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[Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention on January 13, 2026.]
THIS MEETING OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON PROFESSIONAL SPORTS RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION TO ORDER.WE ARE, UH, HAPPY TO HAVE EVERYBODY BACK.
WE GOT SOME FUN PRESENTATIONS TODAY, AND WE, WE, I LOVE IT WHEN WE GET GIFTS ON THIS, THIS ONLY COMMITTEE, YOU GET GIFTS EVERY, EVERY MONTH.
UH, FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE MINUTES FROM NOVEMBER 17TH, 2025.
UH, NEXT WE'RE GONNA SKIP BRIEFING ITEM A, 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES ON A VIDEO THAT, UM, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET SHOWN.
AND WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE DALLAS.
DO WE HAVE THE DALLAS PULSE HERE? DALLAS PULSE.
UH, DALLAS PULSE, UH, PRESENTATION.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME ON DOWN? UH, PROBABLY RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE WOULD BE GOOD.
AND THEN JUST WHEN YOU GET IN FRONT OF THE MIC, JUST INTRODUCE YOURSELF, YOUR NAME AND WHO YOU'RE WITH, AND, UM, WE'LL GO FROM THERE.
AND WE CAN SEE YOUR PRESENTATION, BY THE WAY.
NO, I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA HIT THE BUTTONS NOW.
UM, FIRST OFF, MY NAME'S GRADY RASKIN.
I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE DALLAS PULSE.
UH, I'M A DALLAS NATIVE, 30 YEARS OF SPORTS IN THE DFW COMMUNITY.
UH, STARTED WITH THE TEXAS RANGERS, DALLAS STARS, AND THEN I STARTED THE DALLAS RENEGADES, THE FIRST ITERATION IN 2019.
SO THIS IS MY SECOND GO, I GUESS, AT A STARTUP SPORTS FRANCHISE.
UH, DALLAS PULSE, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT, IS, UH, WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL VOLLEYBALL.
UM, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE SPORT OF VOLLEYBALL.
WOMEN'S SPECIFICALLY, UM, IS, IS GLOBAL.
UM, THE US IS A LITTLE LATE TO THE, TO THE GAME.
UH, THERE ACTUALLY WAS A WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE IN THE 1980S, EARLY 1980S, AND WE JUST, UH, FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A DALLAS BELL TEAM.
SO WE WERE, UH, TRYING TO DO SOME HOMEWORK AND RESEARCH ON THAT.
BUT IT'S INTERESTING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, GLOBALLY, VOLLEYBALL'S MASSIVE, UM, ALL OF THE WOMEN THAT PLAY VOLLEYBALL, UM, UP UNTIL OUR LEAGUE, MAJOR LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL, UH, HAD TO GO OVERSEAS TO PLAY PROFESSIONALLY.
SO WE HAD ABOUT 300, 400, 300 TO 400 WOMEN THAT EITHER GRADUATED OR PLAYED COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL AND HAD TO GO OVERSEAS.
SO OUR PLAN AND OUR INITIATIVE IS TO GIVE, UH, US BORN WOMEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY, UM, PROFESSIONALLY IN THE UNITED STATES AND IN FRONT OF THEIR, THEIR, THEIR FANS AND THEIR CROWD.
AND AS EXCITING AS IT MAY SEEM TO GO TO TURKEY, OR TO GO TO GREECE, OR GO TO KOREA OR GO OVERSEAS, UM, THE FEEDBACK WE'VE GOTTEN IS OVER TIME, IT GETS A LITTLE BIT OLD, RIGHT? THEY DON'T SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE.
UM, SOME OF THE FACILITIES AREN'T AS NICE.
UM, AND, AND CERTAINLY IT'S NICE TO BE AROUND FRIENDS AND FAMILY MORE.
SO, UH, THE MAJOR LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL IS GOING INTO ITS THIRD SEASON.
UH, AND WE ARE AN EXPANSION FRANCHISE.
UH, WE ARE PLAYING UP IN FRISCO AT THE COMERICA CENTER.
UM, UH, IF YOU GUYS ARE, ARE WELL AWARE THAT THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF FACILITIES, UM, THAT ARE THE RIGHT SIZE, UM, FOR, FOR US.
UM, AND SO THAT WAS THE BEST SPOT FOR US.
CITY OF FRISCO, PUT SOME MONEY INTO IT.
SO, UM, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE CURRENTLY PLAYING, BUT WE ARE VERY PROUD TO REPRESENT THE DALLAS NAME.
UM, AND AS I MENTIONED, UM, IT'S WHERE I'M FROM, AND SO I'M EVEN MORE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE MORE THING JUST IN REGARDS TO WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL, IF YOU'RE NOT WATCHING ON, UH, NCAA VOLLEYBALL IS IN WHAT I CALL A MAJOR RENAISSANCE.
UH, RATINGS ATTENDANCE IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH.
AND IF YOU FOLLOW SPORTS AT ALL, YOU, YOU KNOW, ESPN IS PROBABLY THE LARGEST OR ONE OF THE LARGEST SPORTS BROADCASTERS, UM, OUT THERE IN THE NATION.
AND WHEN NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL IS BEING BROADCAST ON ESPN, NOT ESPN PLUS, OR ONE OR SEVEN OR 12, OR HOW MANY DIFFERENT ONES THAT THEY HAVE, UH, BUT THIS, THIS LAST, WE CALL IT LIKE NCAA BASKETBALL HAS THE SWEET 16.
OBVIOUSLY VOLLEYBALL HAS A SIMILAR THING.
IT'S THEIR CHAMPIONSHIP RUN, AND THEY SET ALL TYPE OF RATINGS FOR, UH, FOR ESPN AND FOR THE NATION.
SO, UM, UH, UH, NCAA WOMEN'S GYMS ARE SELLING OUT.
SO THEY WERE, SOME PEOPLE ARE BUILDING NEW ONES AND BIGGER ONES.
AND SO, UH, WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE ONE THAT'S HAVING TROUBLE, THAT BEING, BEING SHOWN, BUT, UM, HAPPY TO, TO NOT BORE ANYBODY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WALKING THROUGH PRESENTATION.
AND I'M NOT SURE HOW TO USE THIS, SO I'LL LOOK AT THAT.
BUT LET'S GO AHEAD AND JUST DO THE POWERPOINT AND THEN IF WE CAN TRY THE VIDEO AT THE END.
UM, SO AGAIN, I I, I'LL PAUSE FOR A SECOND IF THERE'S ANY IMMEDIATE QUESTIONS,
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AND THEN MOST OF THIS STUFF IS A LOT OF THE REPETITION OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I JUST SPOKE ABOUT.BUT, UM, I'M REALLY HERE JUST TO, TO SUPPORT, UH, WOMEN'S SPORTS.
UM, UH, WE HAVE GOTTEN TOGETHER WITH THE TRINITY AND THE WINGS, AND WE, WE ARE TRYING TO BE KIND OF THAT LITTLE SUPPORTIVE GROUP.
AND, UH, I'M LEARNING FROM THEM.
UH, I, I GUESS I SHOULD MENTION ADDITIONALLY THAT WE DID HAVE OUR FIRST AND MATCH ON SATURDAY.
UH, WE, WE STARTED, ACTUALLY, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR TWO YEARS.
UH, I WAS A, I, AFTER THE XFL SHUT DOWN DUE TO COVID, UH, I BECAME A CONSULTANT WORKING WITH EMERGING SPORTS, WORKING WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES THAT WANTED TO GET INTO SPORTS.
AND I RAN INTO THE MAJOR LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL FOUNDERS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO, AND TWO YEARS AGO, FOUND THE DALLAS FRANCHISE GROUP.
AND THEN FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, I'VE BEEN WORKING AS A CONSULTANT WITH THEM TO HELP THEM BUILD THEIR BUSINESS PLAN AND, AND ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS, USE MY RELATIONSHIPS TO TRY TO HELP THEM HAVE A, A STRONG BUSINESS MODEL.
SO WE LAUNCHED ON SATURDAY NIGHT, WE, WE DID LOSE, UH, BUT IT WAS VERY COMPETITIVE AND, UM, THE CROWD WAS VERY SUPPORTIVE.
UM, WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL OR GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL IN THE UNITED STATES IS ONE OF THE TOP TEAM SPORTS FOR GIRLS.
UH, IT, IT IS, IT'S, UH, AND, AND IN DALLAS, THERE'S, THERE'S OVER 140 CLUB TEAMS IN THE NORTH TEXAS AREA.
UM, AND THERE'S, THERE'S ABOUT, UH, OVER 10,000, 14,000 REGISTERED GIRLS FOR THE NORTH TEXAS REGION.
UM, SO PEOPLE, PEOPLE KNOW THAT DALLAS IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST, UH, COMMUNITIES FOR CLUB VOLLEYBALL.
HIGH SCHOOL PARTICIPATORY RATE IS TOP.
UM, AND IF, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS, FIVE, UM, TEXAS UNIVERSITIES WERE IN THE TOP 20 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND THAT'S TEXAS, TEXAS A AND M, BAYLOR, SMU.
AND, UM, T-C-U-S-M-U HAD ONE OF THEIR BEST SEASONS, UNFORTUNATELY, THEY LOST IN, IN, IN THEIR, THEIR SECOND, SECOND MATCH.
UH, BUT THEY, THEY'RE, YOU CAN'T GET A TICKET FOR THEIR, THEIR PLAYOFF RUN.
YOU COULDN'T GET A TICKET IN THERE.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, TEXAS A AND M1.
UM, AND THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A SHOCKER BECAUSE THEY BUILT BEAT SOME REALLY, REALLY STRONG TEAMS. UM, SO, UM, SO YEAH.
SO MOVING INTO THIS, AND AGAIN, DO YOU NEED SOME HELP WITH THE SLIDES? YEAH, I'M NOT THE SMARTEST GUY IN THE WORLD, SO I'LL JUST TELL YOU.
YEAH, IF YOU JUST WANT TO KIND OF, WE CAN JUST PEEL THROUGH THIS A LITTLE BIT.
UM, AND, AND SO AGAIN, ABOUT, ABOUT OUR LEAGUE, THERE ARE EIGHT TEAMS. WE ARE AN EXPANSION FRANCHISE TO MAKE EIGHT.
UM, AND, AND THERE ARE, IT SAYS TWO MORE FRANCHISES BASED HERE IN 2027, NOT HERE, I'M SORRY, IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT WE COULD UP UP TO FOUR.
UH, THE, THE MINNESOTA WILD, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THAT HOCKEY TEAM, THEY JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THAT OWNERSHIP GROUP IS GOING TO HAVE A TEAM IN MINNESOTA.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN LA GROUP, UH, A JACKSONVILLE GROUP, AND THEN POTENTIALLY DC GROUP.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO FROM EIGHT TO 12.
AND OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN FRANCHISES ARE GROWING, THAT TENDS TO SEE THAT THERE'S SOME POPULARITY AND POSITIVITY.
UH, AGAIN, AND THESE ARE ALSO, WHEN YOU'VE GOT THE CURRENT SPORTS OWNERS BUYING OTHER TEAMS, UH, I FEEL THAT IS A, A, A GOOD, UM, YOU KNOW, SHOWING THAT THEY SEE THAT THERE'S, THERE'S SOMETHING THERE.
UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
BUT 14 HOME GAMES, 14 AWAY GAMES, A UM, SEMI-FINAL AND A FINAL IN MAY.
UM, AND, AND THIS IS JUST SOME OF, OF, OF THE INFORMATION, UH, ABOUT OUR LEAGUE FROM LAST YEAR.
UM, AGAIN, JUST, JUST JUST BASIC NUMBERS THAT, UH, WE, WE, WE DO SPEND, UH, $1.2 MILLION ON OUR SALARY.
