Push to help fund Dallas Wings training site stirs urgency and debate

CBS News

29-05-2025

Women's sports are gaining momentum nationwide, and Dallas city leaders are investing millions to keep that momentum going.
With the WNBA's Dallas Wings set to relocate to downtown Dallas, the city is moving quickly to ensure top-tier facilities are ready -- though the timeline has shifted. The team's move to Memorial Auditorium, part of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center complex, has been delayed until 2027 due to overlapping construction and event planning.
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved $5.5 million for the design of an off-site training facility for the Wings. The facility is expected to cost between $48 million and $54 million. It will be located at 1200 N. Cockrell Hill Road in West Dallas, separate from the arena where the team will eventually play its home games.
Council divided over timing and transparency
UNCASVILLE, CT - MAY 27: Connecticut Sun guard Saniya Rivers (22) defended by Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) during the WNBA game between Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun on May 27, 2025, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
While most council members expressed strong support for the Wings' move, some raised concerns about the speed of the process and the lack of public information about the facility's cost and location.
"We are very much in support of the Wings," Council member Chad West said. "Just an issue we have to work through today."
Council member Paul Ridley questioned the need for a separate training facility, asking, "Can you tell us why they need a practice facility? To practice as well as to play games?"
City staff explained that the new convention center complex, which includes Memorial Arena, does not have enough space to accommodate the promised training facility. The vote on Wednesday was strictly to approve additional design funding.
A delay could derail the timeline
Despite calls to delay the vote for two weeks to allow more public input, the motion to postpone failed. Several council members warned that even a short delay could jeopardize the project's timeline.
"It's very rare to be able to go at this kind of speed," council member Omar Narvaez said. "If any of my colleagues think that two weeks is not a big deal, it is a big deal. Those two weeks could delay everything. The Dallas Wings have to be ready and practicing by April 2026."
City Manager Kimberly Tolbert echoed that urgency.
"We are already in the month of May, less than a year to get design completed ... and for them to be able to move in," Tolbert said. "We don't want to be back in front of the city council explaining why we could not keep the project on track."
A vision for Dallas as a sports city
Despite the concerns, the council ultimately voted to move forward with the additional funding. Leaders emphasized the importance of positioning Dallas as a premier destination for professional sports.
"If we are going to act and be the sports city," Council member Zarin Gracey said, "... we definitely need to keep this moving."
City officials also addressed rumors of a delay in the Wings' move to Dallas, stating that the current plan remains on track to welcome the team in 2026.