Dear FC Dallas Season Ticket Holder;
As a valued customer, I wanted to personally contact you with some important news regarding the progress on our new soccer stadium in Frisco. As you might suspect, the stadium construction which began back in April 2004, has been significantly negatively hampered by historic amounts of rainfall. Because of this, Hunt Sports Group Founder Lamar Hunt yesterday announced that the opening of the stadium has been pushed back to August 6. Lamar's statement contained this information:
Due to record breaking amounts of rainfall since construction began, we will not be able to meet our intended soccer stadium opening date of June 11. By delaying our opening to the week following Major League Soccer's All- Star Game, we ensure that we will be able to provide our fans with the many exceptional amenities that the new stadium has to offer.
The original construction schedule had sufficient time built in as a contingency to account for an above-average amount of inclement weather.
Unfortunately, according to the National Weather Service records 2004 was one of the five wettest years in Dallas weather history and two key months really crippled the project:
• June 2004 - wettest in 82 years
• November 2004 - wettest in 109 years
On the positive side, the delayed opening does, however, eliminate the need for our team to begin the 2005 season with what would have been an MLS-record 11 match two month road trip. For competitive reasons, we were not willing to play any additional road matches beyond this already formidable task, so we asked MLS to adjust the game dates and schedule six home matches prior to August 6. While we will still play the majority of our matches on the road prior to the All Star break, these changes will provide our squad with a much more equitable schedule than previously anticipated. All home matches before August 6 will be played at our historic previous home (Cotton Bowl) prior to our move to Frisco.
If you haven't already heard from your account rep, you will be receiving a call within the next couple of days. At that time, you will be informed of various options regarding your season seat plan. We have done everything possible to mitigate the changes associated with your original plan / commitment, and our entire organization is focused on ensuring that you remain a satisfied member of the FC Dallas family for the historic 2005 season. As you may imagine, there are many customers to contact, so we ask your patience in getting to each and every one of you. Once again, it is our intent to connect with each of you in the next several days.
While admittedly not the ideal situation, we believe that the revised schedule will certainly enhance the team's ability to succeed, while allowing the construction personnel the time necessary to properly complete what promises to be the marquee soccer stadium complex in America.
As always, please feel free to contact me directly at 214/777-0245 or e-mail me at gelliott@fcdallas.net with any questions or comments you may have. Thanks for understanding and for your continued support of FC Dallas.
Best regards,
Greg Elliott
President & General Manager
