Frisco: FC Dallas' Pizza Hut Park

[psukhu]

http://www.mlsgear.com/officiallogo/MLSDFC.jpg

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Stadium web site: http://d263066.b24.birdsallstudios.com/

Team web site: http://dallas.burn.mlsnet.com/MLS/dab/

[gc]

Nice stadium. Too bad it is so far out.

[rantanamo]

No kidding. I had to work up there last winter. Dr Pepper 7-Up is way up there, but this thing is really up there. Their downtown looks like it will be very cool. Much better integrated into the real Main St than Southlake's.

[tamtagon]

I guess the stadium is the right size for the number of people who go to the games. Why has soccer had such a hard time generating a following in America like in the rest of the world? Football and baseball just take up too much room? What's up with that?

[rantanamo]

^

a.) The athletes that would play soccer and make us a world power grow up playing the skill positions in football, outfield or non-first base infield positions in baseball or shorter guards in basketball.

b.) Too many of our sports follow the basketball/football model of high school/college/then pros. This builds player reputation and allows hometown folk and alumni to follow a guy. Soccer and baseball are more similar in their systems.

c.) Psychologically, many in the U.S. simply like to be different. People will leave US suburbs for a Paris or London vacation, love it, and then run back to our boring suburbs. We disagree with many world policy issues. It's just good ole American Philosophy.

I love watching European soccer matches, but I love our system of football. If that excludes us from the world, then so be it.

[mikedsjr]

Nice stadium. Too bad it is so far out.


No kidding. I had to work up there last winter. Dr Pepper 7-Up is way up there, but this thing is really up there.

And you want to know why people up in Frisco area want to build their own urban area......

[gc]

And you want to know why people up in Frisco area want to build their own urban area......

WHat?

[rantanamo]

I don't think they necessarily want an urban area. I think they want more to their small town downtown than one strip of Main St. Otherwise, they're just doing a development grap like Plano did before, and Arlington wants to do with the stadium. The real problem with it in of itself is that its in the middle of nowhere. It can't really function as an urban area, even in the not so near future. Our government's hearding pretty much gurantees it.

[tamtagon]

It can't really function as an urban area, even in the not so near future

Word.

All this development will however create a focal point for the area. At some point, Frisco may be in a similar situation as Richardson in which the relentless subruban march has been persisted long enough to become a general urban blanket. It's very important role Frisco will be playing as an sprots entertainment destination - an exceptionally smart move by the city planners. Dallas folks totally missed this boat, but there's still potential for similar venues within Trinity River Park, who knows. As Collin and Denton County populations grow, Frisco could easily remain profitable and lose the Dallas County visitation to the baseball, hockey and soccer venues. I do not view most of the current developments in Collin County as a drain on Dallas, city and county. I think we're past the most of canibilization. Development in Dallas proper will concentrate activities running profitable operations during all dayparts - morning, afternoon and evening stereotyped by "urban" cafe which is busy during breakfast, lunch AND dinner - while Collin County developments will function during only one or two dayparts. THis is the natural maturation of the central city. That the metroplex is treated to several highly organized and thorough suburban focal points will be a particularly powerful calling card for the area in the future.

[mikedsjr]

I said that basically because rantan said, "this is really up there" and GC's "to bad it is so far out". That's all. This is soccer. This isn't the Dallas Cowboys. Without looking via the internet does anyone actual know who won the MLS Cup last year? How about the MVP?

Only real fans. ESPN Radio and the Ticket seem to think Soccer doesn't matter. Believe me that they would talk about it if it matter to sports fans. Heck, Frisco RoughRiders matter more than Soccer.

I think this is a fine stadium. Kuddos to Frisco. I doubt you will ever find that many people walking outside the stadium as the photos represent. Sure you would find that many in Dallas, but they were playing at the Cotton Bowl and did any of the urbanites show up? Not really.

Go Frisco.

