The Mansfield City Council has approved a partnership with FC Dallas and REV Sports Management, which works with the Texas Rangers, to build and operate a soccer stadium in the city. The multi-use stadium was approved by voters last year.
The stadium is part of a 250 acre development that will include homes, businesses and entertainment options.
FC Dallas will design and build the soccer stadium; REV Sports Management will run the facility when it opens.
"We're super excited about this. We have a great, long relationship with the Rangers. We've talked with them many times about events and programs," says FC Dallas Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Smith.
Smith says FC Dallas is dedicated to providing fields and facilities to help grow a love for soccer among North Texans.
The soccer stadium in Mansfield should open in 2026, and Smith says a family-friendly venue can help attract kids to the game.
"It's a holistic approach," he says. "When your mother, your father, your brother, your sister love soccer or enjoy soccer, it's much easier to grow that love."
In addition to drawing kids to soccer, Smith says encouraging them to participate in sports can help them learn skills like how to work together to solve problems and reach a goal. He says those skills can translate to any job as kids grow up.
Smith says introducing kids to soccer can show them how many other jobs are connected to the sport if they wind up without the skill needed to go pro.
"I'm a perfect example of how you don't have to be a professional athlete to be involved in sports," he says. "There are so many avenues someone can take, whether it's marketing, sales, public relations, accounting, physical training."
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