Most North Texans know not to refer to Fort Worth or Arlington as “Dallas.”
As organizers push forward with FIFA World Cup planning, Arlington’s mayor is willing to fight to make sure his city is recognized as the city hosting the most matches in the competition.
Mayor Jim Ross said he won’t stand to have AT&T Stadium temporarily named Dallas Stadium, and he suspects other Arlington residents won’t stand for it either.
“Arlington has to be recognized,” Ross told Dallas Sports Commission Executive Director Monica Paul at a city council meeting Tuesday afternoon. “We will be at the center of the universe on this thing. We’re not asking for a lot but calling that stadium by another city’s name is really going to go hard with 400,000 residents in Arlington.”
FIFA rules require sponsor names on host stadiums be removed for the competition, meaning AT&T Stadium will get a new, temporary name. Ross has been vocal in demands that his city get credit for its role in hosting nine World Cup games.
Since the announcement that AT&T Stadium will be hosting World Cup matches, Dallas has been credited as the host city.
But the name of the stadium is one area where Ross is ready to say “no more.”
“We’re happy to share it,” Ross told Paul during the work session. “We’re happy to call it the Arlington-Dallas Stadium.”
Ross said Dallas has done “a lot of wonderful things” in preparation for the World Cup but that Arlington must have top billing in the stadium name.
Paul doesn’t get to make the final decision on the stadium’s name but does have influence over those who do. She promised she was working to make sure the stadium is named after Arlington, and that Arlington gets its name first if any other cities are included.
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