Houston’s place in the American soccer scene has never been in question. Texas has always been and will continue to be among the top markets in the country, but things have gotten even better with the building of a major complex by the Houston Dutch Lions.
The Dutch Lions brand is poised for a national breakthrough with the new complex in the Houston area and a new franchise in Cincinnati. This goes with an already popular and successful USL PRO franchise in Dayton, Ohio.
The HDL complex hosted its first practice on October 10, 2013 with the first match, a 4-2 HDL victory over Galveston in the Texas Premier Soccer League (TPSL), coming a little over a week later on October 19th.
HDL finds themselves among only the Houston Dynamo as a club with their own dedicated facilities. The complex is impressive to say the least and it still has room to grow.
The giant property sprawls over seven acres, including two full-size FIFA regulation fields with complete lighting. The turf was even imported, installed by Edel Grass of the Netherlands.
The facility will be put to good use, serving as the training home of youth academy, Houston Football Association (HFA), TPSL, and PDL teams. It will also host several youth, adult, and corporate tournaments in the coming months.
The addition of a three-story clubhouse is not far away either. That building will house team offices, meeting rooms, a pro shop, and areas for equipment storage. Public Wi-fi and a children’s playground are also in the mix.
The Houston Dutch Lions looks to be a bright spot in the Texas soccer community, while the entire Dutch Lion brand looks to expand to a total of six markets in the near future.
Simply put, it is a great time to become a fan of the Dutch Lions as they are literally going places.
