After years playing at the College Park Center at the University of Texas at Arlington, the Dallas Wings will play all of their 2027 home games at the American Airlines Center.
The move also corresponds with the team moving into a new state-of-the-art practice facility in Oak Cliff.
The Dallas Morning News' Wings reporter Myah Taylor told NTX Now's Miranda Suarez that having their own practice space and a larger venue for games has been a long time coming.
"I remember last season, they had to push practice back because there was a graduation on campus or UTA sports teams had started," she said. "Having their own space is huge."
Taylor added that UTA is a smaller college, which means they have a smaller arena than some of the Wings players were used to, even as college athletes.
"Some of these players, like Paige [Beuckers] or Arike [Ogunbowale] who played at UConn and Notre Dame, they probably had bigger arenas in college," she said. "They're already legitimate, but it gives them more like legitimacy."
Taylor said having more room for a bigger crowd could also make a big difference for the Wings.
"It's like having a sixth man when you have that many people there," she said. "It's just a better environment and atmosphere."
It's not clear whether the Wings will then move to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium in the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center after their one year contract with the AAC is up. Taylor said construction delays and the FIF World Cup delayed progress on the new arena.
"I think that right now, [the Wings] are operating under the assumption that it will be ready by 2028," she said. "But I'm not sure about that."
Meanwhile, things are also looking up for the Wings this season, according to Taylor. They didn't have the best season last year, finishing 10-34 but have made significant changes since then.
"They cleaned house, hired a new coach — Jose Fernandez from South Florida — brought in a lot of new pieces through free agency and the draft, including Azzi Fudd," she said.
With a 19-11 record so far this season, Taylor said the odds of them making the playoffs this year are good.
"They've really turned things around," she said.
Miranda Suarez is a co-host of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org.
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