[rantanamo]

actually the Burn have always had pretty decent crowds. The stadium just about reflects their attendance at the Cotton Bowl. But for big games there were many more fans than this thing can hold. The Burn enjoy a nice following from the Hispanic community especially at the Cotton Bowl. Up there, they'll be relying on the young soccer fan and their families. May work, may not. There will be lots of residents walking around if the town center is built and fills as planned. Its a huge development.

I say it can't be truly urban as it looks because it has no other functionality as an urban area. Maybe as a small town, yes. It will have city government, retail and res. It lacks enough of the job component. It's totally surrounded by places like Lone Star Ranch. Basically Southlake TC on steroids.

[mikedsjr]

Maybe I am thinking a small town center like you say. No, Frisco is not the epicenter of jobs, I understand.

[Kelley USA]

Not that impressed with the stadium... Very generic- but better than the Cotton Bowl- so I'm sure the fans will enjoy it.

[rantanamo]

I think the stadium design had a lot to do with being the FISD football stadium as well. Nice that it will be an all-seater, and probably the best high school stadium in the state.

[psukhu]

I agree that this is way out there.

On the bright side, at least "Dallas" is in the team's name. (Unlike the Anaheim Angels or San Jose Sharks)

--------------

I also think Frisco Square is meant to be "urban like" at best. I think its meant to be a small town downtown. (like Southlake's) I guess Collin County will become like Orange County, CA or Santa Clara County, CA.

My friends from NYC/Boston/San Fran/Toronto, etc look at Uptown Dallas the same way we look these suburban town centers. One day there was a bum picking through the trash bin in front of my townhouse and my Bostonian friend sarcastically asked me if my townhouse developer had imported that guy to give my development (in Oaklawn) a more urban feel. :)

[tamtagon]

Sturdisteel's Bledsoe says that in other states, even football hotbeds such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and California, 6,000- to 7,000-seat high school football stadiums are considered large. Not so in Texas. Just in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, there are 21 stadiums that seat 10,000 or more. More will be completed in the area by 2006.

This stat might reveal one reason soccer gets so little attention, at least in Texas....

[CTroyMathis]

I think I read somewhere that Pizza Hut has naming rights to the new stadium...

[Columbus Civil]

I drove by the site last week and they've made a lot of progress. That will be one impressive stadium once it's finished.

[CTroyMathis]

Pizza Hut delivers name for soccer complex
By Mike Raye, Staff Writer 06/17/2005
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14715078&BRD=1426&PAG=461&dept_id=528197&rfi=6

The new name will encompass the 21,000-seat professional soccer stadium and the 17 surrounding fields across the 117-acre, $65 million site.

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber and representatives of FC Dallas were joined by Hunt Sports Group President Lamar Hunt and a delegation of Frisco city officials and the Dallas-based restaurant chain in an official unveiling ceremony announcing the new namesake and facility logo.

Under the arrangement - akin to Ameriquest Mortgage's deal with the Texas Rangers and American Airline's contract with the Dallas Mavericks and Stars - Pizza Hut will pay a reported $25 million over a 20-year contract. Neither side would confirm the financial commitment.

Pizza Hut officials said they are confident the investment will pay off, though, with FC Dallas drawing large crowds, emulating one of their most popular pizzas - the Full House.

"Yes, we hope there is indeed a full house at Pizza Hut Park when FC Dallas plays," said Peter Hearl, Pizza Hut president and chief concept officer. "Pizza Hut Park is an innovative example of public and private entities coming together for the benefit of the community. This facility will be family oriented and our business is family oriented, making it the perfect match. It is a win-win situation for Pizza Hut, Frisco, Frisco ISD and Collin County."

The until-recently named Frisco Soccer and Entertainment Center became a reality because of a collaboration of Hunt Sports Group, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District and Collin County. It was built on the promise that the city, school district and county would reap the benefits of what is promised to become a facility unique in the world. How the Pizza Hut deal would benefit those partners is unclear.