SO WE HAVE 16 PLAYERS, AND EACH OF THEM MAKE BETWEEN 35,000 AND $200,000, UH, THAT WILL CONTINUE TO RISE.
AND IT, IT HAS ALREADY RISEN, UH, FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS.
UH, BUT THIS, THIS IS THE TOP 1% OF THE 1%.
THEY ARE, THEY, THIS IS THEIR JOB.
THEY, THIS IS NOT, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'RE NOT, UH, DOING OTHER THINGS EXCEPT POTENTIALLY COACHING IN THE OFF SEASON.
UM, AND, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXCITED TO SAY THAT, THAT THIS IS, THIS IS PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL.
UM, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, YOU GUYS KNOW ALL OF THIS 'CAUSE THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.
BUT OBVIOUSLY DALLAS IS, IS A MASSIVE MARKET, UM, IN GENERAL.
AND THEN, AS YOU CAN SAY HERE, AS I MENTIONED, 14,000 REGISTERED GIRLS FOR USA VOLLEYBALL MEMBERS.
UH, WE ARE THIRD IN THE NATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL, AND THAT'S A PARTICIPATORY RATE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, STATEWIDE, IT, IT'S MASSIVE.
SO, UM, SOME OF THE DATA POINTS I ALREADY TOUCHED ON, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
WENT RIC CENTER KIND OF DISCUSSED THAT.
SO, UM, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH WOMEN'S SPORTS, IT IS GROWING, IT IS STRONGER.
UM, WE, WE, WE BELIEVE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, I BELIEVE I'M A SPONSORSHIP GUY BY NATURE.
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AND I HAVE LOTS OF RELATIONSHIPS, AND I KEEP TELLING THEM, UH, BRANDS HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING, SUPPORTING MEN'S SPORTS FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME, AND NOW THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT WOMEN'S BRANDS.SO WE HOPE BY SHOWING SOME OF, OF THE STATISTICS ABOUT HOW WOMEN'S SPORTS IS GROWING, UM, WE CAN TRY TO BALANCE THAT SHEET OF, UH, THE SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS.
UH, OBVIOUSLY WEIGHS MUCH HEAVIER TOWARDS MEN'S SPORTS, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO TO, TO CHANGING THAT UP.
OUR PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE, I BELIEVE IS, IS, IS A REALLY, REALLY STRONG PERSON AS WELL AS AN ATHLETE.
THEY ARE SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY, THEY ARE INTELLIGENT, THEY CARE ABOUT THEIR BRAND, UH, AND NOW THEY CARE ABOUT OUR BRAND.
SO WE DO FEEL THAT IF BRANDS GET INVOLVED WITH US, THEY WILL BE PROUD OF THE WOMEN THAT ARE PLAYING ON OUR COURT.
UM, AND THEY MAY HAVE SOME INTEREST IN UTILIZING THEM OUTSIDE TO SUPPORT THEIR BRAND.
UM, AND I, AND I, I HAD SOME FRIENDS THAT THAT SHOWED UP TO OUR MATCH ON SATURDAY, AND, UH, THEY ALL WERE VERY IMPRESSED BY, UM, THEIR SPEED, UH, THEIR ABILITY TO JUMP, UM, THEIR, THEIR STRENGTH, UM, AND THEIR SIZE.
I MEAN, OUR TALLEST PLAYER IS SIX FOOT SEVEN.
UM, OUR SHORTEST PLAYER, SHE, I THINK SHE'S PROBABLY FIVE FIVE.
BUT, UH, OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY HAS A ROLE TO PLAY, BUT, UH, VERY, VERY STRONG PLAYERS.
UM, AND, AND THIS, THIS IS JUST WHY WE CAME UP WITH THE DALLAS PULSE.
AGAIN, I'M, I'M BORN AND BRED HERE.
I'M VERY DALLAS PROUD AND ALWAYS SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, DALLAS IS DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS AND, UH, NOT TO, AND THAT'S WHERE WE KIND OF CAME UP WITH, WELL, WHAT, WHAT CAN WE DO THAT ASSOCIATES WITH HEART, UM, WITH PASSION, WITH ENERGY? AND, AND SO WE CAME UP WITH, WITH THE DALLAS PULSE.
SO, UM, SO THAT IS, UM, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THE, THE NAME CAME FROM.
AND YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
AND, AND SOME OF THE, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THINGS THAT I MENTIONED, THE HEART, THE ELECTRICITY, WE ARE PROUD OF DALLAS, AND WE DO ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN'S SPORTS.
SO THESE, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE ON, ON THIS ONE.
TRY TO KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET.
UM, BUT AGAIN, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW I, I I, AND, UH, IF WE GET THAT VIDEO UP AND RUNNING, IT WAS JUST OUR REVEAL, UH, VIDEO TO SHOW KIND OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE ABOUT.
UM, AND IF NOT, THEN, UM, DO WE, HAVE WE HAVE ANY LUCK ON THE VIDEO? WE DON'T HAVE ANY LUCK ON THAT ONE.
I THINK IT WILL BE OKAY IF YOU WANT TO SEND IT TO US SURE.
IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST A, IT WAS A, WHEN WE DID OUR REVEAL, WE JUST, WE RAN A VIDEO.
MANY TEAMS DO IT, AND IT WAS JUST SOMETHING TO SHOW IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT, UH, SUPER IMPORTANT, BUT JUST WELL, NO, WE ARE HAPPY TO PUSH IT AROUND SURE.
AFTER, YOU KNOW, AFTER TODAY, WE'LL GET IT OUT TO EVERYBODY.
I WANNA THANK YOU, GRADY, FOR BEING HERE AND FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COME HERE.
I WANNA ALSO THANK CALVERT COL.
COLLINS BRATTON, WHO ACTUALLY MADE THE INTRODUCTION FOR ME WITH, WITH YOUR TEAM AND WHEN WE DID THE ZOOM CALL AND FOR MAKING THE SUGGESTION THAT WE, WE, UH, CONNECT WITH YOU GUYS.
I'M, I MEAN, YOU ARE AT DALLAS'S, UH, PROFESSIONAL VOLLEYBALL TEAM ON THE ECONOMICS, UH, PIECE I THINK IS QUITE INTERESTING.
UH, I DID NOT KNOW, AS I TOLD YOU WHEN WE FIRST TALKED, THAT THIS WAS SUCH A BIG BUSINESS.
AND I THINK THAT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT PROFESSIONAL SPORTS IN THE CITY, WE GOTTA KEEP IN MIND THE ECONOMICS SURE OF IT, IN ADDITION TO ALL THE COOL STUFF, LIKE HOW IT'S IN, IN INFLUENCING YOUTH AND GETTING PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT THE SPORT AND GIVING UP PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY YOUNG WOMEN.
UM, CAN YOU TALK TO ME ON SLIDE THREE, YOU HAVE A LOT OF NUMBERS THERE ABOUT A TOTAL ATTENDANCE.
ARE YOU TRACKING LIKE THROUGH ZIP CODES OR WHAT HAVE YOU, PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING TO DALLAS FROM THESE OTHER CITIES, UH, TO SUPPORT THE TEAM? LIKE YES, OR TO, TO SUPPORT YOUR OPPOSITION, LIKE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TOURIST NUMBERS THAT WE CAN ANTICIPATE HERE? SURE.
WE, WE, WE, WE, WE CERTAINLY ARE DOING OUR BEST ON THAT.
UM, WE, WE HAVE, UM, WE, WE DO PARTNER WITH TICKETMASTER AND, AND WE'VE PARTNERED WITH A COUPLE OTHER TECHNOLOGIES WHERE, UH, WE TEND TO SEND OUT LINKS FOR PEOPLE TO, TO PURCHASE THEIR TICKET.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THROUGH THAT WE GET ZIP CODES.
UM, MOST IMPORTANTLY, UM, AND, AND, AND AGAIN, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OFF WHAT YOU'RE ASKING, BUT WE ARE PARTNERING WITH THE VICTORY PLUS, WHICH IS, UH, WHERE THE DALLAS, UH, STARS AND THE TEXAS RANGERS, UH, CURRENTLY, UM, ARE, HAVE, HAVE THEIR BROADCAST, IT WON'T BE ALL OUR GAMES.
IT'LL BE ABOUT, UH, UH, MORE THAN HALF.
BUT, UH, WE HAVE NATIONAL BROADCAST AND THEN WE'LL HAVE OUR, WHAT WE CALL OUR LOCAL ON VICTORY PLUS.
UH, THE GREAT THING ABOUT THAT IS WE WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEE ZIP CODE'S, NAME FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, AND EMAIL.
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UM, AND SO WE WILL HAVE A GENERAL IDEA OF WHO'S WATCHING.WE'LL KNOW HOW LONG THEY'RE WATCHING, HOW OFTEN THEY'RE WATCHING.
WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THEM AND WE'LL TALK TO THEM.
AND SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT, WE'LL HAVE A REALLY GOOD IDEA OF WHO'S COMING IN.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE HAD A PRETTY NICE SIZED, UM, WE PLAYED INDIE IGNITE FROM INDIANAPOLIS, AND THEY, THEY REALLY SHOWED UP, UM, AGAIN, WAS IT 150 PEOPLE? PROBABLY, BUT STILL, WHEN DO YOU GET 150 IN ONE SECTION? AND THEIR TEAM WINS.
SO, UM, WE ARE DOING THE BEST.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO'S IN YOUR ARENA OR IN YOUR STADIUM, UM, YOU'RE NOT DOING, UM, THE BEST FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION.
SO, UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK THOSE TYPE OF THINGS AND, AND I'LL HAVE MORE CLARITY ON THAT THE, THE FURTHER WE GET ALONG IN THE SEASON.
I THINK AS WE CONTINUE TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT, IN MY MIND, HOPEFULLY BRINGING YOU INTO THE CITY LIMITS OF DALLAS SOMEWHERE.
UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE NUMBERS ARE GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT 'CAUSE THEY, YEAH, WE'VE GOTTA JUSTIFY TO OUR TAXPAYERS, YOU KNOW, THE EXPENDITURES WE WOULD MAKE TO TRY TO BRING YOU HERE.
SO WITH THAT IN MIND, I KNOW ROBIN WILL, WILL CAUTION ME TO NOT START NEGOTIATING UP HERE, AND I'M NOT GOING TO, BUT I DO WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR FACILITY REQUIREMENTS ARE.
UM, SO I SEE THAT YOU'RE PLAYING AT COMERICA, YOU SAID IT'S IN FRISCO, OF COURSE, I'VE BEEN THERE.
5,500 SEAT ARENA, YOU'VE GOT THAT ON SLIDE SIX.
UM, WHAT IS IT THAT, LIKE, WHAT IS AN ADEQUATE OR A GOOD FACILITY FOR YOU? LIKE, WHAT DO YOU NEED IN A FACILITY? YEAH, I, I THINK ULTIMATELY THAT'S WAY TOO SMALL FOR US.
I MEAN, WE JUST GOT STARTED, WE'VE BEEN SELLING TICKETS FOR LESS THAN A MONTH AND WE GOT ALMOST 4,000 PEOPLE IN THAT ARENA.
UM, AND SO WE KNOW THE DEMAND WILL BE THERE.
WE FEEL THE DEMAND WILL BE THERE.
NOW THAT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OPTIMISTIC, BUT NO ONE HAS EVER ACCUSED ME OF NOT BEING THAT.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE AN 8,000 TO, TO 12,000 SEAT FACILITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE, THE PARKING SITUATION FOR ANY, ANY, ANY SPORTS TEAM IS, IS CRITICAL.
UM, WHAT WE HAVE UP THERE JUST FROM THE FIRST MATCH, UH, WAS, WAS VERY PROBLEMATIC.
THEY HAVE TWO PARKING GARAGES AND PEOPLE WERE, IT WAS TAKING PEOPLE 20, 30 MINUTES TO GET IN THERE.
