Building a franchise, a brand, a team and a legacy: How Dallas' first professional women's soccer team came to be – and where it hopes to one day go

Dallas soccer fans had been clamoring for a women's professional soccer team for years. 

There had never been an opportunity – not locally, at least – for Dallas' youth soccer talent to play at the professional level, or to even draw inspiration from in their home city.

On May 9, 2024, that all changed.

Gathered on a stage at Klyde Warren Park, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort and father-son team owners Jim and Charlie Neil formally announced the region's newest professional team.

"North Texas has been waiting for this," Charlie Neil said. "And now is the right time for professional women’s soccer in Dallas – the best sports business city in the country."

The announcement played on a big video screen posted at Klyde Warren. City leaders, club representatives and young soccer fans in attendance all donned sunrise maroon and prairie gold scarves that represented the upstart franchise's colors.

It was a historic moment for women's sports in Dallas ushered in by a family with soccer roots dating back decades.

A North Texas family embedded in DFW soccer culture (Charlie and his brother both played in the Dallas Cup as kids), the Neils knew they wanted to invest in a women's soccer team. They recognized the popularity and demand for women's sports – specifically noting the rise of Caitlin Clark – and for soccer, the most popular women's sport on a worldwide scale. 

At the time, though, only 14 professional women's soccer teams existed in America as part of the NWSL – a far cry from the 101 professional men's soccer teams in the States.

So, when a second pro league, the USL Super League, was announced – it would boast eight inaugural teams, with more to come in subsequent years – the Neils seized the chance to get in on the action, grow the game in DFW and give young women more opportunities to chase their dreams.

They raised their hand, invested in the opportunity and started getting to work.

But how does one even start to build a pro sports team from scratch?

Well, first of all, you need a place to play.

The Neils went big with that first decision. Literally.

"We attended the World Cup in '94 back in the Cotton Bowl, and that was just a thrilling thing to do," Jim Neil said when the city approved his family's proposal to have their team play in the largest, and most storied, sports venue in Dallas. "When Charlie and I walked out at the opening ceremony of the Dallas Cup, which is a tournament that Charlie and his brother played in 20 years ago, and just saw the fans and the pitch ... They've done a phenomenal job keeping that field in fantastic shape." 

"It's going to be exciting." 

At the inception of every story is a blank page. 

An empty slate.

For Dallas Trinity FC – and the other seven teams of the USL Super League – there is a sense of simplicity in that each team's story starts from scratch.

Dallas' first season began on the road – a trip to Florida to play Tampa Bay Sun FC.

Back in Texas, a couple dozen diehard soccer fans (including myself) met inside Harwood Arms, a British-style pub in downtown Dallas to watch the streamed season opener on Peacock. We bonded through our newfound camaraderie over beers and pub food as the match played on a projector screen.

The first goal in team history came seconds before halftime: A header from defender Hannah Davison. 

Cheers from the small group reverberated at the pub.

It didn't take much longer, however, for the tide to turn and reality to set back in that the growth of this team will be a process. A 70th minute equalizer drew the match back to 1-1, and Dallas left Tampa with only one point in the standings.

The Trinity controlled the run of play throughout the match, so falling back on a draw left a bit to be desired. But there was a feeling of grace given to this inaugural group as they establish their identity as a team.

The crest on the jerseys, though, had a clear identity that is supremely Dallas. 

What makes a team representative of Dallas? What parts of Dallas' culture and history can be highlighted by a new organization looking to be embraced by its community?

For Dallas Trinity FC, at least part of that is wrapped in its look.

The team plays under the main colors of sunrise maroon, prairie gold and live oak green. The colors draw inspiration from the city skyline and the Trinity River, which reflects the vibrant nature of Dallas, as well as local pride and excellence.

Everything about the crest, from the font to the logo, is representative of the city and its history.

The logo is a combination of the city's nod to the Pegasus sign and Trinity River, weaving in the four tributaries into the neck, body and wings of the majestic creature.

With the brand instituted, fans needed merchandise to rock at games, home or away.

Nearly two months after announcing the club to the world, the Dallas Trinity FC apparel line dropped in its store. Items ranged from hats, T-shirts, jackets and scarves.

Dallas Trinity FC inked a deal with Nike for its merchandise line, providing top-tier quality products for their fans. 

"We couldn't be more excited about partnering with Nike and everything their brand represents — the global nature of who they are, the credibility it brings to have that iconic swoosh next to our crest and everything that that means," Charlie Neil told the Dallas Business Journal in an interview.

PHOTOS: A look at Dallas Trinity FC's merchandise catalog before their 1st season

Typically with apparel deals, professional sports leagues partner with one company to outfit all teams. However, the USL Super League left it up to individual clubs to do their own deals. That flexibility was something Neil said he and his family liked about the new top-flight league.

