The Alamodome is still the home court for the UIL boys and girls state basketball championships, at least for the next couple of years. Beyond that, the future gets a lot murkier. UIL officials say the current deal has roughly two years left and that they are already sizing up other venues once that contract runs out, opening the door for Texas high school basketball’s biggest weekend to leave San Antonio.
UIL officials say they are looking around
During the Texas High School Coaches Association coaching school in Houston, UIL director of athletics Ray Zepeda and executive director Jamey Harrison told coaches the organization is “exploring other potential locations” for the state basketball finals once the Alamodome contract expires, and said they believe about two years remain on that agreement. Zepeda complimented the Alamodome’s handling of the event but added that the league wants to “countermeasure the experience” by checking out alternatives. The comments were reported by the San Antonio Express-News.
Alamodome still on the schedule, for now
According to the UIL, the Alamodome is still listed as the site for the state basketball brackets through the 2026–27 cycle. The league’s spectator details, including tickets, parking and clear-bag rules during the tournaments, are laid out on the UIL website as well. So the Alamodome remains on the near-term calendar even as league leaders sketch out a post-contract map.
Attendance, logistics and why some coaches want a move
Attendance has become a sticking point. This year’s sessions at the Alamodome drew an average of about 5,343 fans for the boys games and around 2,573 for the girls. Those numbers have some Dallas-Fort Worth coaches arguing that a more central or Metroplex-based site might pump up crowds and spare fans the grind of long weekday drives. The Dallas Morning News reported that some coaches are also pushing for a rotation of host cities to better spread the travel burden.
Past, present and possible future homes
The UIL shifted the state finals to the Alamodome after Austin’s Frank Erwin Center was taken out of service. The arena was ultimately demolished to clear the way for a University of Texas medical campus, a detail noted in a UT MD Anderson news release that cites the Erwin Center’s demolition to make room for the new UT Austin Medical Center. Since then, UIL officials and coaches have floated arenas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and other sites as candidates, but locking in a building for the two consecutive three-day blocks the UIL needs remains a major scheduling puzzle, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Why San Antonio would feel it
The Alamodome is a city-owned venue that helps feed San Antonio’s hotels, restaurants and convention business, and the city has put real money into keeping it tournament-ready. A City of San Antonio agenda memo notes that the city has even purchased blackout curtains so the building can be transformed into a basketball-friendly bowl for the UIL. A recent USITT report details the Alamodome’s push to improve audio and seating flexibility for events. Losing the state finals would not just thin out crowds along the River Walk; it would also reshuffle part of the venue’s summer slate and the business it brings to the surrounding area.
What happens next
For the moment, the plan is status quo. The next two state tournaments are booked for San Antonio, and UIL leaders say they will keep talking with the Alamodome while also sounding out other arenas and studying issues like fan experience and scheduling. Any decision to move would likely come as the current contract nears its end, giving the league and potential host cities time to negotiate. The only sure thing right now is uncertainty: San Antonio has the championships locked in for the near future, but where Texas high school basketball’s biggest games will tip off in 2029 is still very much in play.