One thing that is understood, however, is securing a 20-year deal for naming rights some 52 days from the opening kick is crucial to long-term success of the complex, said Commissioner Garber.

"It is absolutely critical," he said. "We now have more than 50 days of promotional opportunity before our opening here August 6. It will really help us connect the dots between youth soccer in this area and the country and the MLS. We will look back as this (announcement) as one of the great milestones for the sport of soccer in the U.S."

Hyperbole aside, officials admitted the completion of construction - delayed by one of the rainiest falls in recent memory - will come down to the wire. In fact, when FC Dallas hosts the MetroStars, the stadium will only be about 80 percent complete. Not all of the restroom or concession areas will be complete, nor will the teams' locker rooms, according to one source, but the main features - the pitch and the seating bowl- will be. FC Dallas players and youth soccer stars kicked the ball around on the lush green grass carpet that in less than two months will be surrounded by 21,000 fans. It was the first opportunity to try the field for most of them. It will be much different than the team's current home field, said a certain Number Three.

"Oh, this is 100 times different than the Cotton Bowl," said FC Dallas midfielder Kerry Talley. "I am very excited to play here. My wife and I live in Frisco and we have been out on the pitch for a walk on a couple of Sunday afternoons, and it is going to be great. I was in (Washington) DC and Kansas City before (coming to) Dallas, and I love it here. There isn't a facility like this I've played in anywhere."

"This is just another step toward making Frisco a destination location," Mike Simpson, Frisco mayor said. "This complex will become the hub of the city of Frisco."

[Bryant]

Pizza Hut Park? Lol! IMO that is one awful name.

[aceplace]

My friends from NYC/Boston/San Fran/Toronto, etc look at Uptown Dallas the same way we look these suburban town centers. One day there was a bum picking through the trash bin in front of my townhouse and my Bostonian friend sarcastically asked me if my townhouse developer had imported that guy to give my development (in Oaklawn) a more urban feel. :)It's too bad they're so snippy. Just tell them that Uptown represents the "New Urbanism", whereas they live in the "Old Urbanism".

I lived in San Francisco for a long time and I think that Uptown Dallas is equally urbane, in far better condition, and much more accessible than any of the desirable San Francisco neighborhoods. Plus... it's growing...

Another way to look at it... people who live in Boston, San Francisco, etc. had nothing to do with creating the city. Somebody else did it for them, a long time ago. So they can't really assume ownership of the concept.

Here in Dallas, we're actively engaged in the delicious sense of building an urban environment as it should be in the early 21st century. We understand urbanism better than they do, and we're proving it by making a city out of a suburb.

[rantanamo]

Another way to look at it... people who live in Boston, San Francisco, etc. had nothing to do with creating the city. Somebody else did it for them, a long time ago. So they can't really assume ownership of the concept.

Been looking for these words for years. Could put a lot of people in their places. How can one be arrogant about an urbanity that was: A.) forced due to the time period it was built or b.)forced because of the limited land due to natural boundaries or c.)was built in a time that one has nothing to do with it. Do they really think they are smart or superior? At least one in Houston, Atlanta or Dallas could claim that they are part of a movement to change their cities and were part of the support while it was being built. Plus these sunbelt sprawlers really have no reason to adopt any type of urbanism, while older cities had no choice. Does this make them superior to us?

As for the name. There's already Dr.Pepper/7-Up Ballpark and DrPepper Starz Center. This goes right along.

[dizzy]

Pizza Hut Park? Lol! IMO that is one awful name.
I used to work in the corporate building. Their conference rooms were named after pizzas. i.e Stuffed Crust, Big New Yorker, Big Foot...etc. I think they could have come up with something more creative for the venue. :)

[tamtagon]

ESPN2 is showing the game between FC Dallas and Houston.

[rantanamo]

1-1 tie. I've been watching too much EPL and Champions League lately. That just didn't look too good.