AND THAT'S WITH THREE 4,000 PEOPLE.
SO WE'RE A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT HOW THAT IS GOING TO GROW.
UM, I'M, I'M A BIG FAN FIRST PERSON AND BELIEVE THAT WE'VE GOTTA SET IT UP SO IT IS AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR FANS TO GET IN AND GET OUT.
UM, ALSO UNDERSTANDING, AGAIN, BEING IN THE DALLAS COMMUNITY IN THE SPORTS LANDSCAPE, FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE DALLAS FANS TEND TO TRY TO GET THERE AT, UM, 6 59 FOR A SEVEN O'CLOCK START AND EXPECT TO BE IN THEIR SEAT BY 7 0 2.
UM, AND, AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT JUST IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY.
WE HAVE TRIED OVER THE YEARS WITH THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS I'VE BEEN BEEN WITH TO TRY TO CONDITION OUR FANS TO GET THERE EARLY.
AND IT IS JUST, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU OPEN YOUR GATES AN HOUR AND A HALF BEFORE GATE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING FOR THE FANS TO DO.
AND TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT WITHOUT SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY, UM, IS A BIT OF A CHALLENGE.
SO, UH, THOSE ARE THE FIRST TWO THINGS THAT COME, THAT COMES TO IT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY, UM, WE, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP.
WE DO WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHARE IN, UH, THE PARKING AND, AND THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE IF WE CAN, BECAUSE WE, WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A REV SHARE WITH THE COMERICA CENTER PEOPLE.
UM, BUT, BUT YEAH, I MEAN, JUST THE BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO SERVE OUR FAN AND TO, AND TO INCREASE OUR REVENUE IS, IS WHAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR.
I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION, THEN I'LL START TO MY FAR LEFT AND WORK SURE.
TO THE RIGHT, UM, WITH MY COLLEAGUES.
SO CAN ON A FACILITY, IS IT COMMON IN THE PROFESSIONAL VOLLEYBALL FOR SPORTS TO SHARE LIKE, LIKE A VOLLEYBALL FACILITY WOULD SHARE WITH A BASKETBALL FACILITY, FOR EXAMPLE? IS THAT COMMON? SO I, I WOULD LISTEN.
I, I THINK THAT, UH, US PARTNERING WITH, WITH THE WINGS TO BE IN THE SAME FACILITY PROBABLY MAKES SOME SENSE.
I MEAN, IF WE CAN, IF WE'RE GONNA COME TOGETHER AS A PRO, WOMEN SUPPORT SPORTS, AND, UM, BUT YES, I MEAN, LISTEN, WE SHARE A, A, A FACILITY WITH THE MAVERICKS G LEAGUE RIGHT NOW.
UM, ALL OF OUR TEAMS ARE TENANTS.
UH, NONE OF US OWN OUR FACILITY.
UM, IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTROL OF, OF WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL NOVEMBER UNTIL OUR SCHEDULE COMES OUT, WHICH FROM A TICKET SALES PERSPECTIVE, IF YOU'RE PLAYING IN JANUARY AS A CHALLENGE.
WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE SHARING, UM, IS THERE A POINT WHERE WE SEE WE HAVE OUR OWN FACILITY? I, I'M NOT SURE.
UM, BUT, UM, I THINK THAT WE, WE WILL BE SHARING WITH SOMEBODY, UM, LET ALONE OBVIOUSLY IF IT'S ANOTHER FEMALE SPORTS TEAM, THAT WOULD SEEM TO MAKE SOME SENSE.
AND THEN HOW LONG IS YOUR, UH, COMMITMENT TWO TO STAY FRISCO? TWO YEARS, TWO MORE YEARS? TWO, WELL, THIS YEAR AND NEXT.
WE PURPOSE, WE PURPOSELY FEEL THAT AFTER TWO YEARS IT'S GONNA BE TOO SMALL FOR US.
UM, AND, UH, AND, AND I'LL, I'LL, I'LL BE HONEST, OUR TICKET IS NOT CHEAP.
UM, OF COURSE YOU CAN SAY THAT ALL YOU WANT, BUT IF PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO PAY THAT, THEN IT
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MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT HARDER.SO WE FEEL IF WE HAVE A BIGGER ARENA, WE CAN HAVE A LARGER AMOUNT OF, UH, LESS LESSER EXPENSIVE TICKETS.
UM, SO THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL AS WELL.
COUNCIL MEMBER, GINA? YEAH, SO THAT'S ACTUALLY A GREAT QUESTION.
SO WHAT IS AN AVERAGE TICKET PRICE FOR THIS? UH, OUR AVERAGE TICKET TICKET PRICE BASED ON OUR, OUR GATE.
SO INDIVIDUAL TICKET PRICE IS, IS 40, CALL IT $45.
AND THEN, UM, WHEN DOES THE SEASON RUN? SO IT'S, IT'S STARTED ON SATURDAY, SO IT'S EARLY JANUARY TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS MAY 11 OR 11, 12, 13, WHATEVER THAT, UH, SAT, UH, WHATEVER THAT WEEKEND IS.
WELL, I, I KNOW SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT PLAY PROFESSIONAL, UH, VOLLEYBALL, SO THIS IS SO GREAT TO HAVE ANOTHER SPORT TO BRING FOR OUR WOMEN'S, UM, TO PLAY IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING THIS.
OKAY, SO I DO HAVE A QUESTION ON YOUR DATA.
HOW MANY CAME TO YOUR FIRST GAME? WE HAD 3,400, UM, TICKETS OUT, 3,400 TICKETS OUT UHHUH WERE SOLD, UH, UH, BETWEEN COMPS AND, AND SOLD? YES.
AND USUALLY WHAT'S YOUR RATIO TO COMP TO BUY? WELL, THAT WAS OUR FIRST MATCH, SO I DON'T REALLY HAVE A GOOD ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
MY MY GOAL IS NOT TO COMP, BUT, BUT FOR THE, THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN WAS, I, I HATE TO BORE PEOPLE, BUT IT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A MERCHANT ID TO BE ABLE TO SELL A TICKET AND YOU GET THAT THROUGH A BANK.
UH, I STARTED REALLY, I WAS HIRED FULL-TIME IN JUNE AND IT TOOK ME FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS TO GET THAT MERCHANT ID.
SO WE COULDN'T SELL OUR FIRST TICKET UNTIL DECEMBER 2ND.
SO, UM, I, I WOULD SAY WE WOULD WANT A, YOU KNOW, 10, 15% AT MOST, UH, UH, COMP, UH, PERCENTAGE.
BUT, UM, THAT WON'T, PROBABLY WON'T BE TILL MIDDLE OF THE SEASON UNTIL WE REALLY GET ROLLING ON OUR TICKET SALES.
AND, UM, SO WHAT, YOU'VE LISTED THE FOUR BULLET ITEMS, UM, THE 5,500 SEAT MM-HMM
NEWLY REMODELED SOUND SYSTEM AND SUITE AND PRIVATE, THOSE ARE PROBABLY THINGS THAT YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR, CORRECT? YES.
I THINK, I THINK BECAUSE OF OUR FAN, UM, THE VOLLEYBALL FAN I THINK EXPECTS THOSE TYPE OF THINGS.
EXPECTS FIRST CLASS FACILITIES EXPECTS THE ABILITY TO HAVE, UH, PREMIUM PRODUCTS.
WHAT, WHAT I'VE SEEN OVER MY CAREER IS THAT PEOPLE BUY THE REALLY, REALLY GOOD STUFF, OR THEY BUY THE REALLY, REALLY CHEAP STUFF, AND THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE IS REALLY, REALLY HARD TO SELL.
UM, SO THE SUITES, AND WE HAVE COURT SIDE TABLES, WE HAVE, UH, COURT SEATS THAT, THAT REALLY SOLD FIRST, AND THEN THE MIDDLE, YOU KNOW, THE 50, 60, $70 SEAT WAS VERY, VERY HARD TO SELL.
BUT, UM, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S JUST THE WAY IT SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR, UM, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE, UM, THE, THE, THE INTEREST IN DALLAS.
UH, WHEN YOU, YOU SAYING THAT IT'S A POSSIBILITY THAT IT, IT MAY BE A, A POSSIBILITY THAT YOU SHARE THE FACILITY WITH, WITH THE WINGS, IF THAT, WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? WELL, I MEAN, I THINK IT WOULD BE SIMILAR TO THE, THE WHAT WE, HOW WE SHARE THE COMERICA CENTER WITH, UH, THE G LEAGUE, EXCEPT THE FACT THAT I FEEL THAT, UH, GREG OVER THERE IS, WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT, UH, I, I JUST THINK THERE WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COHESION AND, AND THE ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER.
I, I'M A, I'M A BELIEVER THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA WORK TOGETHER WITH EVERYBODY TO, TO HELP EACH OTHER OUT.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY NOT IN COMPETITIVE NATURE.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE HAVE A SUBSET OF MONEY THAT THEY COULD SPEND ON TICKETS, BUT IF THEY WANNA SEE BASKETBALL, THEY CAN GO SEE THEM.
IF THEY WANNA SEE VOLLEYBALL, THEY CAN SEE US.
SO, UH, I THINK THAT'S JUST THE HARDEST PART IS UNDERSTANDING THEIR SCHEDULE VERSUS OURS.
UM, CLEARLY EVERYBODY WANTS WEEKEND MATCHES AND WE'RE NO DIFFERENT, SO IT WOULD JUST BE SOMETHING WHERE WE WOULD HAVE TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SOME, UH, YOU KNOW, ABILITY TO SECURE SOME GOOD, UH, DATES AND, AND WORK WITH THEM IN, IN A POSITIVE NATURE TO TRY, TRY TO HELP GROW BOTH SPORTS.
YOU ALSO TALKED ABOUT NEEDING BETTER PARKING.
UM, SO YOU'RE, ARE YOU LOOKING, WELL, YOU ARE, HOW MANY PARKING STALLS DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU USE, UM, WHERE YOU ARE TODAY? SO DO YOU NEED PARKING? UH, WHAT IS IT YOU GUYS, UH, FOR 2000, UH, RESIDENTS OR 2000 PEOPLE TO COME IN IT? UH, UH, I WILL, I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER ON QUANTITY BECAUSE WE'RE STILL FIGURING ALL THAT OUT.
I THINK, UH, HAVING PARKING, BUT HAVING THE STRATEGY OF GETTING PEOPLE IN AND OUT, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT.
[00:25:01]
THE PARKING SPACES.I WILL TELL YOU THE COMERICA CENTER HAS TWO PARKING GARAGES.
THE PROBLEM IS, IS IT GETS BOTTLENECKED REALLY QUICKLY BECAUSE OUR STRATEGY'S NOT GOOD.
AND, AND I'M, I'M THE FIRST ONE TO STAND UP AND SAY, WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB, AND I'M CAN HELP THEM DO THAT.
SO IT'S REALLY JUST AN ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND ATTENTION TO FIGURE OUT HOW CAN WE MAKE THAT BETTER.
AND I THINK OVER TIME WE'LL HAVE SOME, SOME THOUGHTS ON THAT, AND WE'LL CERTAINLY TALK TO OUR OTHER SPORTS FANS TO, TO HOW TO MAKE THINGS A LITTLE BIT BETTER AND STRONGER.
SO YOU SAID THAT WHEN, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO, TO EDUCATE YOUR FANS TO COME IN EARLIER SO THAT THEY'RE THERE FOR THE START.
SO, UM, IF YOU COULD GET THEM IN FASTER, UM, YOU WOULD NOT NEED SO MUCH, SO MANY THINGS FOR THEM TO DO WHILE WAITING.
SO MY BELIEF IS YOU GOTTA ENTERTAIN A FAN ALL THE TIME.
