Arlington says it’s ready for the World Cup — and the legacy the Beautiful Game will leave behind

From KERA News:

July 17, 1994, was one of the best days of Mauricio Galante’s life.

In California as part of a tour sailing the world on a frigate to celebrate his class’s graduation from the Brazilian naval academy, he and some friends snagged seats in the Rose Bowl and watched as his home country’s team won its fourth World Cup title.

The Brazil-Italy final was a nail biter – no score after extra time, the Brazilians went on to win it 3-2 in penalties.

“We couldn’t believe that Brazil won for the fourth time the world championship,” Galante said. “It was history made right there, you know? It was amazing.”

Galante served in the Brazilian navy for 15 years, started a business in his home country and then immigrated to America — specifically to Arlington, where he now represents District 1 on the city council.

And being on the council means that, almost 32 years after he watched Brazil set a new record for World Cup wins, he gets to play a big role in planning for the tournament.

Arlington is hosting more games than any other city, with nine matches including a semifinal . And while ticket sales and hotel bookings have lagged behind expectations, city leaders say they expect games to be sold out and hotels to have no vacancy on match days.

It puts the city that has spent more than half a century building a reputation as the sports capital of Texas (as it has been colloquially dubbed by officials, residents and visitors alike) in the spotlight on the world stage.

North Texas expects nearly 4 million visitors and around $2 billion in economic impact for the largest sporting tournament on Earth.

Galante said visitors and locals alike who venture into the Arlington Entertainment District will be greeted by a sea of colorful jerseys, blowing horns, energetic chants and passionate fans from around the globe. They’ll gather there to celebrate the world’s most popular sport, rallying around it to form a community that cares little about where folk are from and more about bringing the energy and comradery they bring with them.

“People are gonna feel that, feel the energy, the energy of what soccer brings,” he said.

Creating a lasting impact

Arlington, and especially Deputy City Manager Jennifer Wichmann, had a lot of planning to do — years’ worth.

From public safety to transit to efforts fostering unforgettable fan experiences, Wichmann said the city has planned for everything it possibly can.

“We have done this before, we do know what we’re doing,” Wichmann told KERA News. “We understand this is a different event in a number of ways. We haven’t hosted this many soccer matches. It’s a more international crowd than we typically get. But every time, every event we have builds on for additional events to come in the future.”

There have been plenty of major events to learn from: World Series games, an MLB All-Star game, a Super Bowl and sold-out concerts at AT&T Stadium.

Fans will be greeted with “Welcome to Arlington” banners, huge inflatable soccer balls and a new sculpture of a golden soccer cleat — or boot, if you’re British — with a spur.

Wichmann said those “Welcome to Arlington” banners and signs are a small detail that could make a big difference because of the way the tournament has been branded. FIFA is advertising Dallas as the host city, even temporarily renaming AT&T Stadium to Dallas Stadium.

“We understand it’s going be called Dallas Stadium, and we understand that was part of the deal that was made with FIFA,” she said. “We wish we could have gotten a change, but that didn’t happen.”

Arlington wants visitors to remember its name with the hope that they’ll think of the city when planning future vacations or looking for a place to set up a business. She says it’ll be a welcoming, exciting place and Arlington wants credit for the work planners put into creating that environment.

“We hope that sticks in their minds,” Wichmann said. “Maybe they’ve had a great time at the Fan Fest over in Dallas, and they know that that was down in Fair Park. And then when they come to the match, they’ll have a great here and know that that was in Arlington, Texas.”

Galante said with so many people, painstaking care has been put into ensuring public safety around the entertainment district.

Residents in Arlington need not worry, though, Wichmann said: the tournament won’t mean fewer resources for the rest of the city. Police aren’t allowed to take time off during the World Cup, allowing for extra staffing, and Arlington’s neighbors will join state and federal agencies in lending public safety resources and personnel.

An English pub for all fans

Of course, it’s not only the city that’s prepping for record-breaking turnout.

With the English team’s first match of the World Cup happening in Arlington, The Londoner Pub is gearing up for packed houses.

The pub, which started around 30 years ago in Addison, is preparing to open a location in Arlington ahead of the tournament — the pub’s fourth location. Its others are in Dallas and Colleyville.

