FRISCO, Texas -- About a year from now the Dallas Cowboys will be preparing to move into The Star -- their new practice facility -- with Saturday marking the halfway point of completion of the 12,000-seat stadium the club will share with the Frisco Independent School District.

The club and city marked the occasion with the installation of the first of 23 trusses that will span the multi-use event center.

When the facility is complete, the Cowboys could begin spending the bulk of their training camp in Frisco rather than Oxnard, California, or San Antonio.

"Obviously when you have a home like this, it's very conducive to having a training camp and we’ll be hard pressed to want to leave it," executive vice president Stephen Jones said. "But I still see us moving around some. I think it's good for our brand, I think it's good to touch fans in California, San Antonio, I think that's a good thing to touch those fans as well."

The Cowboys have a multi-year deal with the City of Oxnard that includes some options for future years. The Frisco facility is looking at a mid-August 2016 opening.

The Cowboys are one of 12 teams that go on the road for training camp. Their Valley Ranch facility did not have the space to permit fans to watch camp, and the heat made it difficult for practices. With the indoor stadium, the weather won't be a factor. Jones said the total cost of the project, which will include a hotel, office buildings and retail and restaurant space, has topped $200 million. The Cowboys are on the hook for costs over $150 million.

Spending a few weeks or a month for camp in Frisco opens up more opportunities for local fans to see the team train.

"There's so much growth and it continues to grow out here, I think it gives fans out here a chance to touch it," Jones said. "There's a bunch of fans here in North Texas that don't make it to the games and it's not economical for them, so this will give them a chance to come out here and bring their families and their kids and people who love the Cowboys and be a part of it. So we think it's going to be a big, big deal, not to mention I think you'll get a lot of people from surrounding communities and around the state of Texas, to come here and bring people to Frisco and be a part of this."