SO IF YOU OPEN YOUR GATE, THERE'S GOTTA BE SOMETHING TO DO.
THERE'S JUST, THERE'S SO MUCH MERCHANDISE THEY CAN BUY.
THERE'S SO MUCH FOOD THAT THEY CAN BUY.
SO MY HOPE IS THAT AS WE GET A LITTLE BIT MORE MATURE, WE WILL HAVE THINGS FOR THEM TO DO.
BUT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT OPENING A HALF AN HOUR EARLIER RIGHT NOW.
WE JUST O OPENED AN HOUR EARLIER AND WE'RE, WE'RE CONTEMPLATING OPENING A HALF HOUR EARLIER.
BUT THEY STILL HAVE TO COME EARLY.
THEY CAN'T, WE CAN'T JUST HAVE GATES OPEN.
SO MY, THAT WOULD BE MORE ON US TO, TO PROGRAM IT WITH SPONSORS AND WITH SOME FUN THINGS TO DO.
UM, AND IT, WE DID THIS WITH, WITH DALLAS RENEGADES.
WE, BEFORE THE GATES OPENED, WE HAD STUFF OUTSIDE.
NOW THEY HAD A LOT OF SPACE OUTSIDE, UM, IN THE OLD BALLPARK WHERE WE PLAYED IN ARLINGTON AND, BUT WE HAD FORMER NFL PLAYERS COME AND DO Q AND AS.
WE HAD BANDS OUT THERE, WE HAD A LOT OF THINGS FOR PEOPLE TO DO.
UM, BUT GIVEN THE SPACE, IT JUST MADE A LOT MORE SENSE.
BUT THAT'S MY VISION, BUT THAT'S MORE ON US.
IT'S JUST ONCE WE GET THE, IT'S, IT IS THE, THE, THE HAVING THE SPACES.
BUT, UM, I WOULDN'T LOOK FOR ANYBODY ELSE TO HAVE TO ENTERTAIN MY FAN OTHER THAN WHAT I NEED TO DO ACCOMPLISH.
AND THE LAST THING YOU SAID THE SALARY RANGE STARTED FROM 35,000 TO UPWARD 200, 200,000.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THE PERCENTAGE OF, OF PLAYERS THAT ARE AT 35,000 AND HOW LONG DO THEY STAY AT THAT RATE OF PAY BEFORE THEY MOVE UP? SINCE YOU'RE SAYING THIS IS A FULL-TIME JOB? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, YOU'RE, NONE OF YOUR STARTERS, ALL OF THEM MAKE WELL INTO, YOU KNOW, ARE, YOU KNOW, YOUR SIX, SEVEN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, I BET YOU, BOY, I WISH I HAD THAT IN FRONT OF ME.
I, I'D SAY WE PROBABLY HAVE SIX OR SEVEN AT THAT.
AND A LOT OF 'EM ARE, A COUPLE OF THESE PLAYERS ARE, ARE, WOULD NOT BE PLAYING VOLLEYBALL AND THEY CERTAINLY WOULDN'T BE MAKING $35,000.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AS THEY SHOW THEIR WORTH, THEY, THEY DO MAKE SOME MORE.
UM, BUT, UH, IT, IT IS A, UH, TOP HEAVY, UM, UH, SITUATION WHERE THE BEST PLAYERS DO MAKE THE MOST MONEY AND THEN YOU GOTTA FILL IN YOUR ROSTER.
SO, UM, YOU TEND TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE LOWER END THAN YOU DO TO THE HIGH END.
COUNCIL MEMBER RIDLEY, OR CHAIRMAN RIDLEY, THE CHAIR HAS ALREADY ASKED MY QUESTIONS, SO I'LL PASS.
AND, UH, WE WILL, UH, CIRCULATE THE VIDEO IF YOU WANNA SEND ME LINK.
WHEN I'VE HEARD FROM, UH, CITY MANAGER BENTLEY THAT WE HAD THE VIDEOS READY, WE'RE READY TO SHOW THE VIDEO.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE CRICKET NEXT.
UM, AND WE'LL GO, LET'S GET THAT VIDEO.
DO YOU WANNA START WITH THE VIDEO? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
WE WANNA START WITH THE VIDEO.
YOU WANT ME TO ASK
WE'RE MAKING CRICKET BIGGER IN AMERICA WITH NINE INCREDIBLE FIRSTS.
WE'RE THE FIRST TO USE HAWKEYE IN THE NASCENT 60 BALL FORMAT AND THE FIRST TO ANNOUNCE CRICKET SCHOLARSHIPS.
WE'RE BRINGING CRICKET INTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR SUMMER GAMES AND LAUNCHING SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS FOR THE FIRST TIME, PARTNERING WITH THE VA, POLICE AND HOSPITALS.
WE'RE GETTING EVERYONE INVOLVED.
WE'RE RAISING AWARENESS AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DURING TOURNAMENT AND TEAMING UP WITH THE AMERICAN RED CROSS FOR A GOOD CAUSE.
ATHLETES FROM FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, GOLF, AND NASCAR ARE JOINING.
AND THERE'S BOLLYWOOD ENTERTAINMENT EVERY DAY, ALL HAPPENING AT THE FIRST EVER PROFESSIONAL CRICKET LEAGUE ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, Y'ALL CAME OUT WITH WELCOME GIFTS.
SO I MEAN, WE EXPECT BIG THINGS FROM THIS GROUP.
NO, UH, GO, GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND TAKE IT FROM YOUR PLACE.
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU CHAIRMAN WEST FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
[00:30:01]
PUT, I AM HONORED TO SERVE ON DALLAS PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD, WHAT WITH WHAT HAPPENED TO MY COLLEAGUE LAST WEEK.I WANT TO GET THAT OUT OF THE WAY THAT I OFFICIALLY, AND I'M JOINED HERE BY MANISH, UH, ONE OF OUR CO-INVESTOR AND ALSO OWNER FOR THE ATLANTA TEAM, MARINI BASU.
YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HER WITH CHANNEL EIGHT, BUT SHE'S NOW OUR CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OF, OF AND ROHAN, WHO IS OUR OPERATIONS MANAGER.
WHAT YOU JUST SAW IS JUST A GLIMPSE OF SOMETHING WHICH, UH, IS, UH, THE FACTS PEOPLE ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH, WHICH ARE SPORTS, WHICH ORIGINATED IN AMERICA IN, UH, PENNSYLVANIA, UH, MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS BACK.
AND THEN, UH, UH, BRITISH EARTH TOOK IT.
AND THEN IT REALLY SPREAD ACROSS THE GLOBE, UH, IN MOST OF THE COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES.
AND TODAY IS THE SECOND MOST WATCHED SPORTS AFTER SOCCER IN THE WORLD WITH MORE THAN 1.2 BILLION FANS, WHICH IS THERE, UH, SORRY, 2.5 BILLION FANS, WHICH ARE THERE.
THE INTENSITY OF THE SPORTS, UH, REALLY IS, UH, AMAZING AND US HEAD OF WATERSHED MOVEMENT.
FEW YEARS BACK WHEN WORLD CUP, UH, TOURNAMENT WAS SPREAD BETWEEN USA AND THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, AND USA TEAM, UH, CREATED ONE OF THE BIGGEST SUBSETS, UH, BY DEFEATING ONE OF THE, UH, TOP TEAMS IN THE WORLD AND TOTALLY THE RENAISSANCE, UH, OF THE CRICKET.
AND THE EMERGENCE OF CRICKET HAS STARTED SINCE THEN.
AND THE GROWTH HAS BEEN SEEING WHAT YOU'RE SEEING TODAY, UH, TODAY, IF YOU SEE WHEN, WHENEVER, UH, IF I COMPARE IT WITH A BUSINESS, I THINK YOU COMPARE A BUSINESS, UH, YOU START WITH A BASE, UH, CUSTOMER, WHICH THERE IS A STRONG DIASPORA, AND I WON'T FORMALLY GO THROUGH THE DECKS, BUT A LOT OF IT HAS BEEN COVERED IN WHAT I'M SEEING.
SO CRICKET, UH, UH, WHICH IS FOLLOWS, UH, FROM THE DIASPORA OF INDIA, PAKISTAN, SRI LANKA, ENGLAND, AUSTRALIA.
THERE IS A VERY STRONG PRESENCE OF DIASPORA ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, OUR OBJECTIVE AND WAS THAT THIS IS THE MOST WATCHED SECOND MOST WATCHED SPORTS IN THE WORLD.
HOW DO WE MAKE IT AN AMERICAN SPORT? BECAUSE IF WE JUST BRING IT AS SOME SPORT, WHICH IS BEING A POPULAR IN FOREIGN COUNTRY, THEN THEN WE WON'T BE DOING THE PURPOSE.
AND THAT WAS THE FORMAT OF THE NEW FORMAT, WHICH, UH, NATIONAL CRICKET LEAGUE DID GIVEN, UH, GIVEN THE ATTENTION SPAN OF AMERICAN SPORTS LOVE TO BE 90 MINUTES TO TWO HOURS, THE FORMAT NATIONAL CRICKET LEAGUE WAS, DID EXACTLY, UH, OF A TWO HOUR FORMAT, WHICH, WHICH IS VERY FAST PACED AND WHICH APPEALS BECAUSE THAT HELPS, AND THEN COMPARE IT WITH A BATTEN BALL GAME, WHICH ACTUALLY IS FAMILIAR TO, UM, THE RULES ARE DIFFERENT.
BUT THE BASEBALL IS A BATTEN BALL GAME.
AND THAT'S WHAT, UH, UH, CRICKET IS A BATTEN BALL GAME.
AND WE USE THAT IN SOME OF OUR BRANDING, BRANDING, NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF, UH, UM, CALLING IT 60 STRIKES, BECAUSE STRIKES IS WHERE AMERICAN SPORTS LOVER CAN RELATE IT WITH THE BASEBALL.
BUT THE WAY WE DID THE BRANDING OF OUR TEAMS DALLAS TEAM WAS CALLED DALLAS LONE STARS ATLANTA.
WE PARTNERED WITH THE KINGS FOUNDATION AS ATLANTA KINGS HOUSTON JOURNAL.
SO WE TRIED TO MAKE IT THE BRANDING TO BE AS AMERICAN, AND WE SHOWN IT TO THE UNIFORMS AND ALL, DID OUR, UH, TWO SEASONS OF, UH, SECOND SEASON.
SO I CAN'T BELIEVE WHEN WE STARTED TALKING FEW YEARS BACK, IT WAS A STARTUP AND WE WERE STILL BEING QUESTIONED ABOUT THE, UH, THE CONCEPT AND IS IT VALID? AND NOW WE HAVE TWO SEASONS, UH, UH, BEHIND US.
AND, UH, ANOTHER UNIQUE THING WE DID WITH THE FORMAT IS I THINK, WHICH IS, UH, REALLY NOT UNIQUE, HOW THE TWO BIGGEST UNIFIER IN THE WORLD ARE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT.
WE BROUGHT ENTERTAINMENT INTO EVERY DAY OF OUR EVENT, SO PRETTY MUCH, YOU KNOW, WE CALLED IT, UH, CRICKET MEETS COACHELLA.
SO HOW DO WE MAKE IT WHERE THIS BECOMES AN EVENT WHERE YOU WOULD GATHER, MAKE IT A ONCE A YEAR PLAN WHERE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY OR THE WORLD, THEY MAKE IT, UH, A REASON TO COME HERE, USE THEIR TIME, HOW YOU WOULD GO TO COACHELLA, JUST, YOU KNOW, AND ENJOY THAT MUSIC EVENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE BRINGING STARS EVERY DAY OF IT.
AND THAT'S REALLY MAKING IT INTO A, UH, FAMILY EVENT.
UH, MOLLY, YOU WANT TO ADD SOMETHING HERE? NO, ACTUALLY YOU CAN HEAR ME.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S FUNNY, AS OUN TALKS ABOUT, COULD YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF FROM THERE? OH, I'M SO SORRY.
