Community-Team Synergy At Cowboys' New HQ Could Be Model For NFL Clubs

The Cowboys' 12,000-seat indoor stadium at the team's new The Star in Frisco HQ "will house high school operations on one side and Cowboys on the other with the shared turf between them -- a first for an NFL training facility," according to Valerie Wigglesworth of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. The Cowboys'  partnership with the city of Frisco and the Frisco Independent School District is "at the heart" of the project. Throughout the complex will be "signature moments paying homage to the team’s history and highlighting what it takes to be a professional athlete." Photos of some of the Cowboys players "will be paired with images of themselves from high school along with relevant stats from back in the day." The adjacent fitness club "will include Cowboys-themed workouts." The private Cowboys Club "will offer views of team practices," and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Dance Studio "will be visible as well." One of the unique features is the Cowboys’ locker room, which "has curved walls in the shape of a football." Players’ lockers are "being custom-designed off site and will be brought in later." The players’ weight room "overlooks the two outdoor practice fields." Above the weight room "will be a rooftop turf connecting to coaches’ offices." Coaches "will be able to watch outdoor practices from higher ground or demonstrate plays on their mini field." The Cowboys will also "have a war room outfitted with the latest technology for tracking the draft." Outside the room "will be a display highlighting some of the team’s former draft picks and the history of player contracts." There is even "talk of hosting draft-day events for the public in the stadium." Plans are in the works for "behind-the-scenes tours to show off a lot of these features at the Cowboys new home that’s set to open in August" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/16).

THE NEW STANDARD: In Dallas, Rick Gosselin wrote, "To say it's a mere practice facility woefully understates the enormity of the project." The Star is "what every NFL team must now copy to keep up with the Joneses." It is a vision that "weds a football team to a city, both its public and private sectors." The team's current facility at Valley Ranch "housed the Cowboys for 30 years and to this day remains functional." But Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones "needed more land and space to super-size his vision." Still, all that he is building in Frisco today is what late Cowboys President & GM Tex Schramm "envisioned for Valley Ranch" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/18).