"I think our league smartly, in the early going, knowing that we are a new product, wanted to give the clubs the autonomy to negotiate the best deal that they could and align themselves with a partner that they felt was going to be the best partner to help them succeed," Neil told the DBJ. "We're fortunate that Nike took an interest in us."

Dallas Trinity FC accepted bids from other apparel companies, DBJ reported, but found itself "in good company" in Dallas by partnering with Nike, Neil said. The Portland, Oregon-based apparel giant already outfits the Mavericks, Rangers, Cowboys and Wings. He also said Nike has shown a "real interest" in Dallas, particularly in youth sports and women's sports.

Alongside the Nike swoosh, the club also grew their business with its training kit sponsor: UT Southwestern. As part of the deal, the UTSW name is prominently featured on the front of the DTFC training top jerseys which are produced by Nike.

When the team logo and name were announced in Klyde Warren Park, the club also revealed the name of the man tasked with creating the roster: former SMU coach Chris Petrucelli.

Petrucelli immediately went to work at making Dallas' first professional women's soccer team as Texan as possible.

Dallas Trinity FC General Manager Chris Petrucelli started the club's roster with a seasoned veteran, who would later be named the captain: UNC alum and two-time NCAA National Champion defender Amber Brooks. 

Brooks was signed one day after the team name and logo announcement. Brooks is semi-familiar with Texas, having played for the Houston Dash form 2016 to 2019.

From there, Petrucelli focused on players with local ties: Half of the club's signings either played high school or college ball in the DFW metroplex. They are: goalkeepers Sam Estrada (SMU) and Madison White (Bishop Lynch High School); defenders Hailey Davidson (Prosper High School) and Jenna Winebrenner (TCU); midfielders Haley Berg (Celina High School), Gracie Brian (TCU / Wakeland High School), and Sam Meza (Dallas Kicks & Solar Soccer Club); and forwards Allie Thornton (SMU), Cyera Hintzen (Sachse High School) and Chioma Ubogagu (Coppell High School).

"[DFW homegrowns] was the first ... the core that we thought 'can we get some of these talented players from Dallas that left'," Petrucelli told WFAA.

Along the way, the club tabbed former Scotland Women's National Team player Pauline MacDonald to be the first coach. MacDonald will join the team once her work visa is approved, which has not happened yet. The timeline for MacDonald's arrival was still unclear as of this writing.

Petrucelli has served as the acting head coach in the interim, building a culture and chemistry amongst the players he signed as general manager.

"Everybody on the team has been super nice and welcoming," defender Maya Gordon, who is from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said in a post-practice interview with WFAA. "My roommate, Gracie [Brian], she's from here. She's great and helped me get acclimated, and I really love the city so far."

Gordon told WFAA she was super nervous coming to DFW at first – as a self-proclaimed introvert – but her teammates have helped her come out of her shell. 

And while the metroplex might be familiar territory for Winebrenner and the other players with local ties, the common ground among everyone lies in navigating this new league.

"For people coming here from out of town or out of the country, soccer is their safe space. So using that and helping them get familiarized with how we do things in the States. We're all still learning in the USL, but we're doing it together," Winebrenner told WFAA.

Dallas Trinity FC was very intentional in its target fanbase from the beginning.

In the very first video on May 9, there were subtle signs of appealing to the Dallas' youth. Inspiring the next generation is a core belief of the club – an ideology that is weaved into every decision they make: whether it be signing local players or marketing to youth clubs and families.

The club's first two USL Super League home games were also dedicated "DeSoto ISD Nights" – where students and staff in the district could claim a free ticket to either game, according to emails shared with WFAA.

At each game, Dallas Trinity has "ball girls," which gives them and up-close-and-personal experience with women they can aspire to be.

Growing the game is among the core missions at Dallas Trinity FC. 

And there probably was not a more defining moment to date than bringing in the best women's team in the world for a friendly match.

The first-ever Dallas Trinity home game was not only massive in its stage, but with their opponent. 

What a bigger way to break-in your home venue than a match against the toughest women's team you could ask for in the world: FC Barcelona Femení, who won UEFA Women's Champions League in back-to-back years.

Petrucelli put it very simply in the press conference the day before the match: "No one will be as hard as [FC Barcelona]." 

"Not saying it'll be easy moving forward, but we will have played against the top level after this one," Petrucelli said. "That experience will help us moving forward. The team is growing and coming together, but it takes time."

Dallas Trinity was inevitably outmatched, falling to FC Barcelona 6-0. 

Still, a large majority of the 5,300 fans who came to see Dallas Trinity take on FC Barca was the target audience: DFW's next generation wearing both FC Barcelona jerseys and Trinity gear asking for photos and autographs after the final whistle.

So, even though the team lost 6-0 on the field, the Trinity legacy took a massive W off the field.

In Petrucelli's words: "The city of Dallas won tonight, Dallas Trinity FC won tonight and everybody won tonight.”

More Dallas Trinity FC coverage: