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Dynamo President Chris Canetti says the opening of the 22,000 seat stadium represents the end of a long search for a permanent home:
“It is everything to us. We would not be able to have a long-term sustainable future here in Houston without the development of this brand-new stadium. It is literally a game changer for us and takes us to a whole new level and gives us an incredible future in the city of Houston and more importantly here in the East End.”
BBVA Compass Bank paid $20 million for the naming rights to the stadium.
As part of the charitable outreach, the bank will sponsor reading programs and classes in financial literacy at a neighborhood grade school. The bank will also renovate the homes of three low-income seniors who live near the stadium.
The Dynamo team will be sponsoring a recycling contest for the Girl Scouts and will host a 5K run on May 6.
Again, President Canetti:
“I think we’ve always felt it was part of our obligation to give back to the community. We’re a young growing sports league and sports team. And we need to do things like this to really help ourselves grow on top of the obligation and commitment we feel. We’re going to be very active here on the East side.”
Canetti added that the new stadium is aiming to be one of the greenest in the country. Managers are working to reduce water and energy use and introduce a comprehensive recycling program.
Canetti says he hopes the stadium will soon earn a LEED certification, one of the top awards in the country for environmental building design.