Stars dedicated to growth of local youth sports

Sports can be a catalyst for growth in a lot of different ways, and the Stars and the City of Farmers Branch are looking to explore that concept with a new 81,780 square-foot, multi-sport facility that was officially announced on Thursday.

The StarCenter Multisport Farmers Branch will allow a central spot for the expansion of youth volleyball and basketball leagues, as well as pickleball. The partnership expands on what the Stars have already done in Farmers Branch with the Children’s Health StarCenter, and also taps into the organization’s experience in running a youth hockey facility.

“We feel we’re pretty good at it,” Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts said of the fact the team has been able to organize and run youth hockey in the area for three decades. “We’re confident in our ability to execute, and we have the infrastructure. We have the operational support, we have the legal and HR support, we have the sales support, and we have the team support. That’s why I felt we were uniquely positioned to deliver these facilities.”

The partnership will include the Stars, the City of Farmers Branch and Texas Advantage Volleyball. The new facility will serve as a home base for the youth volleyball organization and help draw tournaments, which will not only offer opportunities to young players, but also serve as an economic driver for the area.

“The partnership between the Dallas Stars and Farmers Branch goes back almost 25 years,” said Farmers Branch Mayor Terry Lynne. “This was a public/private partnership to build the StarCenter with the ice, and now we’re doing the same thing across the street. We’re going to be bringing thousands of kids to this new facility to participate in sports.”

These types of initiatives have helped foster development around the American Airlines Center in Dallas and around several sports facilities in Frisco. When asked if similar growth could happen in his city, Lynne said yes. Farmers Branch has recently hosted a national pickleball championship and a junior golf tournament and has seen positive economic impact from both.

“Absolutely it can happen in Farmers Branch,” the mayor said. “Sports is a catalyst that’s driving the local economy.”

The Stars are jumping in with both feet. In addition to operating eight StarCenters in the area, the organization has purchased a 38,000-square-foot athletic facility in Lewisville (The MAC) and is in discussion to add a youth sports facility in Northlake in southern Denton County.

“We feel this is a big part of our business moving forward – these multi-sport facilities,” Alberts said. “There’s a need for them in DFW and we feel strategically we’re positioned really well to deliver them to the community.”

In running the StarCenters and being the guiding force in youth hockey in the area, the Stars have created an ecosystem that has provided some big moments. In addition to USA Hockey using the area rinks for national age group tournaments on a yearly basis, the International Ice Hockey Federation brought the Under 18 World Championships here in 2021.

“I think it all relates to what we do with youth hockey,” said Damon Boettcher, Senior Vice President of StarCenter Facilities. “We already have the mechanisms in place, marketing, software for league play, accounting . . . we have experience with all of that. We’re excited about using our experience to make this successful.”

And with the combined forces of the city and the team, the chance for success is high.

“I’m obviously a big believer in the power of sports and what it can do, culturally and economically, for cities,” Alberts said. “The American Airlines Center was nothing like it is today. It’s now a vibrant neighborhood. Sports are a big engine for all of these communities and the facilities are important to be able to deliver that.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.