[Agnus Dei]

I'm going to the George Strait show next week so I'm excited to see the park for the first time!

[dfwcre8tive]

Fun and games in Frisco
New sports parks do more than keep score
07:32 PM CDT on Friday, July 14, 2006
By DAVID DILLON / The Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/07-06/0715glstadium1.jpg
The view from inside the stadium at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco

FRISCO In an effort to create an identity, to brand itself, Frisco has been placing big bets on professional sports. The Texas Tornado (hockey), Frisco RoughRiders (baseball) and FC Dallas (soccer) all play there, the last two in expensive new facilities that rival their big league counterparts in creature comforts and consumerist chutzpah.

The economic payoff from professional sports is highly problematic, great for owners, at best a wash for cities is the consensus, but Pizza Hut Park and Dr Pepper Ballpark also aspire to be community centers, where far-flung newcomers can gather in the evening for concerts, fireworks, art fests and other bonding rituals. Both were built with hefty chunks of public money, $55 million for Pizza Hut Park, $22.7 million for Dr Pepper, supplemented by substantial contributions from the owners.

"We wanted [Pizza Hut Park] to be a place for the entire community, a way to bring all aspects together," says Lamar Hunt, chairman of the Hunt Sports Group. "The kinds of events we can have are endless."

Pizza Hut Park, home of FC Dallas, sits at the geographical center of Frisco, on axis with its new City Hall, a Frenchified limestone and granite pile with a clock tower and shiny Mansard roof, and at the end of a Main Street lined with pseudo-classical and Italianate buildings reminiscent of The Truman Show. To the north are 17 soccer fields for youth, club and school teams and to the sides, swaths of black-land prairie awaiting eager developers with bright ideas.

Programmatically, Pizza Hut Park is savvy and perhaps far-sighted; architecturally it is strictly run of the mill. While its industrial esthetic of concrete, metal, glass and exposed structural steel is appropriate for a prairie boomtown, certainly more appropriate than the historicist pastiche across the street, the execution is clunky and unnecessarily harsh. There are acres of raw concrete and concrete block, little shade or greenery, a gargantuan concert canopy that is almost a building in itself. Even the restaurant and the upper-level suites, two areas that invite more imaginative design, are routine and forgettable.

The park's best feature is its sunken seating bowl, which allows fans to enter at grade and walk down, sparing them, and everyone else, views of the underside of a grandstand. It is a thoughtful urban gesture that helps integrate park and surroundings. The seats, some 21,000, are comfortable, unobstructed and close to the action.

Yet wrapping the exterior of the park, its public face, in blank stucco panels was a mistake, particularly since the premise of the project is that it is part of a neighborhood. Rule No. 1 in these situations: Don't moon the neighbors.
If Pizza Hut Park aspires to look tough and industrial, a blue-collar place in a white-collar town, the Dr Pepper Ballpark just down the Tollway plays shamelessly on nostalgia for America's national pastime. Architect David Schwarz, he of the retro Ballpark in Arlington and American Airlines Center, has concocted a curious blend of Seaside and Churchill Downs that has nothing to do with Frisco or baseball for that matter.

Get past that architectural non sequitur, however, and it is a far more pleasant place to spend an evening than Pizza Hut Park. It seats about 8,000, ideal for a minor league venue, and all the seats are excellent, as they should be in a park with no posts or upper deck. Surrounding them are seagull gray-and-white pavilions containing concession stands on the first level and the obligatory luxury suites above.
These help to create the feeling of a special place, a world within a world that is so important in baseball. And because of the spacing between them, they funnel cooling breezes into the park like water through a hose. A broad concourse – Pizza Hut has one as well – circles the field, connecting souvenir shops, picnic areas, a center field swimming pool and other attractions that, even in the minor leagues, can make the game seem like an afterthought. Parents with kids are lucky to see three innings.
And unlike Pizza Hut, the park has trees, grass, flowers and benches, in effect a park within a park, while along the street are offices, shops, ticket windows and other activities that respond at least to the possibility of a world beyond the fences.

