FC Dallas, along with U.S. Soccer, the Frisco Independent School District and the City of Frisco, unveiled plans Wednesday for a $39 million Toyota Stadium project featuring more than 100,000 square feet of renovated space, new locker rooms, premium seats, a private club and the National Soccer Hall of Fame Museum.
Renovations on the south end of Toyota Stadium facing Main Street will begin in early 2016, with a proposed completion date in late 2017. While that means no seating in the south end of Toyota Stadium for two full MLS season, the stadium is set to have a soft opening on December 15, 2017 and should be up and running for the 2018 MLS season, according to FC Dallas President Dan Hunt.
The project features multiple upgrades to the 10-year-old stadium but has received national attention for the inclusion of the National Soccer Hall of Fame Museum. No other major national sports hall of fame museum is built into a stadium.
The endeavor is fitting for a stadium built by the late Lamar Hunt, who has been widely celebrated for his pioneering ways across American sports and is a member of 13 halls of fame. A 1982 inductee into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Hunt received their Medal of Honor in 1999, making him one of only three individual recipients of the prestigious award in history. The honor was also granted to the 1991 US women’s national team, which won the inaugural Women’s World Cup.
“My father Lamar loved this game, and he chased his vision of growing soccer in the United States with the same determination he brought to professional football,” Dan Hunt said at Wednesday's press conference. “He had a vision of what the beautiful game could be in America, and he spent years watching games and persuading friends to join him. This is an incredible opportunity to not only honor his legacy, but all of those who came before him, those who stood beside him and those in the future who will endeavor to grow the sport of Soccer in America. Our family is thrilled to bring the National Soccer Hall of Fame back to prominence here in Frisco, Texas, in the last stadium my father built.”
On the top level of the three-level renovation, the 24,000-square-foot museum and event center will be home to U.S. Soccer hardware, including the Women’s World Cup, Gold Cup and Lamar Hunt US Open Cup trophies, as well as Olympic medals and memorabilia from the historic US win over England in the 1950 World Cup, among other memorabilia and trophies. Toyota Stadium will also become the permanent site for the annual National Soccer Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Padded seating in the south end will be covered by a roof and include pre-game dining inside a private club featuring views into the player hallway and out to the field.
The concourse level will feature a 7,000-square-foot outdoor party deck with an outdoor bar, concession stands and a new team store. Upgraded HD video boards and a new sound system will improve fan experiences, while a new skyway connecting the West side suites to the premium amenities on the South end will make navigating the stadium simple.
- Get all the latest FC Dallas news at FCDallas.com
The project includes new locker rooms with tunnels on each corner of the south end, with the locker rooms available to be configured into four separate soccer dressing rooms or combined into two larger rooms for American football events.
“Our partnerships with Frisco ISD, FC Dallas, Toyota Stadium and now U.S. Soccer, are important to the City of Frisco for many reasons,” said “Our community takes great pride in being home to these quality developments, which promote tourism, business development, fitness and even our city’s brand," Frisco mayor Maher Maso said in a statement. “Toyota Stadium and the National Soccer Hall of Fame Museum help us meet all these goals. The planned stadium improvements benefit our residents, students and visitors, whether they’re engaged in a school event, tournament, concert, attending a college football or professional soccer game. The Soccer Hall of Fame complements our growing collection of museums, expanding Frisco’s cultural offerings.”
