Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently sat down with Emily Kaplan of Sports Illustrated's Monday Morning Quarterback to discuss his plans for moving the organization's headquarters to Frisco, Texas, and what he sees as a vital future partnership with Frisco's school district - and its seven football teams.
The teams "will have access to the facility, practicing and playing games on the same turf upon which DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten go to work every day," writes Kaplan. "They'll share the same film rooms, training rooms and weight rooms. The grounds will also be used by the schools' soccer teams, and journalism students will have access to state-of-the-art media studios."
The planned relocation is set to take place in 2016, but the team broke ground on the $115 million facility in August.
"My vision is that one day, Tony Romo will walk off the field to the west after practice," Jones said, per Kaplan, "and a high school quarterback will walk on the field from the east the minute Tony leaves."
Frisco, recently named "the best place in Texas for young families" by NerdWallet, is one of the fastest growing school districts in the country.
"Starting in 2000, the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex grew exponentially, increasing by 1.3 million people (25 percent) over nine years," Kaplan notes. "Frisco, its land cheap and undeveloped, was the fastest-growing city in the United States during that span. The town built a second high school in 2003, and six more over the next 11 years. A population of 141,550 is expected to max out at 300,000 over the next decade, with an anticipated 13-14 high schools, 20 middle schools and 60 elementary schools serving the community."
The population explosion in Frisco will only serve to increase the pool of talent from which its various football teams can pull.
"High school athletics, especially down here in Texas, is an arms race," Vance Gibson, the football coach at Frisco High, told Kaplan. "Everyone wants bigger and better. Well, right now in Frisco, we're in a position where our kids can have that first-hand. They are literally going to experience the best environment, best facilities, best opportunities possible. As a parent, as a coach, what more could you want?"
As for the repercussions for the professional football players, Kaplan says that the "Cowboys will be contractually obligated to hold training camp in Frisco for at least one week each season." They'll also pick up the tab for upkeep and various other aspects of the facility.
"On the field the NFL is a copycat league, and I'm not sure it's different off the field," Stephen Jones, the team's executive vice president, told Kaplan. "I'm sure people will be intrigued with what we're doing here. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if you look up one day and there's more of this."