I'M THE CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER FOR THE NATIONAL CRICKET LEAGUE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY, AS HE TALKS ABOUT PEOPLE, UM, ACTUALLY JUST COMING TO WATCH THE SPORT, WE HAD A 73-YEAR-OLD WHO JUST RETIRED, HAD A CRICKET BIBLE WITH HIM.
LIKE HE'S SITTING THERE LEARNING THE GAME.
[00:35:01]
YOU KNOW, STUDENTS THAT CAME FROM THE SOUTH DALLAS AREA ALL ACROSS THE DFW AREA TO TEACH THEM CRICKET.A LOT OF THEM TRYING TO LEARN, I KNOW I JUMPED AHEAD OF HIM AND HE'S GONNA KILL ME, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE KIDS SEEING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY'RE LIKE, WAIT, WHAT IS THIS? LIKE, THEY'RE NOT SURE THEY'RE WATCHING IT IS THIS BASEBALL.
BUT WE LITERALLY, DURING LIVE, DURING THE GAME, WE TOOK THOSE KIDS TO A LITTLE EMPTY FIELD TO LEARN IT, AND THEY WERE SO ANXIOUS TO GET BACK BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO GO.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND I'LL LET ARUN TOUCH ON THIS AS WELL, BUT A LOT OF THESE PLAYERS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, HAVE MORE FOLLOWERS THAN THE PRESIDENT.
THIS IS HOW POPULAR THE SPORT IS.
UM, AND IN TERMS OF ARUN MENTIONING, LIKE PEOPLE COMING TO THE GAME, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE DEALS BEING MADE.
A LOT OF THESE FOLKS THAT ARE SHOWING UP, THEY'RE NOT JUST LIKE DOCTORS OR LAWYERS, THEY'RE INVESTORS BEHIND THE STANDS.
AND THESE GUYS ARE QUIETLY MAKING DEALS BEHIND THE SCENES.
THIS IS JUST A LITTLE GLIMPSE OF WHAT I WANTED TO SHARE, BUT I'LL TOSS IT BACK TO ARUN.
AND THEN SOMETHING WHICH MALINI BROUGHT UP A VERY, I THINK IF YOU SEE PART OF OUR ADVISORY BOARD, OUR CO-OWNERS, THEY ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN ATHLETES, UH, WHO ARE PART OF IT.
ONE OF OUR CO-OWNER, UH,
SO IF I COMPARE IT TO THE AMER AMERICAN ATHLETES, UH, TOM BRADY, TIGER WOODS, ALL OF THEM TOGETHER, AND HE COMBINES THAT, UH, TOGETHER SO THAT THAT REALLY BRINGS THE EXCITEMENT AND VALIDITY OF WHAT WE ARE DOING.
AND THIS IS THE ONLY, UH, CRICKET LEAGUE, WHICH HE HAS BEEN PART OF MONEY.
SHE HAS BEEN PART OF, UH, ORIGINAL INVESTOR OF IPL, WHICH IS THE MOST VALUABLE CRICKET LEAGUE, BUT ONE OF THE TOP THREE, UH, MOST VALUABLE LEAGUES IN THE, UH, WORLD TODAY IN WORLD OF SPORTS.
THE WAY THE GROWTH OF THAT GAME HAS, UH, HAPPENED.
AND NOW IF WE MOVE TO ONE MORE, UH, SLIDE TO THAT, UM, THE FORMAT I SPOKE ABOUT, THE NEXT ONE.
SO THIS REALLY SHOWS YOU ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHO, WHICH IS THE DIASPORA WHO FOLLOWS THE CRICKET AND WHAT THEIR PRE UH, PRESENCE IS.
AND IT'S, IT'S A, UH, VERY HIGH DEMOGRAPHIC DIASPORA.
NOW I'LL GIVE YOU ONE SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF THAT.
OF COURSE, THE QUESTION MIGHT BE, OKAY, THIS IS THE, UH, DIASPORA, WHICH ARE IMMIGRANTS, BUT HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, BRING IT, UH, TO THE MAINSTREAM SPORTS LOVER? AND THAT'S WHERE OUR EFFORT HAS BEEN TO.
AND I DID PASS OUT, UH, SOME INFORMATION ON THE COLLEGE AT CRICKET LEAGUE, WHICH IS, UH, NOT ON MY, SO WE SAID, HOW DO WE BRING IT THAT BY PROMOTING IT WITHIN THE COLLEGES AND HIGH SCHOOLS IN HIGH SCHOOL? YOU KNOW, WE HAD, UH, CAMPS IN DALLAS, UH, SCHOOL WHERE WE TOOK SOME OF OUR STARTS.
AND, YOU KNOW, KIDS TODAY, UH, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET INTO ANY GAME.
BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY ARE SEEING THE EXPOSURE THAT WHAT THE SPORTS CAN DO TO GIVE THEM THE GLOBAL EXPOSURE, THEY'RE GETTING EXCITED.
WHEN YOU SEE THOSE ATHLETES THEY COMING, IT'LL BE SURPRISING.
WE WENT TO, UH, WHICH SCHOOL? WE GOT? SOUTH DALLAS.
YEAH, FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT'S SCHOOL.
THE BIGGEST EXCITEMENT FOR KIDS WERE HAVING IS THE ATHLETE WE TOOK.
AND, UH, THEY SAID, OH, HOW MANY FOLLOWERS? HE HAS A HUNDRED MILLION FOLLOWERS.
SO THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT THAT ATTRACTED THEM TO THE GAME, AND QUITE A FEW OF THEM CAME TO THE TOURNAMENT.
AND NOW WE ARE PLANNING, UH, THE ACADEMY WITH DALLAS SCHOOL, UH, DISTRICT AS WELL, WITH SOME FORMAL ENGAGEMENT IN TERMS OF HOW THE SPORTS CAN BE PROMOTED.
SO WHY I DO WANNA CUT HIM OFF, BY THE WAY, WHILE WE'RE ON THAT SAME TOPIC.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WENT, WENT TO THAT SOUTH DALLAS SCHOOL, A LOT OF THOSE KIDS WERE IN TEARS BECAUSE THEY WERE LIKE, WAIT, HOW IS A PERSON LIKE BRIAN LARA, WHO IS LIKE BIGGER THAN THE MICHAEL JORDAN, BIGGER THAN THE TOM BRADY, DAK PRESCOTT, YOU NAME IT, HOW IS HE HERE TEACHING US CRICKET? 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE TYPE OF, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO TEACH THE GAME ALSO FOR A GRASSROOTS LEVEL.
THAT'S OUR BIGGEST GOAL, IS TO TEACH IT.
AND THESE KIDS WERE LITERALLY IN TEARS, LIKE, WOW, HE'S HERE TEACHING US THE GAME, AND THEY WERE REALLY INVESTED IN IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND ONE THING WE HAVEN'T MENTIONED YET IS THIS IS OBVIOUSLY COMING UP IN LA 28, THIS IS IN THE OLYMPICS.
SO THIS, YOU CAN SEE THE INTEREST IS REALLY, REALLY, UM, IT'S REALLY THERE.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE IOC AND ALL, THEY ARE SEEING THIS AS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE EXPOSURE BY EXPANDING THE VIEWERSHIP OF THE OLYMPICS, GIVEN THE VIEWERSHIP, WHICH CRICKET HAS TO EXPAND TO THOSE LEVEL.
THAT BRINGS ME TO THE NEXT SLIDE JUST TO TELL YOU.
UH, IF YOU SEE BY, IN OUR, UH, UH, LAST SEASON, UH, THE AMOUNT OF, I THINK WE ARE IN ESPN, WE WERE IN EVERY, WE WERE IN CANADA, WE WERE IN THE UK, WE WERE IN SKYPORT OF AUSTRALIA, A RY OF PAKISTAN, SONY GLOBALLY.
AT THE SAME TIME, ONE UNIQUE THING WE DID, WHICH IS WE FEEL IS THE FUTURE OF BROADCASTING IS, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS LEARNED FROM MY CORE BUSINESS IS GOING DIRECT TO THE CONSUMER AS THE
[00:40:01]
NCL APP, WITHOUT ANY SPENDING, ANY PROMOTIONAL MONEY.WE HAVE 1.4 MILLION DOWNLOADS WITH MORE THAN 6 MILLION PEOPLE DIRECTLY WATCHING ON OUR APP.
ANY, EVERY GAME, I THINK WE WOULD DO SOME INTERACTIVE QUESTIONS AND SESSIONS.
IN THE SINGLE POINT OF TIME, THERE WILL BE MORE THAN 70 TO 80,000 PEOPLE INTERACTING WITH US, WHICH WE ARE BUILDING ON THAT TECHNOLOGY, UH, MORE AND MORE BECAUSE WE FEEL THAT'S THE FUTURE.
JUST IN ONE YEAR, WE BECAME THE FOURTH MOST WATCHED LEAGUE IN THE WORLD, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, IN TERMS OF ACTUALLY OUR VIEWERSHIP WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, MORE THAN MAJOR LEAGUE, UH, SOCCER IN TERMS OF, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND NOW TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF IT, I'LL JUST GIVE ONE EXAMPLE.
ONE OF OUR, UH, SPONSORS WERE UT SOUTHWESTERN WHO REACHED OUT TO US, AND, UH, THEY ASKED US THAT, AND OF COURSE WE WOULD NOT SAY NO.
NEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT MADE YOU SPONSOR THIS UT SOUTHWESTERN WHERE HE, AND IT GAVE ME A VERY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE.
HE SAID, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK WE HAVE A HUGE POPULATION OF DOCTORS WHO ARE FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA, SO IT SHOWS THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING THEM.
SECOND, HE SAID, OUR NURSES, THEY COME FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA, AND WE ARE HAVING A HARD TIME RECRUITING NURSES.
SO IF WE SEE OUR BRAND BEING EXPOSED THAT IT BECOMES EASIER FOR OUR RECRUITER TO RECRUIT FOR OUR HOSPITAL.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS SUCH A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE WHILE WE ARE FOCUSED THAT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE, YOUR VIEWERSHIP HAS TO GO UP, BUT THE GLOBAL EXPOSURE HELPS IN TERMS OF, IF I TALK IN TERMS OF CITY OF DALLAS ALSO, I THINK ROBIN IS GOING AND FIGHTING FOR BUSINESS EVERY DAY IN TERMS TAKING FOR OTHER CITIES.
SO CITY OF DALLAS NAME GOES THERE.
I THINK IT BECOMES EASIER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASPECT WHEN THAT EXPOSURE HAPPENS AT, AT THIS LEVEL OF, UH, WHAT WE DO.
I THINK THAT TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, UH, UH, APP, WHICH I JUST SPOKE ABOUT, OUR DOWNLOADS WITHIN A YEAR.
WE, UH, I THINK, UH, WE HAVE MORE THAN, UH, ALL OUR SPORTS PARTICIPANT AND ALL, IF I TAKE IT, WE HAVE CLOSE TO A BILLION DOLLAR FOLLOWERS IF ALL THE PARTICIPANT, I TAKE IT INDIVIDUALLY ON OUR FACEBOOK AND SOCIAL MEDIA.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 2 MILLION FOLLOWERS, WHICH, WHICH IS A, I I THOUGHT, A VERY STRONG FEAT TO ACHIEVE IN SUCH A, A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
WHAT ARE OUR FUTURE, UH, PLANS AND THE GROWTH PLANS? I THINK, UH, UH, A COUPLE OF SLIDES MORE MA'AM.
UH, SO, UH, I THINK AS WE HAVE, UH, UH, WE HAVE PLAYED IN, UH, RICHARDSON, UH, I THINK THE IMPACT HAS BEEN SEEN AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE DONE UNIQUE
I THINK OUR GROWTH PLAN IS NOW TO BUILD A ACADEMY, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, US IS A LEADER IN ANYTHING WE DO.