So even if its architecture is syrupy and implausible, the overall plan of Dr Pepper Ballpark is excellent.

Like Plano and Allen, Frisco is exploding, from 6,000 residents to 62,000 in only 15 years, making it the fastest growing small city in America. All such places must scramble to find a center and a reason for being other than cheap land and no restrictions. So they're concocting pasts they don't have, building museums and performing arts centers that they may or may not need and generally trying to develop attractions that the town down the road can't match.

Frisco figures that professional sports will give it that competitive edge. "I know there are skeptics," deputy mayor Maher Maso has said, "but if you really look at Frisco, we break the mold."

E-mail ddillon@dallasnews.com

About the facilities

Dr Pepper Ballpark
Location: Dallas North Tollway and Gaylord, Frisco
Architects: David Schwarz Architectural Services, Washington, D.C, with HKS Dallas.
Cost: $28 million
Seating: 7,924
Opened: 2003

Pizza Hut Park
Location: Dallas North Tollway and Main Street, Frisco
Architects: HKS, Dallas, with Newman Jackson & Bieberstein, Dallas (landscape)
Cost: $80 million
Seating: 20,500 for soccer, up to 28,000 for concerts
Opened: 2005

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/07-06/0715glstadium2.jpg
Pool facilities are available at Dr Pepper Ballpark

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/07-06/0715glstadiumsdouble.jpg
The entrance to Dr Pepper Ballpark (left) and the west gate of Pizza Hut Park

[Lakewooder]

I some 'highlights' on TV of Frisco's little baseball team and I couldn't help but notice all the empty seats, even behind home plate...who is subsidizing this shortfall and how long can it last/

[Quiz03]

I some 'highlights' on TV of Frisco's little baseball team and I couldn't help but notice all the empty seats, even behind home plate...who is subsidizing this shortfall and how long can it last/

Frisco, paying for the Stadium, Corporate Suites, and the Texas Rangers paying the relevant salaries. And you can throw in the Dallas Stars with the cross use of ancillary staff. I wonder how many expenses are truly on the books of the minor league team.

[FriscoRocks]

I some 'highlights' on TV of Frisco's little baseball team and I couldn't help but notice all the empty seats, even behind home plate...who is subsidizing this shortfall and how long can it last/

Your jealousy of Frisco astonishes me, Lakewooder. The reason the seats are empty is because the team has a late arriving/early to leave crowd. Most here have small kids, so we go late to avoid the heat or are standing in concession lines until the 3rd inning. Most kids are done by 9p. Most games have 7-9K people attend, one of the tops in minor league baseball.

next.....

[FoUTASportscaster]

Your jealousy of Frisco.....

This is an inaccurate term. There is a reason people don't like Frisco.

[crescentboi]

Your jealousy of Frisco astonishes me, Lakewooder.

Your unjustified ego is what astonishes me FriscoRocks.

[Lakewooder]

Let's see now, how many National Merit Semifinalists did Frisco High have and where did it rank on D Magazine's recent list?

[gc]

Enough flame throwing people.

[FriscoRocks]

Let's see now, how many National Merit Semifinalists did Frisco High have and where did it rank on D Magazine's recent list?

the fact that you quote D Magazine .........well I'll stop.

[FoUTASportscaster]

FC Dallas uproots game to repair home turf


12:49 AM CDT on Saturday, July 22, 2006
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News


FC Dallas has rescheduled its Aug. 16 home game against Chivas USA to open up a four-week window so it can replace the turf at Pizza Hut Park.

A concert schedule and the extreme summer temperatures have caused the grass to wither. General manager Michael Hitchcock said that, with the MLS Cup scheduled for Nov. 12 in Frisco, the best option is simply to start over.

"The good news is that the playing surface that we had was wonderful and we expect this one to be even better," Hitchcock said. "This is the first year we have had concerts, and we've learned a lot."

