WNBA’s Dallas Wings poised to relocate to downtown Dallas arena in proposed deal with city

dallas officials are poised to approve a 15-year deal designed to bring the WNBA’s Dallas Wings to the downtown convention center arena, three city officials told The Dallas Morning News.

The City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a resident use and incentive agreement for the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, part of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center downtown. The auditorium is planned to be renovated by 2026 as part of a larger redevelopment project.

The Wings aren’t named in City Council agenda documents, but the proposed deal is described as relocation of an existing team that would use the arena at least 70 days a year between April 15 and Nov. 1. The WNBA season typically runs from the beginning of training camp in April to the league finals in October. No other professional sports league that plays in arenas has a similar schedule.

Related:How expensive are tickets to see Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut against the Dallas Wings?

The proposed agreement would include $19 million in city incentives paid to the team over three years, according to the city’s draft resolution. The city expects to offset the costs by at least $1.5 million in annual revenues over the next 15 years, and the agreement could be extended for up to an additional 15 years, according to the resolution.

The scheduled vote comes on the heels of a highly successful women’s basketball college tournament and the introduction of marquee players Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to the WNBA, whose season starts mid-May.

Related:Caitlin Clark will bring a lot of eyes to WNBA. What does that mean for the Dallas Wings?

A person with knowledge of the negotiations in 2022 said council members and Mayor Eric Johnson were vying to bring the Dallas Wings to the city. In late 2022, after voters approved Proposition A to renovate some Fair Park venues and the convention center using a higher hotel occupancy tax, Johnson toured the memorial auditorium with Dallas Wings CEO Greg Bibb and consultants, the person said.

The Dallas Wings play in College Park Center on the University of Texas at arlington campus. College Park Center seats about 7,000. The Dallas Memorial Auditorium has a capacity of nearly 10,000 seats.

The Wings moved to Texas ahead of the 2016 season after spending about five years in Oklahoma as the Tulsa Shock. The Wings have been based in Arlington for the team’s entire time in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The Wings drew about 4,600 fans on average during the team’s regular-season home games last season, according to WNBA statistics website Across the Timeline. The turnout ranked ninth among the league’s 12 teams.

“A professional sports team has expressed desire to relocate to the city as its resident home base,” a copy of the City Council draft resolution said, “and the city recognizes the potential detrimental effects the relocation may cause the professional sports team; and...the city recognizes the long-term economic and collateral benefits to be gained by activating use of the arena through the relocation of a professional sports team to the city.” The resolution draft doesn’t explain what the specific impacts of the move could be.

Related:When are Dallas Wings playing Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese at home in 2024?

Several Dallas City Council members and Dallas’ Department of Convention and Event Services, which oversees the arena, declined comment about the deal late Friday and Saturday. Council members were briefed about the proposal in executive session during a committee meeting on March 26.

“The Wings have had ongoing talks with Mayor Johnson and Dallas officials about the City’s planned renovations to Memorial Auditorium. While there are many details that remain to be worked through, including approval by the Dallas City Council and the WNBA’s Board of Governors, the possibilities of relocating to downtown Dallas are boundless,” Bibb, the Dallas Wings’ president and CEO, told The News in a statement on Saturday night.

“Women’s basketball has captured the nation’s attention like never before, and both the WNBA and the Wings are experiencing an unprecedented surge in popularity,” Bibb said. “The City of Arlington, the University of Texas at Arlington, and College Park Center continue to be wonderful partners, and we look forward to continuing that relationship during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The City of Dallas’s proposal offers a fitting, world-class stage for our remarkable athletes and devoted fans and we look forward commenting further at the appropriate time.”

Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday. A University of Texas at Arlington spokesperson did not immediately answer questions from The News about the school’s agreement with the Wings.

According to council agenda documents, the city began negotiations with the team in late 2022 at the request of Johnson and other city leadership and came to an agreement sometime last year.

In 2022, Johnson created a City Council committee seeking ways to bring more pro sports franchises and events to the city, as well as keeping existing ones.

Related:Dallas mayor to lead panel that looks to add pro teams to Cowboys, Mavs, Stars lineup

Johnson had called for a second North Texas NFL franchise that would play in Dallas. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones rejected the idea, and it has gained little traction outside of discussion on social media.

The City Council in February awarded an almost three-year, nearly $7.7 million contract to national architecture, engineering and construction management firm McKissack & McKissack for the arena renovation and reconstruction.

City officials said last year that they hoped the arena upgrades would include adding more seats, improving the overall infrastructure and making the facility compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Rosa Fleming, director of the city’s convention and event service department, told The Dallas Morning News in February that the goal is for the arena renovations to be complete by 2026. She said the lack of ADA accessibility limits the arena’s use and with the upgrades it could be used as many as 100 times per year, up from the current 26.

The city plans to use bond money to cover the costs of construction and pay off those bonds through revenue generated from two sources, including a November 2022 voter-approved increase in taxes collected from Dallas room rentals. The two funding methods to pay for the convention center and related projects are expected to bring in almost $4 billion over 30 years.

The city estimated in January 2023 that it would need $2.8 billion to build the new convention center, with a new deck park over Interstate 30 nearby. Separately, the city estimated it’ll need more than $386 million to renovate and reconstruct the arena and The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, which are both attached to the current convention center.

Related:Mayor Eric Johnson still pushing dream of a Dallas-based NFL team

The proposal to bring the Wings to downtown Dallas includes year-round use of the building for training and office space, with the team obtaining a final certificate of occupancy no later than March 1, 2026. The proposal would require at least 40% of part-time workers hired for jobs on game days be Dallas residents.

The city will also share parking revenue with the events manager with a 70%-30% split in favor of the city, per the resolution. Revenue from ticket sales will have a $2 service fee, 50% of which will be split with the city.

The draft resolution says the city will retain ownership of the arena and will be responsible for all inspections and certificates of occupancies. It will also be responsible for constructing league-approved courts, scorer’s table and digital displays. The team, on the other hand, will oversee the installation of fixtures, furniture and equipment the team needs.

The Wings aren’t strangers to Dallas City Hall. Johnson issued a special recognition for the team ahead of the WNBA playoffs last year. Johnson also proclaimed a day honoring then-Wings player Allisha Gray in August 2021.

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