I THINK SPORTS IN THE, IN THE TENNIS, THE PLAYER MIGHT BE FROM RUSSIA OR SHE MIGHT BE FROM UKRAINE, OR HE MIGHT BE, UM, FROM ANY COUNTRY.
MOST OF THEM THEY TRAIN IN, UH, US THEY TRAIN IN FLORIDA, SO HAPPENS IN GOLF, THEY MIGHT BE THE GOLFERS MAY COMING, BUT THEY'RE TRAINING HERE.
SO WHY CAN'T WE USE THAT LEADERSHIP, UH, VALUE OF WHAT US HAS TO CREATE THAT ACADEMY WHERE WE FIND THE, THE STAR POWER OF ALL THE WORLD WHO IS BEING TRAINED WHILE WE ARE DEVELOPING THE GRASSROOTS, UH, FROM, TO DEVELOP THE GRASSROOTS.
I THINK ONE WAY IT CAN HAPPEN IS IF PEOPLE GET STARTING RELATING, WE HAVE EIGHT, UH, MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER WHO ARE WORKING WITH US.
WE ARE TRAINING THEM INTO CRICKET BECAUSE THAT CAN BECOME A SHINY EXAMPLE IF WE BRING PEOPLE FROM BASEBALL WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL INTO, UH, CRICKET AND, UH, UH, THEN, YOU KNOW, PARTNERING WITH THE PARKS AND RECREATIONS OF VARIOUS CITIES.
OUR COLLEGE AT CRICKET LEAGUE NOW HAS, UH, BECOME A PHENOMENON FIRST SEASON AND REASON WE DID IT TO GROW THAT GRASSROOTS, THERE WERE 20 SCHOOLS THIS YEAR WE HAVE 50 COLLEGES, AND WE, WE HAD TO STOP RIGHT THERE, HOWARD, BUT U-U-U-C-L-A, UT AUSTIN, A AND M, DALLAS, ULA, ALL THE TOP INSTITUTIONS, THEY'RE, UH, FIGHTING FOR THE COLLEGE CUP.
SO THAT, THAT HAS BECOME A GROUNDSWELL.
AND WE HAVE NOW EXAMPLES WHERE I THINK IN UT DALLAS WHERE KIDS HAVE COME THERE FROM OVERSEAS, AS INTERNATIONAL STUDENT, WE, WE ARE VERY, COLLEGE SPORT IS VERY AMERICAN.
WE KNOW, I THINK THAT TOP ONE OR 2% KIDS GO WHEREVER THEY FEEL LIKE HOWARD OR MIT, BUT MOST OTHERS, THEY GET INFLUENCED BY THE SPORTS TEAM.
SO THIS IS AN INFLUENCER WHICH BECOMES FOR THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TO BE ATTRACTED TO THEIR INSTITUTION.
AND COLLEGES ARE RECOGNIZING THAT.
AND TRULY, I THINK THAT THAT'S, UH, TRULY AND,
[00:45:01]
UH, THEN HAVE THINK FORUMS WHERE, WHERE BECOME THE, WHICH ARE THE LEADERSHIP FORUMS IN TERMS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW WE BRING THAT THINK TANK.BECAUSE STILL THERE IS NO FORMAL FORUMS WHERE, WHICH BECOMES A PLACE WHERE EVERY STAKEHOLDER, UH, GATHERS TOGETHER.
NOW, A LITTLE BIT, UH, UH, CHAIR WEST, I'M SURE YOU WOULD, UH, UH, MSN JUST, UH, WROTE, UH, TWO WEEKS BACK, YOU KNOW, HOW ECONOMICALLY THIS, UH, UH, THE IMPACT THIS, UH, GAME BROUGHT.
AND THEY DID A STUDY WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW TILL GOT, UH, PRINTED THAT KIND OF IMPACT IN TERMS OF HOTELS, IN TERMS OF THE TOURISM NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO TRAVELED.
AND I, I PASSED, UH, UH, THAT, UH, COPY OF THAT ARTICLE WITH YOU, THERE WERE 4,000 ROOMS, WHICH WERE OCCUPIED DURING OUR TOURNAMENT.
I WON'T DO THE MATH, IT JUST SHOWS THE, YOU KNOW WHAT IT DOES.
THERE WERE, UH, MORE THAN 60,000, UH, ON AN AVERAGE OF A 4,000 PLUS, UH, UH, MAYBE IN SOME OF THE DAYS WE WERE OVERSOLD IN TERMS OF WE HAD TO STOP, UH, UH, IN TERMS OF, AND, UH, WELL, THE SPORTS TOURISM, AS WE ALL KNOW, IS A $40 BILLION PLUS, UH, INDUSTRY, WHICH IS THERE.
AND TRULY WHAT WE ARE COMBINING TODAY WITH THE ATTRACTIVE SPORTS, UH, ALONG WITH THE, UH, ALONG WITH THE ENTERTAINMENT, I THINK WE ARE CREATING SOMETHING REALLY, REALLY UNIQUE, UH, UH, CONCEPT.
SO, UH, ANYTHING ELSE? MALINI BEFORE, UH, WE DO HAVE ANOTHER VIDEO FOR YOU GUYS.
I THINK, I THINK WE, WE PRETTY MUCH TOUCHED ON EVERYTHING, WHAT ARUN TALKED ABOUT ALSO, WHEN WE HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE OVERFLOW OF THE HOTELS, THE PARKING.
SO THIS IS A SPORT WHERE PEOPLE ARE BEING VERY RECEPTIVE TO IT.
YOU KNOW, AT FIRST IT'S LIKE CRICKET.
I PERSONALLY KNOW ABOUT CRICKET BECAUSE, UM, I WOULD HEAR MY UNCLES, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO VISIT IN INDIA, I'M LIKE, WHAT IS THIS GAME? AND SO EVERYBODY HAS A STORY ABOUT CRICKET.
AND OBVIOUSLY, LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE WITH THE OLYMPICS COMING UP, THIS IS A SPORT THAT IS GROWING.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, I KNOW LIKE, LIKE PICKLEBALL HAS GROWN.
UM, I THINK, I THINK WE PRETTY MUCH TOUCHED ON EVERYTHING, BUT I DO WANT YOU GUYS TO WATCH THIS VIDEO TO REALLY JUST KIND OF HIT HOME ON EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
AND ONE FACT, ACTUALLY, THERE ARE MORE THAN 2000 CRICKET CLUBS AROUND METROPLEX, ROWAN, DID I SAY THAT NUMBER RIGHT? UH, THAT'S WORTH UNDERESTIMATED NUMBER.
RIGHT? AND YOU'LL YOU'LL GO TO, SORRY.
YEAH, THAT WAS, THAT WAS AN UNDERESTIMATED VALUE.
YOU GO TO NORTH DALLAS, YOU SEE KIDS PLAYING THIS BOAT ALL THE TIME.
AND ONE MORE FACT ACTUALLY, WHEN AN AVERAGE SPORTS LOVER HERE GOES TO THE FOOTBALL, CAME ON INDIVIDUAL WITH A TICKET AND WHAT THEY SPEND, THE, THE DATA SHOWS THEY SPEND AROUND 120, $130 IN, UH, IN BASEBALL.
THEY SPEND AROUND $60 IN CRICKET AND AVERAGE FAN, WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO A GAME, THEY'RE SPENDING CLOSE TO $300.
SO IT'S, IT'S A DEMOGRAPHIC WHICH IS VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE SPORT THEY'RE COMING TO PLAY IT.
AMERICA IS THE BIGGEST SPORTS MARKET OF THE WORLD.
THIS IS, UH, THIS IS A CONSUMER WHO ADAPTS, UH, A ANYTHING NEW, WHICH IS EXCITING AND THRILLING.
AND, UH, TRULY I THINK CRICKET IS, UH, GOING TO FILL, I FEEL CRICKET TODAY IS WHERE SOCCER WAS AROUND 10 TO 15 YEARS BACK, BUT IT WOULD NOT TAKE THAT LINE, UH, LONG FOR CRICKET TO GET WHERE SOCCER HAS REACHED TODAY.
UH, AND THAT CAN HAPPEN BY INCLUDING EVERY STAKEHOLDER, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, FROM HAVING THOSE GAMES TO DOING THE GRASSROOTS, BECAUSE THEN GRASSROOTS, WHEN YOU'RE DOING AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, SPORTS IS ALSO A COMPETITION.
SHE SENDS THAT KID TO BASEBALL OR BALLET OR TENNIS.
SO HOW DO WE GET THAT ATTRACTIVE WHERE THE MOTHER COMMITS THAT YOUNGER KID TO PLAY, UH, CRICKET, UH, BY SHOWING THE FUTURE IT CAN BRING.
UH, WITH THAT, WE HAVE ONE MORE, YEAH.
ONE THING, UH, WHICH REALLY I THINK NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE, WE ALL KNOW ABOUT, THEY INVITE, UH, TWO COMPANIES.
UH, ONE IS OF COURSE WHO GO PUBLIC.
SECOND, THEY IDENTIFY THE GROWTH INDUSTRIES, AND WITHIN THE GROWTH INDUSTRY, THE COMPANY WHICH THEY SEE POTENTIAL IN.
AT 2-YEAR-OLD, WE WERE INVITED TO RING THE BALLOT, NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE.
THAT REALLY WAS THE PROUD MOMENT THAT WE COULD GO AND RING THE BELL.
AND I THINK THEY ALREADY GIVEN GIVING US THE PLAN THAT HOW, UH, SUPPORTING US THAT HOW WE CAN TAKE THIS SPORT AND THE ORGANIZATION WHICH IS PUBLIC.
SO THAT, THAT WAS A BADGE OF HONOR AND A VALIDATION OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE.
UH, NO AMOUNT OF MONEY CAN, UH, BUY, UH, WHAT HAD ACHIEVED AT, UH, BY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE.
SO THAT SOMETHING TO BRAG ABOUT.
[00:50:01]
TEXAS THEY SAY, IF IT'S THE TRUTH, IT'S NOT THE BRAG, RIGHT? SO, SO THAT IS THE TRUTH.SO WITH THAT, UH, OUR VIDEO, MA'AM, THE LAST ONE, AND WITH THAT I'LL OPEN FOR QUESTIONS.
IMAGINE A SPORT THAT DOESN'T JUST ENTERTAIN, IT TRANSFORMS A LEAGUE THAT JUST DOESN'T PLAY GAMES.
WE BECAME THE FIRST LEAGUE WITH A PLAN FOR CRICKET SCHOLARSHIPS ACROSS AMERICA, OPENING DOORS THAT DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE WE BROUGHT CRICKET INTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS, GIVING KIDS A NEW PASSION.
IT'S COOL THAT, UM, EVERYBODY CAME OUT HERE TO SHOW US HOW TO PLAY CRICKET.
YOU KNOW, FOR BRIAN TO COME OUT HERE AND TEACH IT REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME IN THIS SCHOOL.
I THINK IT'S AN AMAZING SPORT AND IT DEFINITELY WILL CATCH ON.
WE PARTNERED WITH THE VA, SUPPORTING OUR VETERANS WITH POLICE DEPARTMENTS, STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY BONDS WITH HOSPITALS, BRINGING HOPE THROUGH SPORTS ATHLETES FROM THE N-F-L-N-B-A-P-G-A.
AND NASCAR STOOD ALONGSIDE US PROVING THAT WHEN SPORTS UNITE BARRIERS DISAPPEAR, AND WE BROUGHT BOLLYWOOD MAGIC UNDER THE AMERICAN SKY.
BUT HERE'S WHAT REALLY SETS NCL APART.
