
“It’s a great honor for us and a great honor for the city,” FC Dallas President Dan Hunt said. “We are helping fulfill my father’s dream of bringing major college football to Frisco, Texas.”
Toyota Stadium is no stranger to big-time college football, having hosted the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Championship Game since 2010.
“It’s the perfect venue to host not only soccer, but bowl games and other college football games,” Hunt said. “We have a special responsibility to bring as many events to these venues so taxpayers get a return on their investment and the city gets a return on its investment.”
The arrival of the bowl game adds another sporting element to the city of Frisco.
FC Dallas, the Frisco Roughriders and the Texas Legends all call the city home. The Dallas Cowboys recently opened a new practice facility in Frisco, and the Dallas Stars have used the Dr Pepper Arena as their main practice venue since the arena opened in 2003.
“We are a sports-driven town,” Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney said. “We’re just excited as a community to welcome this new asset to our sports-driven city.”
After Dr Pepper Arena and Dr Pepper Ballpark each underwent renovations in the past decade, Toyota Stadium will have its renovations wrapped up in the next year.
This means the bowl game arrives at a perfect time to take advantage of the new South End, which will house new locker rooms as well as the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
“This community has so much going on, it was really an easy decision to place a bowl game in Frisco, Texas,” ESPN Events Vice President Clint Overby said. “There is no better infrastructure in place to stage a bowl game than right here.”
The Frisco Bowl adds another premier event to the home of FC Dallas.
“It’s a culmination. We are a professional soccer club, and we are so fortunate to be partnered with these events,” Hunt said. “We will provide a first-class sporting experience for all student-athletes and the visiting teams who come here to Frisco.”