After FC Dallas hosts Colorado on July 29, it breaks for the All-Star Game before continuing with four consecutive road games. In that time, the sod will be removed, the dirt will be graded and new sod will be put down. Hitchcock said that four weeks without play should be enough for the new grass to take root.

FC Dallas follows with a home game Sept. 2 against Houston. The game against Chivas USA has been rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13.

FC Dallas also has reached an agreement with the Frisco ISD, allowing the district to use Pizza Hut Park only five times during the MLS season to help reduce the wear and tear.

[dfwcre8tive]

Developers plan $100M 'sports village' in Frisco
10:56 AM CST on Tuesday, January 15, 2008
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
stevebrown@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/011608dnbusfriscosportscenter.25371929.html

Developers said Tuesday they'll building a $100 million "sports village" in Frisco.

The 50-acre project is planned at the corner of Frisco Street and All Star Way and will include sports facilities, a hotel, office space and retail.

Sports Village USA LLC and UDC Hospitality LLC said they are building the project with the first phase to open in December.

A 162,000 square-foot field house will be the centerpiece of the project with indoor playing fields, courts and spectator seating for 500.

"Residents will enjoy an exceptional experience of shopping, dining and recreation, as well as have access, through membership, to all of the amenities and privileges of a state-of the-art sports facility not offered anywhere else in the nation," Gary L. Oliver, a principal in Sports Village USA, said in a statement.

Along with Mr. Oliver, players in the deal include Terrance M. Casey, owner of commercial real estate firm Casey International Inc., developer Charles Revees, and Jerry R. Crenshaw Jr. and William McGuire with United Development Co. Mr. Crenshaw was formerly with Crescent Real Estate Equities Co.

The developers say their Frisco project when completed will serve more than 4 million people annually.

As part of the development, Sports Village will donate about 10 acres to the City of Frisco, which will own the planned fieldhouse. Sports Village will operate the facility on a long-term lease.

[NThomas]

Developers plan $100M 'sports village' in Frisco
10:56 AM CST on Tuesday, January 15, 2008
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
stevebrown@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/011608dnbusfriscosportscenter.25371929.html

Developers said Tuesday they'll building a $100 million "sports village" in Frisco.

The 50-acre project is planned at the corner of Frisco Street and All Star Way and will include sports facilities, a hotel, office space and retail.

Sports Village USA LLC and UDC Hospitality LLC said they are building the project with the first phase to open in December.

A 162,000 square-foot field house will be the centerpiece of the project with indoor playing fields, courts and spectator seating for 500.

"Residents will enjoy an exceptional experience of shopping, dining and recreation, as well as have access, through membership, to all of the amenities and privileges of a state-of the-art sports facility not offered anywhere else in the nation," Gary L. Oliver, a principal in Sports Village USA, said in a statement.

Along with Mr. Oliver, players in the deal include Terrance M. Casey, owner of commercial real estate firm Casey International Inc., developer Charles Revees, and Jerry R. Crenshaw Jr. and William McGuire with United Development Co. Mr. Crenshaw was formerly with Crescent Real Estate Equities Co.

The developers say their Frisco project when completed will serve more than 4 million people annually.

As part of the development, Sports Village will donate about 10 acres to the City of Frisco, which will own the planned fieldhouse. Sports Village will operate the facility on a long-term lease.

Is this the same site "UpTowne Frisco" was platted for?

[awill19]

Can someone refresh my memory of how Frisco is layed out, because that mall and all of the other developments were right near the stadium

[FriscoRocks]

Is this the same site "UpTowne Frisco" was platted for?


I believe this site is north of Uptown Frisco....about 1/2 mile north of Main on Frisco St, across from all of the soccer fields.

[NThomas]

I believe this site is north of Uptown Frisco....about 1/2 mile north of Main on Frisco St, across from all of the soccer fields.

Ah ha. Thank you. I couldn't place it because all the news kept saying was how it was at the corner of frisco st.

