One of North Texas’ fastest-growing cities is getting its own professional sports team — and investors are betting Celina’s population boom will help fill the stands.
Rodeo Soccer Club is slated to debut in March 2027 as part of USL League One, two tiers below Major League Soccer, the Dallas Business Journal reported.
The team will play its first seasons at Bobcat Stadium, the 7,000-seat home of Celina High School, before potentially partnering with Heady Investments to build a stadium-anchored mixed-use development.
Logan Menocal, director of industrial development at Heady, said a partnership could bring commercial and entertainment amenities to the area.
The club is led by founder Ben Watson and principal owner Jacob West, joined by NFL kicker Nick Folk and Glenn Gronkowski, brother of retired NFL star Rob Gronkowski. The group already operates Texoma FC in Sherman and has invested what Watson calls “low eight figures” into Rodeo SC, with minority ownership slots still open.
Celina, straddling Collin and Denton counties, has been one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities, topping U.S. Census Bureau growth rankings in 2023. It’s home to more than 50,000 residents. Watson, who lived there when it had just 7,000 people.
“Celina’s charming downtown has this cowboy feel, and Rodeo SC really pairs well with that,” Watson said.
The group is banking on community integration and long-term development to make the franchise sustainable.
Rodeo SC will kick off community outreach this fall with an event at the Celina Troubadour Festival.
The launch coincides with a pivot for Texoma FC, which will drop down to USL League Two next season after drawing smaller crowds than expected in its debut year. Watson said the shift fits a broader vision for developmental soccer in the region.
With DFW hosting the most matches of any city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Watson is betting on a local soccer surge.
“In the next five to 10 years, soccer post-World Cup will explode in this country,” Watson said.
— Eric Weilbacher
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