The pub was opened by the father of Charlotte Tate, who now serves as its chief operating officer.

She said the World Cup is coming up fast and the Arlington location may not be 100% complete, but it will be open and ready to host fans from around the globe.

They’ve already started preparing with decor in the pubs, including World Cup posters and a countdown clock to the first match of the tournament.

While it may be an especially appealing location for England fans, she said its regulars include fans from all around.

With the proximity to AT&T Stadium, temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium due to FIFA rules on sponsor-named venues, Tate expects The Londoner to be a popular and busy spot. So much so that she’s planning to expand the footprint of the pub with outdoor seating and entertainment.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time, that means managing these games for a long time, so we know what we’re doing,” Tate said.

A long-term legacy

Cities, counties and the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee have spent years on research and planning. Efforts started long before North Texas won a bid to host matches.

With so much effort put into making the World Cup happen in Arlington, local leaders are already thinking about the legacy it will create.

The culture around soccer in North Texas and across the nation is one consideration.

Gary Packan, Arlington’s director of parks, recreation and culture, said the city has already seen some of that increased interest in soccer through its youth leagues.

He, too, referenced the impact of the ‘94 World Cup when talking about how this year’s tournament could change the landscape.

“We fully anticipate that to carry over in the demand and growth in the sport itself, which is fantastic because whether it’s soccer, baseball, lacrosse, hockey, our goal is to get people active at all ages,” Packan said. “We want to get people in our parks being healthy and enjoying our community.”

It’s something that has Collin Emmert excited, too.

He runs Jump Start Sports in Denton, Euless and Hurst, a company that offers youth sports camps and leagues.

Emmert says Jump Start aims to teach children about teamwork and perseverance while building character through sports, and soccer is a great way to do that. Because of the low cost of entry (all you really need is an open space, a ball and some friends to play with), it’s a great way for kids of all ages to get involved in athletics.

Leading up to the World Cup, he said soccer offerings have been the most popular. Even on the weekends, when Jump Start will host single-day, three hour camps, the sport sees the highest demand.

“The kids, they’re involved in other things, but they want that one day where they can come out and have a bunch of fun,” Emmert said. “I think it’s more than we anticipated.”

Jump Start Sports’ camps cost $80 or more, but Packan says Arlington will soon have a way for kids in the community to play pickup games for free in downtown.

A mini pitch, being put at George Stevens Park, will be a part of the World Cup’s legacy in North Texas. The pitch will provide a spot for kids to gather and play smaller games, and the only equipment they’ll need to bring is a ball.

He said the small size makes it easier for just a few kids to get together and play or practice because the field isn’t too large for them.

“This is in a confined space where there’s walls, and the ball is not going to get away from you,” Packan said. “You can practice your foot skills, have fun, burn off some energy.”

Joshua Nascimento knows plenty about soccer. He’s the son of Pelé, the legendary Brazilian player widely considered as one of the greatest in the history of the sport.

He’s also head of performance for FC Dallas, where he works with the team and its academy that offers soccer training for kids.

He said he expects the game’s popularity to skyrocket, from professional soccer to youth leagues to the frequency and size of neighborhood pickup games.

Pelé, who died in 2022, would be astonished to see how prolific the sport has become just in the past few years, Nascimento said.

He said his father visited the U.S. to play soccer and made trips here after he retired, always with the hope of fostering a love for the game.

“It’s part of, I think, what he came to do and in the United States, to leave a legacy,” Nascimento said. “He would have seen this and appreciated how much it has grown.”

Nascimento said that Texas already has a strong culture around soccer and that it’ll only grow with the World Cup — especially in Arlington.

“It’s just gonna keep growing,” he said, noting that the growth of Major League Soccer has garnered international attention, even from players. “We have players like Messi wanting to come here. Who ever thought Messi would come to the States, you know? So I just think it shows how much the league has grown, how much quality has improved of the football, the players.”

Arlington may be one of the places where America’s flourishing love for the Beautiful Game is most evident after FIFA leaves town.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a city with so much talent,” he said. “And I think the World Cup is just going to take it to another level.”

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