[Random Traffic Guy]

Southeast corner Frisco St at CR712/All Stars, I believe. South of the creek. Access from John Elliot as well.

[FriscoRocks]

Can someone refresh my memory of how Frisco is layed out, because that mall and all of the other developments were right near the stadium


Stonebriar Centre is adjacent to the baseball park for the Roughriders. Also, in the same complex is the Frisco convention center and Stars Center/Texas Tornado hockey arena and Stars HQ. A few miles north on the DNT is Frisco Square and PHP/Soccer complex which is where this sports village is planned as well as a WNBA arena/team that will share facilities with FISD. :bball:

[lpepping]

Stonebriar Centre is adjacent to the baseball park for the Roughriders. Also, in the same complex is the Frisco convention center and Stars Center/Texas Tornado hockey arena and Stars HQ. A few miles north on the DNT is Frisco Square and PHP/Soccer complex which is where this sports village is planned as well as a WNBA arena/team that will share facilities with FISD. :bball:

The WNBA is still in existence??? But seriously, they are really adding teams to the league?

[NThomas]

Frisco a finalist for NCAA championship game
Dallas Business Journal
November 23, 2009
By Bill Hethcock
Full Article (http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/11/23/daily6.html)


Frisco has made the cut as a finalist to host the NCAA Division I Football Championship games following the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons...

...If Frisco is selected, the Southland Conference, also based in Frisco, would serve as the host conference for the national championship that would be played at Pizza Hut Park, the city’s 23,500-seat stadium...

The NCAA did not release the names or the number of other cities that made the finalist pool. Earlier reports indicated that Spokane, Wash.; Missoula, Mont.; Little Rock, Ark.; and current NCAA championship site Chattanooga, Tenn., also submitted bid proposals in October...

...The Frisco bid effort was endorsed by the U.S. Congressional delegation from North Texas, the area’s state legislators and other North Texas-based collegiate sports organizations such as the AT&T Cotton Bowl, the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame, the Big 12 Conference and Conference USA. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas-based Southwest Airlines also submitted letters of support.

Frisco city leaders and others involved in the bid process will attend this year’s championship in Chattanooga on Dec. 18, and Frisco may receive a site visit from NCAA officials in upcoming weeks. Frisco officials will make their case before the NCAA Division I Football Committee in late February, and a final decision is expected shortly after that.

"Together, we’ll continue to work hand in hand to bring this sporting event to Frisco, benefiting the entire North Texas region,” Frisco Mayor Maher Maso said in a written statement.

[DSM]

Frisco a finalist for NCAA championship game
Dallas Business Journal
November 23, 2009
By Bill Hethcock
Full Article (http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/11/23/daily6.html)

Too bad the SWAC does not participate in this game...with so many strong regional teams playing in the SWAC, I would think this game would draw even more. Has Frisco thought about what happens if the game gets too popular? The game currently draws around 22,000. Moving it a major metro area could draw more than Frisco can hold....

[tamtagon]

Sure would be great to get this game played in Frisco after the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons.

[tamtagon]

From D Magazine (http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/) frontburner, Frisco is on the short list:

http://www.ci.frisco.tx.us/communication/press/Documents/FCS-CollegeFootballFrisco.pdf

Frisco trying to attract the NCAA Division I Championship Football games following 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons


“We’re calling on our residents, businesses, and visitors, alike, to rally and pledge their support to bring NCAA Division I football to Frisco,” Mayor Maher Maso said. “We know folks in North Texas love sports! Our goal is to show the NCAA committee that we can help them grow their event, which is a win for the NCAA, for Frisco and the entire region.”

If Frisco get this game, North Texas certainly would be the most popular destination for college football bowl games and regualr season neutral site match-ups.

[Mballar]

Don't they mean Division I-AA?

[jredallas]

^ Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) = Old Div. I-AA; Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) = Old Div. I-A