The Dallas Stars’ have begun to seriously consider leaving Dallas with an uncertain future at American Airlines Center beyond 2031.
The Stars have been in discussion with Plano, Frisco, The Colony, Arlington and Fort Worth as potential destinations to build a new arena, Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts told The Dallas Morning News on Friday. Front Office Sports reported Friday afternoon that the team’s 21-person ownership advisory group met Wednesday night and determined Plano as one of its likeliest destinations.
But Alberts told The News on Friday evening that no decisions have been made. The Stars are also still considering staying in Dallas at American Airlines Center, even if the Mavericks leave to build their own arena.
“We do not have a deal with Plano,” Alberts said. “We don’t have any of that. We are in discussions with them. We’re also in discussions with other cities. Arlington would love us to come to Arlington. They’ve got two of the four already. We’ve got a really good relationship with those two franchises there and the city.
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“There’s no favorites at this point. We’re all just doing our work.”
Alberts’ latest comments mark a shift in the team’s priorities. The Stars’ president told The News back in April that the team’s top choice was to remain at American Airlines Center after the lease expires in 2031 and that he had already begun discussions with the city about renegotiating the rate if the Stars became the only tenant.
In the spring, it also became clear that the Mavericks and Stars were destined for a split after three decades as roommates, with the Mavs intending to build a basketball-only arena. The NBA team has begun scouting locations in Dallas for its future home.
The Mavericks feel they could become more profitable if they left American Airlines Center and built an arena district and potential casino once sports gambling is legalized in Texas. The Stars’ interests in potentially leaving Dallas stem from a similar goal.
“Sports entertainment is becoming a real estate business,” Alberts said. “In our market, where you’ve got a real opportunity to take advantage of that, I think it’s important. Creating 365-day revenue, I feel, is essential to the health of sports and entertainment businesses, especially NHL businesses that depend on local revenue far more than others.
“I think the biggest problem that we have with staying in Dallas is that we don’t have that. We don’t control any of the real estate outside of the building. We’re looking for that opportunity that can create 365 day-a-year revenue outside and also having an incredible in-venue, in-arena experience.”
Alberts said the Stars are looking for at least 75 acres of land to build an arena and surrounding area. If the Stars chose to leave Dallas, Alberts said they’d need to decide on a new site in the next 6-8 months and begin construction in 2028 or 2029 to be ready for the 2031-32 season.
However, the city of Dallas still intends to be a player in the race to keep Texas’ only NHL team.
“We have not heard that information from the Stars and can’t comment or speculate on the report,” said Rick Ericson, a city of Dallas’ spokesman. “The Dallas Stars have been an important part of the city since they moved here in 1993 and we want them to remain in Dallas.”
Said council member Chad West, chairman of the ad hoc committee on professional sports recruitment and retention: “Dallas needs to [do its] part to ensure we keep our teams in the city.”
The Stars already have a stake in multiple of the other cities they are exploring. The Stars operate eight ice rinks around the Metroplex, including one in Plano. The Stars’ headquarters and practice facility are in Frisco.
Officials from Plano, Frisco, The Colony and Arlington did not immediately respond to The Dallas Morning News’ requests for comment Friday evening. A Fort Worth spokesperson declined to comment.
Alberts said the growth of the Metroplex is factoring into the team’s decision to look northward, and that while leaving the urban center may be an inconvenience for some fans, it also caters to the majority of their fan base, which skews up the Dallas North Tollway.
No decisions have been made, and the Stars will continue to hear pitches from cities across Dallas-Forth Worth, but whichever decision they make will come with the future of the business in mind — a future that may include the city of Dallas in name only after 2031.
“Right now, we’re a destination where everyone wants to come to Dallas,” Alberts said. “We’ve got to keep up with that. If we don’t, you just sit stale, and 10 years from now, you’re the forgotten franchise again. You’ve got to stay current. You’ve got to stay trendy. So that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m really trying to make sure that we look at the future and plan for where we’ve got to go, not where we’ve been. We can’t operate like it’s 2016. What we have to do is prepare for how it’s going to be in 2035.”
Staff Writer Devyani Chhetri contributed to this report.