WE LAUNCHED AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AMPLIFYING VOICES THAT NEED TO BE HEARD, PARTNERED WITH AMERICAN RED CROSS, TURNING CRICKET MATCHES INTO LIFELINES FOR THOSE WHO NEED, WE PIONEERED SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS BECAUSE THE FUTURE OF SPORT MUST RESPECT THE FUTURE OF OUR PLANET FROM SOLAR POWERED STADIUMS TO ZERO WASTE INITIATIVES.
THIS ISN'T JUST CRICKET, IT IS CRICKET WITH A CONSCIENCE, CRICKET WITH PURPOSE, MORE PARTNERSHIPS THAT MATTER.
WE'VE INKED POWERHOUSE ALLIANCES WITH NYSE, TEXAS UPS, TEXAS INSTRUMENT AND BANK OF AMERICA, BRINGING WALL STREET MUSCLE AND CORPORATE EXCELLENCE TO THE PLAYING FIELD.
WE BECAME THE FIRST EVER CRICKET ORGANIZATION INVITED TO RING THE BELL AT THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE, MORE INNOVATION ON THE FIELD, MORE IMPACT OFF IT, BECAUSE NCL ISN'T JUST ABOUT GROWING CRICKET IN AMERICA.
IT'S ABOUT SHOWING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SPORTS BECOME A MOVEMENT, WHEN COMPETITION MEETS COMPASSION, WHEN EXCELLENCE MEETS RESPONSIBILITY, WHEN A GAME BECOMES A CATALYST FOR CHANGE.
THIS IS NCL, THIS IS OUR VISION.
THIS IS OUR PROMISE, AND THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND ANY QUESTIONS I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER.
I'LL, UM, I KNOW MY, THE RIGHT SIDE SAID THEY'RE, THEY'RE GONNA HOLD OFF TO QUESTIONS ON THE LEFT.
UH, YEAH, WE'LL START, UH, UH, DOWN THE END.
START WITH, UH, COUNCILWOMAN BLACKMAN.
SO I'M LOOKING THROUGH THE PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU.
I GET ALL THE DATA IN THE INTERNATIONAL, UH, DRAW.
BUT MY QUESTION IS, DO YOU HAVE AN ASK OF US TODAY? UH, YOU KNOW, THE ASK IS, UH, ABSOLUTELY.
I'D LOVE TO PARTNER WITH CITY OF DALLAS IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE CREATE A PERMANENT, UH, STADIUM AND, UH, AND THE TRAINING GROUNDS, AS I SAID, UH, AMERICA IS THE EPITOME.
SO, UH, A PERFORMANCE ACADEMY IS SOMETHING WHERE AN ATHLETE CAN COME FROM ANY PART OF THE WORLD AND THEY CAN TRAIN.
AND I THINK IF WE CREATE THAT, UH, DALLAS METROPLEX IS BECOMING AN EPICENTER, UH, OKAY OF, OF CRICKET AND CENTER BY DOING THAT.
I THINK THIS BECOMES THE SPORTS CAP.
IT'S A SPORTS CAPITAL, BUT IT BECOMES, UH, UH, CRICKET CAPITAL OR SOMETHING WHERE AT LEAST FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, THEY COME TRAIN AND, UH, REALLY CREATES AN IMPACT GLOBALLY.
SO THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS PRESENTATION THAT YOU'RE ASKING US AT THIS MOMENT? NO, MA'AM.
I THINK I'M HERE MORE TO EXPOSE THIS SPORT TO YOU.
THE WHICH, THE SECOND LARGEST VOTE, UH, SPORTS OF THE WORLD, WHICH BRINGS TO, UH, UH, DALLAS.
AND, UH, JUST LEAVING IT TO THAT AS ON TO DATE.
AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, AND YOU DID BRING IT UP, WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN THIS ORGANIZATION AND IS THERE ANY FINANCIAL BENEFIT? AND HAVE YOU DISCLOSED THIS BECAUSE WE FOUND OUT THAT OUR PROCESSES ARE VERY FRAGMENTED.
AND I'M HOPING THAT I AM LOOKING AT MY CITY ATTORNEYS OVER THERE THAT WE GET IT MORE CONFORMED.
SO GIVEN THERE'S NO ASK NOW, YEAH, YEAH, SURE.
BUT YOU DID SAY THAT THERE COULD BE AN ASK.
I AM HOPING THAT YOU WILL VERY WELL DISCLOSE AND THEN RECUSE YOURSELF WHEN NEED BE.
AND YOU FIRST TO ANSWER THE FIRST QUESTION, I'M THE CHAIRMAN OF THE LEAGUE.
SO I DO HAVE THE FINANCIAL, SO YOU'RE CHAIRMAN OF THE LEAGUE? YES.
AND THEN THIS ASSOCIATION, WHAT ARE YOU PART OF THAT? UH, SAY THAT AGAIN MA'AM.
ARE YOU PART OF THE, YOU'RE CHAIRMAN OF THE LEAGUE, WHICH IS THE OVERARCHING UMBRELLA.
[00:55:01]
SURE DALLAS THEN HAS A PILLAR IN THAT.SO, AND ARE YOU ON THAT AS WELL? NO, MA'AM.
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, THAT THAT MAKES SOME FINANCIAL INTEREST, UH, IN OVERALL THE SPORTS FOR SURE.
THAT'S WHY I STARTED WITH A STATEMENT THAT I WANTED FORMALLY.
SORRY, MR. YOU LEFT OUT CHAIR.
YOU'RE THE CHAIR OF THE PARK BOARD, WHICH IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN JUST BEING A MEMBER.
AND, UH, TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC TRUST IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.
AND, UH, I DON'T LOOK GOOD IN ORANGE, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ANYBODY LISTENING, INCLUDING OUR ATTORNEYS, ARE VERY, UM, THAT WE NEED TO GET SOME OF OUR PROCESSES BACK IN LINE SO THAT, THAT WE DO HAVE A CLEAR PROCESS.
IT'S NOT THAT IT'S, UM, ILLEGAL AND I KNOW I'M GETTING OFF TOPIC, BUT IT IS, NEEDS TO BE TRANSPARENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THANKS FOR ALERTING THAT BECAUSE I WON'T, UH, UH, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, IN IGNORANCE YOU MAKE MISTAKES.
SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT MEANS A LOT.
IT IT GIVES A, A SPECIAL ATTENTION TO EVERY STAKEHOLDER.
SO WE, WE WILL BE VERY VIGILANT IF WE COME WITH THE ASK, WHICH HOPEFULLY THERE'S SOME PARTNERSHIP IN FUTURE.
BUT, BUT THANKS FOR LETTING US HERE.
UH, COUNCILWOMAN BLAIR, I JUST HAVE ONE OR TWO QUESTIONS AND MY, MY QUESTIONS ARE IN REGARDS TO, EXCUSE ME, IN REGARDS TO THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, YOUR PLAYING FIELD.
I, I HAVE TO GO ONLINE 'CAUSE I'M NOT REALLY FAMILIAR WITH CRICKET.
UM, AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S JUST A GREEN FIELD.
UM, SO YOU ARE RIGHT, IT'S A GREEN FIELD, BUT THE REALLY, THE HEART OF, UH, A FIELD IS THE PITCH IN WHICH THE, UH, THE GAME GET PLAYED.
THE PITCH IS WHAT DETERMINES THE SPORTS, AND THAT'S WHAT BRINGS ONE CHALLENGE, THAT IT BECOMES HARD TO MAKE IT A MULTI-SPORT FACILITY BECAUSE THAT PITCH IS PERMANENT.
NOW, THERE ARE NEW TECHNOLOGIES WHERE YOU CAN DROP IN A PITCH AND TAKE IT AFTER THE, BUT THEY'VE NOT BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL.
AND EVEN IF YOU DO THAT, THEN IT'S NOT A INSTANTANEOUS CHANGE.
YOU TAKE THAT PITCH AND IF YOU RECOVER IT AND YOU WANT TO PLAY SOCCER ON IT, IT'LL TAKE AT LEAST FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS OF, UH, PLAY TIME.
SO YEAH, IT IS, UH, IT'S A 70 YARD, RIGHT? ROHAN, 70 YARD METER, THE 70, UH, METER, SORRY, 70 METER OF A DIAMETER.
BUT THE PITCH IN THE CENTER, WHAT GETS PLAYED THAT, THAT'S A VERY SPECIAL WAY THAT GETS MADE.
SO BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT IN ORDER TO PLAY CRICKET, YOU NEED YOUR OWN SPECIFIC FIELD.
IT'S NOT A FIELD, IT'S NOT A, A FIELD THAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH ANOTHER SPORT.
NOT UNLESS IT'S TRACK AND YOU, AND IT STILL STAYS PLACE.
IT CAN BE MULTI-USE, UH, FACILITY, BUT MULTI-SPORT WILL BE CHALLENGING GIVEN THAT PITCH, WHICH IS, UH, SO, SO SPECIFIC TO THE SPORT.
UH, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE WHOLE TEAM FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATED COUNCILWOMAN BLACKMAN'S QUESTIONS ABOUT LIKE, WHY ARE YOU HERE? YOU KNOW, WHAT'S KIND OF THE SURE.
THERE'S NO PACKAGE, NO INCENTIVE PACKAGE, NO PLAN RIGHT NOW, UM, PART OF THIS COMMITTEE'S ROLE IS RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS.
AND AS YOU KNOW, YOU WERE INVITED BY BY ME, UH, TO COME HERE AND JUST TALK ABOUT THE SPORT IN GENERAL.
SO THAT'S JUST TO CLARIFY WITH MY COLLEAGUES.
SO I'M INVITING EVERYBODY THE, THE PULSE, UH, THE UH, UM, YOU KNOW, CRICKET.
UM, OF COURSE WE'VE GOT, UM, ATHLETICO NEXT.
AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, MANY WHICH ARE NOT EVEN PLAYING IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
TO TRY TO GET THEM RECRUITED TO DALLAS.
BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, I LEARNED A COUPLE THINGS TODAY.
I THOUGHT IN SOME WAY THAT THIS GROUP WAS AFFILIATED WITH THE CRICKET STADIUM IN GRAND PRAIRIE, BUT YOU'RE NOT, RIGHT? NO.
WHO OWNS THAT? WHAT IS THAT FACILITY? DOES ANYONE KNOW? YEAH, SO, UH, CHAIRMAN INVEST, VERY FAIR QUESTION.
SO THERE ARE TWO LEAGUES, MAJOR LEAGUE CRICKET, WHICH, UH, OWNS THE, UH, THE GRAND PRAIRIE.
AND SO CRICKET ORIGINALLY STARTED AS A FIVE DAY SPORT.
IF I GO TO THE HISTORY OF CRICKET, OF COURSE, UH, WITH THE TRANSITION HAPPENING, FIVE DAY WAS TOO LONG, IT CHANGED TO A ONE DAY SPORT THAT STILL WAS TOO LONG.
SO THEN THEY CHANGED IT TO A FOUR HOUR SPORT, MAJOR LEAGUE CRICKET, WHICH THEY PLAY IS AROUND A FIVE HOUR GAME.
AND, UH, A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION THAN US.
AND THEY OWN THAT, THAT F WOW.
CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE OWNS THAT FACILITY, BUT WITH THE PARTNERSHIP, UH, MLC, THE ANOTHER LEAGUE, THEY UH, THEY ARE THE ONE WHO RUN IT AND MANAGE IT.
AND THEN THEIR FORMAT IS MUCH LONGER AND, UH, UH, UH, FORMATS.
