Sports in Austin, Texas

Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, home of Texas Longhorns football.

The City of Austin, Texas and the Austin metropolitan area has no major league professional sports teams, but is home to the University of Texas Longhorns and to several minor-league sports teams.

Teams

Austin area prominent sports teams

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue (capacity)	Attendance
Texas Longhorns	Football	1893	NCAA	Texas Memorial Stadium (100,120)	101,175
Texas Longhorns	Basketball	1906	NCAA	Frank Erwin Center (16,540)	13,669
Round Rock Express	Baseball	2000	Pacific Coast League (AAA)	Dell Diamond (8,720)	8,181
Texas Longhorns	Baseball	1894	NCAA	UFCU Disch–Falk Field (6,755)	5,793
Texas Stars	Ice hockey	2009	American Hockey League	Cedar Park Center (8,700)	5,146
Austin Spurs	Basketball	2005	NBA D-League	Cedar Park Center (8,700)	2,800
Austin Aztex	Soccer	2011	United Soccer League	House Park (6,500)	1,438
Austin Outlaws	Football	2003	Women's Football Alliance	House Park (6,500)
Austin Sol	Ultimate	2016	American Ultimate Disc League	Several venues
Austin Huns	Rugby	1972	Texas Rugby Union	4107 Nixon Lane (2,000)

UFCU Disch–Falk Field front facade after its 2007 renovation

University of Texas Longhorns

Many Austinites support the athletic programs of the University of Texas at Austin known as the Texas Longhorns. During the 2005–06 academic term, Longhorns football team was named the NCAA Division I FBS National Football Champion and Longhorns baseball team won the College World Series.^[1][2] The Texas Longhorns play home games in the state's second-largest sports stadium, Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, seating over 101,000 fans.^[3] Baseball games are played at UFCU Disch–Falk Field which underwent renovation in 1996 with an increased capacity to 6,756 seats plus 11 stadium suites.

Professional sports

Austin is the largest city in the United States without a club in a major professional sports league.^[4] Minor-league professional sports came to Austin in 1996, when the Austin Ice Bats began playing at the Travis County Expo Center.^[5] Since then, the Austin Ice Bats have been replaced by the Texas Stars^[6] of the American Hockey League. Other teams have come to Austin including the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League. Most recently, the Austin Huns Rugby Football Club entered into their first year as a professional sports entity in 2016.

Biking, swimming, and running

Natural features like the bicycle-friendly Texas Hill Country, limestone rock formations, and generally mild climate work with the centrally located Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, and local pools like Barton Springs to make Austin the home of several endurance and multi-sport races and communities. The Capitol 10,000 is the largest 10 K race in Texas, and approximately fifth largest in the United States.^[7] The Austin Marathon has been run in the city every year since 1992. The Austin-founded American Swimming Association hosts an open water swimming event, the Cap 2 K, and other closed-course, open water, and cable swim races around town. Austin is also the hometown of several cycling groups and the former seven-time Tour de France champion cyclist^[8] Lance Armstrong, as well as environmentally and economically minded bicycle commuters. Combining these three disciplines is a growing crop of triathlons, including the Capital of Texas Triathlon held every Memorial Day on and around Lady Bird Lake, Auditorium Shores, and Downtown Austin.^[9]

Auto racing

In June 2010 it was announced by the Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone that the Austin area would host the Formula One, United States Grand Prix, from 2012 until 2021. The effort was aided by State Comptroller Susan Combs. The State has pledged to put up $25 million in public funds annually for 10 years to pay the sanctioning fees for the race.^[10] The event was last held in 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.^[11] A Formula One circuit will need to be built at an estimated cost of $250 to $300 million, paid for by private investors, and is expected to be located just east of the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. The Austin investor group is headed by Tavo Hellmund,^[12] President of Full Throttle Productions, LP. Hellmund, of Austin, is himself a former race car owner and driver.^[13] Circuit of the Americas will also play host to MotoGP World Championships from 2013. Lewis Hamilton won the 2012 United States Grand Prix at Austin on November 18.

High school and youth sports

Austin is home to the 2010 U.S. Youth Soccer U19 Girls National Champion club Lonestar Soccer Club.

Other sports

Austin is known as a major Disc Golf city as well, with 11 established courses and over 50 courses within driving distance.

In July 2013 ESPN announced the X Games would relocate from Los Angeles to Austin, where the city will serve as one of six stops on the Global X Games circuit from 2014 to 2018. The 2014 events are scheduled to take place at the Circuit of The Americas sports and entertainment venue from May 15 to May 18.^[14]

Austin is also considered the birthplace of all-women's flat track roller derby.^[15] In 2003, the Texas Rollergirls formed as the first league to play modern flat-track roller derby^[16] and, in 2005, were instrumental in the rule-setting and track design used by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.^[17]

References