Cold weather has arrived with two northern teams who will square off for the NCAA Division 1 Football Championship Series Monday night in Frisco. Montana State and North Dakota State will play at Toyota Stadium.
"This game has been such a great vehicle for us to put Frisco on a national stage and tap into some new markets," says Visit Frisco's Josh Dill. "We've created a name for ourselves in the FCS space. Those rabid fan bases in FCS are all gunning for Frisco and holding signs saying, 'All I want for Christmas is a trip to Frisco.'"
Dill says the game has helped Frisco build a national reputation as a destination and can highlight other attractions in the city, including the Star and PGA World Headquarters.
"This game has grown with the city, which is awesome," he says. "The vision the group had 15 years ago to bring a championship like this and say, 'We can take a major event, run it and run it well,' it's come to fruition. It's been fun to be along for the ride."
Montana State arrived Thursday evening with fans and players' families greeting the team as buses pulled into the Westin Dallas Stonebriar.
"The community really supports everybody well here," says the father of a Montana State player. "It's just a great place to come and really cap a season."
Montana State and North Dakota State also faced each other for the championship in Frisco in 2022.
"We have really noticed how the town has changed and spread out so much more," says the mother of another Montana State player.
"We're here for the game, but we'll do some things," her husband added. "There's an agenda. We like golf and can actually play a round this time of year here."
Both Montana State and North Dakota State have Frisco ISD graduates on their rosters, so some parents of current students brought their kids to welcome the teams, too.
"It's pretty cool, and hopefully these kids get some inspiration," one dad said.
"It just speaks to the breadth and the depth of Frisco football," his wife said.
After 2025, the FCS Championship will move to Nashville for two seasons as Toyota Stadium undergoes a $182 million renovation. FC Dallas will keep playing at the stadium during the project, and Visit Frisco's Dill says the work will improve the experience for soccer fans while also attracting other large events.
"With these teams that come back year after year, they ask, 'What's new to see?' Luckily, in Frisco, there's always something new," he says.
With temperatures dropping from the 60s to below freezing Sunday, Dill says North Texans may struggle to adjust to the cold, but visitors from northern schools may have an easier time.
"Coming from up north, it's definitely not golf weather up there, but you can go out and play on our ten-hole, lighted course," he says.
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