The Houston Dynamo will have an affiliate in the Premier Development League, as the club is partnering on an initiative in Bryan, TX.
As announced on Monday, the Dynamo is teaming up with Uri Geva’s Clutch Entertainment Group to place a PDL team at Nutrabolt Stadium. The facility currently hosts the Brazos Valley Bombers, a summer collegiate baseball league team that is also owned by Geva.
As part of the plan, Nutrabolt Stadium will receive $1.86 million in upgrades, which were approved by the City of Bryan to make the facility more compatible for soccer. As part of the overhaul, the seating capacity at the stadium will be expanded to accommodate 2,000 fans for soccer. In addition, new field turf and a new scoreboard will be involved.
At the onset, Geva and the Dynamo are encouraged by the potential for soccer to succeed in Brazos Valley. More from The Eagle:
“It’s going to be a fantastic facility,” said Geva, giving credit to city officials and others to be visionaries for investing in a venue for multiple sports.
The Houston Dynamo, which moved from San Jose in 2005, will be responsible for the team’s players and coaching staff in this unique partnership, while Geva’s Clutch Entertainment Group will handle the team’s daily operations. The team’s inaugural coach is James Clarkson, who has been with the Dynamo for 10 years. He helped create and develop the club’s academy.
Dynamo senior vice president David Tagliarino said the club’s goals coincided with what Geva was looking for in a partnership.
“There was immediate comfort knowing we were aligning ourselves with the right group,” said Tagliarino, adding that the club is often approached with offers. “Then the second piece of that is you take a look at the popularity and growth of soccer. And for the Dynamo and the Dash, our women’s program, to have the ability to expand their soccer presence here in this market, and region, which is a very passionate following and loyal fan base. We just felt there were some natural synergies there to do it at this time and with this group.”
One announcement that awaits is the team’s name, which will be determined through a name-the-team contest. Details on the contest can be found at Bvsoccer2017.com.
Image courtesy Houston Dynamo.