[01:00:01]
OF YOUR SLIDES IT'S TIMED OR THAT SAYS TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS, UM, THAT THERE IS IN 2028, YOU DO PLAN ON ENTERING INTO NEGOTIATIONS FOR STADIUMS WITH CITIES.IS THAT YOU'RE WAITING, ARE YOU GONNA WAIT TILL THEN TO START TALKING TO DALLAS ABOUT A FACILITY OR WHAT'S YOUR PLAN THAT THAT'S FOR THE MULTIPLE STADIUM? INITIALLY WE WANT TO, RIGHT NOW WE ARE PLAYING ONLY IN DALLAS AND I THINK IN DALLAS, OF COURSE WITH UT DALLAS, THEY'RE GREAT PARTNER, WE LOVE IT.
BUT, UH, IT'S, UH, IT, THESE ARE FIELDS AND WE DO POP-UP STADIUMS LIKE YOU DO IT IN GOLF AND YOU DO IN OTHER, BUT THE PERMANENT STADIUM DISCUSSIONS IN DALLAS WILL START NOW.
AND THEN BY 2028, WE EXPECT EVERY FRANCHISEE CITY TO HAVE BECAUSE OVERALL GLOBALLY, THERE'S A LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE OF CRICKET.
BUT, UH, I THINK WITH OLYMPICS COMING AND ALL, AND WITH NOW COLLEGE CRICKET LEAGUE, THAT'S GOING TO GIVE A HUGE PUSH FOR INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH BECAUSE SCHOOLS HAVE STARTED SEEING THE BENEFIT OF THE SPORT.
WHAT'S THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ACREAGE THAT YOU WOULD TYPICALLY BE LOOKING AT FOR THE STADIUM AND THEN SURROUND AMENITIES THAT WOULD BE ATTACHED TO IT.
SO, UH, JUST THE CRICKET STADIUM ALONG WITH THE PARKING AND ALL, IT'S AROUND 25 ACRES.
SO IT'S, UH, AND THIS CAN BE UNTIL, UNLESS THERE ARE SHARED PARKINGS OR ANY OF THAT.
AND THEN IF YOU GO WITH THE GROUNDS, WHICH DON'T HAVE TO BE ATTACHED FOR THE TRAINING FACILITY OR INDOOR FACILITIES, THEN IT ADDS UP TO THAT.
COLLEAGUES, NA OR ANYBODY ELSE FOLLOW UP.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE TODAY.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HAVING US HERE.
WE APPRECIATE IT AND THANK YOU.
OKAY, COLLEAGUES, OUR LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR TODAY IS THE MEMORANDUM ITEM C.
I'VE ASKED, UH, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR SPATH TO GIVE US A SHORT OVERVIEW.
AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO INVITE DOWN THE ATHLETICO TEAM JUST TO, UH, TALK TO US ABOUT THEIR PLANS FOR THE WORLD CUP AND HOW THEY'RE PLANNING ON PROMOTING THE CLUB.
JUST GONNA TALK ABOUT THANK YOU CHAIR.
I'M KEVIN SPA, DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE'RE BRINGING TO YOU TODAY WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY IN AN INFORMATIONAL MEMO.
IT DOESN'T, UM, IT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT REQUESTING ACTION, UM, BECAUSE THE ACTION'S ALREADY BEEN TAKEN.
SO, UH, THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE CITY MANAGER AUTHORIZED A VERY SMALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT AGREEMENT THROUGH ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION WITH USL DALLAS, LLC, WHICH IS ATHLETIC OF DALLAS, UH, TO SUPPORT THEIR RELOCATION OF THEIR CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS FROM RICHARDSON TO DALLAS.
UH, AND THEIR EXPANSION OVER TIME, OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
SO THEY HAVE ALREADY HAD A LEASE AGREEMENT AND A LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT TO PLAY IN THE COTTON BOWL STARTING IN 2027.
AND ALSO TO OPERATE AND MANAGE MONEYGRAM PARK.
UM, BUT THIS IS FOR THEIR HEADQUARTERS, THEIR ACTUAL BUSINESS FUNCTION.
UM, WITH THE RELOCATION TO DALLAS, THEY WILL BRING THE 12 JOBS THEY HAVE CURRENTLY AND CREATE UP TO 85 NEW JOBS, UH, OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
THOSE WILL BE A COMBINATION OF FRONT OFFICE EXECS, MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS, AS WELL AS THE COACHES AND THE PLAYERS.
UH, AVERAGE WAGE FOR THOSE 97 FULL-TIME JOBS IS PROJECTED TO BE APPROXIMATELY $114,000.
ATHLETICO WILL BE LEASING ABOUT 12,000 SQUARE FEET IN AN EXISTING BUILDING AT EIGHT, AT THE ADDRESS OF EIGHT 20 EXPOSITION.
UH, SO THAT'S A BUILDING THAT, UH, HISTORIC BUILDING THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME, BUT IT'S JUST SOUTH OF I 30, UH, ABOUT 200 YARDS FROM THE GATES OF FAIR PARK.
UM, THEY WILL BE, UH, COMMITTING TO AT LEAST A, 1,000,035, 350,000 IN TENANT IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, AND FOR ALL OF THESE THINGS, UH, WE'VE OFFERED A, A GRANT, A PERFORMANCE BASED GRANT THAT WOULD BE PAYABLE IN THREE INSTALLMENTS FOR A TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED $200,000.
SO THAT'S THE GIST OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEAL.
BUT, UH, THE ATHLETICO FOLKS ARE HERE.
THE, UH, CHAIRMAN AND CO-FOUNDER MATT VALENTINE COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY, BUT HE'S GOT A TEAM OF FOLKS HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE FOR THEM.
AND I WAS REMINDED, AND IT'S CORRECT THAT WE HAVE TO LIMIT THE DISCUSSION TO WHAT'S BEEN NOTICED.
SO WE, WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT THE WORLD CUP AS MUCH AS I'D LIKE TO, UH, BUT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT AND WHAT THAT MEANS TO YOU GUYS AND HOW, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S, IF IT'S A GOOD THING OR NOT.
YOU KNOW, FEEL FREE TO CHIME IN, JUST PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD.
UM, I'M AMBER FREELAND, DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE TEAM.
UM, LIFELONG DALLAS AREA RESIDENT AND HUGE SPORTS FAN.
UM, WE WANTED TO THANK THE CITY FOR THIS CONDITIONAL GRANT TO SUPPORT OUR GROWTH AS WE PREPARE TO LAUNCH OUR FIRST SEASON REVITALIZING HISTORIC EXPO PARK
[01:05:01]
DISTRICT AND BRINGING A PRO SPORTS TEAM TO DOWNTOWN DALLAS MEANS BRINGING MORE EMPLOYMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, AND COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES TO THIS AREA.OUR PLANS, AS NOTED IN THE MEMO, INCLUDE RELOCATING OUR HEADQUARTERS AND OPENING A RETAIL SHOP ON EXPOSITION AVENUE ACROSS THE STREET.
WE WILL ALSO BE OPENING A SUPPORTERS BAR AND GASTRO PUB WITH A HUGE PATIO SPACE FEATURING A STREET COURT THAT WILL BE OPEN YEAR ROUND FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS.
UM, WE HOPE TO HAVE THE STREET COURT OPEN IN JUNE IN TIME FOR WORLD CUP ACTIVATIONS.
THE SUPPORTERS BAR SHOULD OPEN UP IN LATE SUMMER, AND OUR HEADQUARTER RELOCATION WILL ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE IN THE FALL ALL AHEAD OF OUR FIRST SEASON MATCH AT THE COTTON BOWL IN EARLY 2027.
WE ARE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO THE CITY FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND FOR WELCOMING US WITH OPEN ARMS. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE ARE EXCITED TO BE A DALLAS TEAM IN DALLAS.
AND I HAVE WITH ME ANDY BROMBERG, OUR CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER.
ANDY BROMBERG, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UH, HAVING US TODAY.
AND AGAIN, JUST TO ECHO WHAT AMBER SAID, WE ARE JUST, UH, SO GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP AND SO EXCITED TO, UH, BE ABLE TO BRING PROFESSIONAL MEN'S SOCCER DOWN TO THE CORE OF DALLAS.
UM, WE, UH, WE PROUDLY WEAR THE CITY NAME ACROSS OUR CHEST AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT AND PLAY IN THE CITY AND BRING, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, ADDITIONAL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY TO EXPO EXPO PARK ITSELF.
UM, AND WE'RE JUST, UH, WE'RE REALLY THANKFUL FOR ALL THE SUPPORT AND EXCITED TO, UH, TO START THE, THE BIG MOVE DOWN TO, UM, UH, EXPO PARK, UH, ABOUT MIDWAY THROUGH THIS YEAR WHEN WE OPEN OUR STREET COURT.
UH, AND WE HOPE TO COMPLETE THE, UM, THE, THE ENTIRE MOVE OF OUR HQ BY Q4 OF THIS YEAR.
AND I THINK IT'S INTERESTING, IT'S GREAT TO POINT OUT HERE THAT, THAT THIS IS A $200,000 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT THAT WAS PASSED AND, UM, UM, AND I MEAN, WE'RE GETTING ALL THESE JOB RELOCATIONS, WHICH THIS IS A GREAT DEAL FOR THE CITY WITH, UH, 90 SOMETHING, 97 FULL-TIME JOBS WITH THE A, UH, WITH THE AVERAGE WAGE OF $114,000.
SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU GUYS IN THE CITY, GLAD TO HAVE YOU AS OUR PARTNERS AND OUR PROFESSIONAL SOCCER TEAM THAT'S, THAT'S IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, UM, COLLEAGUES, UH, ANYBODY START ON THE RIGHT? ANYBODY? IS THAT A YES OR NO? THAT'S, I JUST SAY THANK YOU.
UH, I'LL JUST SAY THANK YOU AND WELCOME TO DISTRICT SEVEN, UH, OFFICIALLY WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED, UM, TO HAVE YOU IN SOUTH DALLAS AND TO BE A PART OF THE GROWTH AND THE FUTURE OF FAIR PARK.
UH, MR. RIDLEY MORE WORK THIS? YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY WELCOME TO DALLAS AND IT'S SO GREAT TO SEE AN ATHLETIC TEAM THAT HAS THE DALLAS BRAND IN YOUR NAME, ACTUALLY LOCATED IN DALLAS.
UH, COUNCILWOMAN BLACKMAN, UM, ON, OKAY, SO KEVIN, ON THE, UH, MONEY THAT WAS, WHAT POT DID IT COME FROM? I COULDN'T, I'M LOOKING AT MY DEPUTY DIRECTOR.
SO THE, UM, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE, UH, HAS SEVERAL POTS OF FUNDS, BUT FOR THIS DEAL IT WAS WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FUND.
AND ON YOUR JOB RELOCATIONS, DOES THAT INCLUDE THE TEAM? TWO.
AND HOW MANY MAKE UP THE TEAM? EXCUSE ME.
YEAH, THAT'S, SO IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE ABOUT 45 QUOTE UNQUOTE FRONT OFFICE.
THE REST WILL MAKE UP THE SPORTING SIDE OF THE BUSINESS.
UM, SO EVERYTHING FROM PLAYERS, PHYSIO, COACHES, ALL THAT.
SO IT'S 50 50 BASICALLY THEREABOUTS.
JUST WANT TO SAY WELCOME TO DALLAS AND I'M SO GLAD THAT Y'ALL ARE LOCATED IN DALLAS, JUST LIKE MR. RIDLEY SAID.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ATTENDING A GAME IN THE FUTURE AND YOUR, YOUR SEASON KICKS OFF.
WHEN, WHEN IS THE FIRST SEASON? UM, FIRST MATCH IS UH, MARCH OF 27.
AND I BELIEVE TRAINING CAMP WILL START IN JANUARY.
WELL KEEP US INFORMED OF EVERYTHING YOU HAVE GOING ON.
IT'S EXCITING TO SEE YOU GUYS KICK THIS OFF.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU COLLEAGUES.
AND WITH THAT IT IS 12:13 PM AND THIS MEETING IS OFFICIALLY ADJOURNED.