Fort Worth’s premier concert venue, Dickies Arena, may be getting a new name
The multipurpose arena in the heart of Fort Worth’s Cultural District may not be called Dickies in the future.
New York-based Bluestar Alliance, which acquired Dickies from California-based VF Corp in November 2025, is no longer interested in being a part of the arena, said Matt Homan, president of Trail Drive Management, speaking on the June 1 episode of KRLD’s CEO Spotlight podcast.
“Which breaks my heart, to be honest with you, because it was such a perfect fit,” Homan said.
Both Bluestar Alliance and Dickies’ former owner VF Corp are also behind on payments for the naming rights, according to a statement from Trail Drive Management, the nonprofit that runs the arena on behalf of the City of Fort Worth.
Trail Drive sent a demand letter informing both companies about the late payments, while emphasizing nothing will change about the arena’s operation, the statement said.
Representatives for Bluestar Alliance did not immediately respond to three emails and a phone call from the Star-Telegram requesting comment.
Trail Drive Management will now look for a new naming partner that makes sense both for the arena and the community, Homan said.
“Dickies for so many years and so many reasons made sense for what it meant to the citizens of Fort Worth and the community,” he said, adding that the sale to VF Corp changed the company’s relationship to the city.
“There’s going to be a lot of people that I think are going to be interested, but we’re interested in finding the right partner for both of us,” he said.
Dickies was announced as the arena’s naming rights partner in April 2017, a few months before the company’s Fort Worth owners sold the brand to California-based VF Corp.
“We’re proud that Dickies Arena will redefine what local entertainment means to our neighbors in Fort Worth,” the former Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. said in a statement announcing the 2017 partnership.
The company, which was founded in Fort Worth in 1922, moved its corporate offices out of Texas in November 2024, blind-siding Fort Worth leaders after the company spent $4.5 million fixing up new office space in downtown.
The Williamson family holds a deep respect and gratitude from arena management and the Fort Worth community at large, a spokesperson for Trail Drive Management said in a statement to the Star-Telegram.
“Their immeasurable impact on our city spans over a century and touches nearly every dimension of civic and community life,” the statement said.
“Trail Drive Management Corp. would like to sincerely thank Mr. Williamson and the Williamson-Dickie corporation for seeing our vision and potential nine years ago. We were a perfect match that shared our wonderful city’s Cowboy Culture together,” the statement said.
It’s unfortunate that Dickies’ owners have been unable to fulfill their contractual obligations, but it’s a great opportunity for a new company to come in if the name does change, said Fort Worth City Council member Macy Hill, who represents the area where Dickies is located.
“The arena is incredibly successful, and we’re incredibly proud of it, and incredibly proud of the Williamson family’s commitment and their history, so hopefully this will shake out in the right direction,” she said.
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