When Vaqueros goalkeeper Arturo Sanchez takes the field this summer he should feel right at home.
Sanchez played collegiately at Texas Wesleyan University, which will serve as the new home for the Fort Worth Vaqueros for the 2015 season.
The Vaqueros will kickoff at Martin Field, home of the Texas Wesleyan men’s and women’s soccer teams, on May 16 vs. the Houston Regals.
“We are thrilled to partner with Texas Wesleyan for our home matches this summer,” Vaqueros owner Michael Hitchcock said. “They share our vision of serving the Fort Worth community. We see this as the first step in a potentially larger arrangement that will benefit the community, our supporters and the Texas Wesleyan students. We will be able to create an intimate soccer atmosphere similar to community stadiums in Europe and South America.”
Martin Field will be the home for all the Vaqueros NPSL South Central Conference games, the Trinity River Cup match, the Houston Dynamo U-23 exhibition game and an additional exhibition match.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Vaqueros to our home in East Fort Worth,” Texas Wesleyan President Frederick G. Slabach said. “The Vaqueros are a strong Fort Worth brand that offers community and family-friendly entertainment. Just as important, this partnership will provide opportunities for our athletic training students, who will have a chance to work with upper-level athletes, and for our soccer team who will have opportunities to scrimmage with the Vaqueros.”
The Vaqueros plan to create a festival atmosphere at Martin Field in “Vaqueros Village” that will include a Kid Zone, Food Truck Alley, fireworks at certain matches, and a beer garden.
“The City of Fort Worth is pleased that the Vaqueros will be playing at Texas Wesleyan this year,” Mayor Betsy Price said. “The Vaqueros have done a wonderful job reaching out to the community and so it is great to see them play in one of our city’s strong partners and universities.”
The Vaqueros new home sits in the district of city council member Kelly Allen Gray.
“Exciting things are continuing to happen in Southeast Fort Worth,” Allen Gray said. “The ‘Topping Out’ ceremony on the campus of Texas Wesleyan University was held Tuesday morning and now I’m pleased to welcome the Fort Worth Vaqueros to the neighborhood. This public private partnership with Texas Wesleyan for the use of Martin Field further demonstrates our true-to-life Rosedale Renaissance.”
And it certainly is a great facility for showcasing the beautiful game.
“From a purely soccer point of view we are pleased we will be playing on a regulation-sized field,” Fort Worth Vaqueros head coach Mark Snell concluded. “The atmosphere will be very intimidating for our opponents.”
