FC Dallas and Toyota have reached a long-term agreement to name the North Texas Entertainment Center (formerly Pizza Hut Park) in Frisco, Texas. The Toyota Stadium and Complex is located in downtown Frisco. There are 17 professional grade soccer fields adjacent to the stadium that will be named Toyota Soccer Center.
Making the announcement were Hunt family members Dan and Clark Hunt, along with Brent Hillyer, VP of Gulf State Toyota.
“The 145-acre complex is second to none and allows us to produce some of the top young players in America,” said Hunt Sports Group Vice President Dan Hunt. “No other MLS facility can compare to this,” he continued.
This statement is easy to understand. The complex is booked 350 days a year and has more than 1.9 million annual visitors.
The complex originally opened in 2005 and was called Pizza Hut Park. Hunt Sports Group, The City of Frisco, Collin County and the Frisco ISD shared its $80 million cost. Pizza Hut withdrew its sponsorship in December 2011.
This stadium and Toyota Soccer Center play host to more than 4,000 boys and girls participating in FC Dallas Youth Soccer, making it one of the nation’s top centers for player development.
With the naming rights of the center, Toyota becomes the new naming rights partner of the center and the exclusive automotive partner of FC Dallas, FC Dallas Youth, North Texas State Soccer Association, the annual King Tut Youth Tournament and the Dr Pepper Cup.
According to the Dallas Business Journal, the Toyota Stadium and Toyota Center will be the fifth most attended venue in North Texas based on the national and international events to be scheduled here.
For example, NCAA FCS Championship, AAC Men’s Soccer Champions and concerts will share Toyota stadium with Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas.
The stadium project in Frisco is the third stadium for Toyota to become involved with. Toyota Park is home to the Chicago Fire Soccer Club. Toyota Field in San Antonio in San Antonio is home to the Scorpions soccer team.
As Dan Hunt, Vice President of Hunt Sports Group unveiled the Toyota brand he stated, “My entire family and I are excited to partner with Toyota. I wish my father was alive today to see Toyota join FC Dallas in helping soccer grow across the metroplex and Texas. To partner with Toyota would make my dad proud.” Hunt was referring to his father the late Lamar Hunt, the FC Dallas founder and sports legend.
A tremendous influence in the naming of the stadium in Frisco was Houston-based Gulf State Toyota which is the independent distributor of Toyota vehicles in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. The company serves 154 Toyota dealerships in the region.
Brent Hillyer, Vice President, Gulf State Toyota said, “We are proud to partner with FC Dallas to sponsor this world-class stadium, and are looking forward to support the team, whether on the road of field. Both Toyota and FC Dallas share a passion for great products and great success.”
Durhl Caussey writes car and sports columns that are read around the world. He may be reached at this paper or [email protected].
