Whether you call it soccer, fútbol or the beautiful game, Oklahoma City is very familiar with it.
The sport has deep roots in the community, embraced by fans who follow both international clubs and domestic leagues. And though Oklahoma City is one of the 20 most populous cities in the nation, it's one of the only cities on that list without a stadium.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut that’s to change in the coming years as the consistency of soccer fandom in town has made way for one of the city’s largest investments.
For one soccer fan, the sport closely rivals OKC's “big three” sports.
When asked to rank the soccer fandom against the OKC Thunder, college football and college softball fandoms, former OKC Energy director of fan experience Billy Walton would put it near the top.
“I would say you got a 1A and a 1B with the Thunder and Oklahoma football,” Walton said. “I think for soccer culture, it comes in as a solid number three for me.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"The camaraderie I’ve found in the soccer community, even with me ... as a Manchester United fan, on the field, we're going to 'hate' each other, but you still have that bond of loving a sport that is still trying to find its footing in the US.”
A source of Energy for soccer fans
Oklahoma City had a few semi-pro or amateur soccer teams through the years, but the city finally stepped into the big leagues when what became OKC Energy FC was awarded a United Soccer League franchise on July 2, 2013.
The team’s first season was in 2014, playing home matches at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School's Pribil Stadium. In 2015, they moved to Taft Stadium, a historic venue in OKC.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the heyday of OKC Energy, Matt Wormus said it brought the city together. The Thunder had been around for a handful of seasons at the time, but to him, it birthed a different sense of passion for many fans.
“I just remember that first season we were getting our feet wet with [United Soccer League] and we came out of the gate and were winning. That kind of rallied the city behind the team,” Wormus said.
The united front of fans manifested the passion in honoring the city that put the spotlight on the sport. Some of the earliest Filos, the flags that cover the supporter section, were dedicated to OKC history, like the Survivor Tree or scarves that read, “The spirit of the city will not be defeated.”
“We just engrossed ourselves with the city and within the different areas of the city just to keep things growing,” he said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLooking back, he recalled a game where the Energy was deadlocked with their opponent until the final penalty kicks determined the OKC team as the winner.
“The Energy wins in penalty kicks. We rush to the fields. We were all just celebrating on the field for a conference quarterfinals game or something like that. So, it was just so much fun, and we celebrated with the team,” Wormus said.
The end of an era
When the Energy closed its doors in 2022, there was a mixed bag of emotions, Wormus and Walton said. The energy generated was disrupted when the hiatus occurred in December 2021 due to upgrades at Taft Stadium.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"There was a lot of hurt and anger and apathy. ... I saw a drop in attendance at Skinny Slim's, the hub of soccer here for Energy games, EPL, MLS. It kinda seemed not to die off, but people shut down a bit," Wormus said.
Walton said the fans' frustration was understandable. As a fan of the sport and an employee of the Greens, he sees both sides of the disappointment.
Oklahoma City Energy FC forward Danni Konig leads the team with five goals this season. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman“I want to see the sport be successful in Oklahoma City. It had everything it needed. [...] Honestly, I say that, but it didn't have everything it needed because it didn't have a stadium. It didn't have a real home,” Walton said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Energy was gone from Taft, and soccer energy was at a low. But for soccer fans, it was just the lull that comes in the cyclical story of fandom.
With new time on their hands, fans found ways to still put momentum into the soccer scene in town. Whether it was continuing to support Skinny Slim’s watching Premier League football, fundraisers for soccer clubs or supporting one of the OKC Women’s Premier Soccer League matches, the two said soccer always had a home in Oklahoma City – even if the Energy had been gone.
The energy continues
A major factor for the development of soccer in Oklahoma City is the youth leagues adding soccer fans on both sides of the pitch. Oklahoma Soccer Association boasts 31,000 current student members in its 58th year, and thousands more adults.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementExecutive director Matt Mercer said members are coming in from all backgrounds and corners, not just in the capital city, but statewide. As they spread from OKC to Edmond and to Norman, backgrounds vary, as do those in Tulsa.
"We hit it all. Everybody's involved. Everybody wants a piece of soccer. The benefit is that soccer doesn't take a lot of money to start to play, so we try to reach all parts of [Oklahoma]," Mercer said.
For Mercer, gone are the days when parents didn't know how soccer could help a student in different areas of development, from cooperation to creativity.
Seats at the renovated Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City display the colors of the Energy FC.When Pauletta Price, director of leagues and competitions, joined OSA 25 years ago, she was just the mom of a soccer player. She didn’t know the sport much, but knew it was something her son enjoyed. As she got more involved, she began seeing the success her son was having while also seeing the overall growth of the soccer scene.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We were just this small state representing the youth side, and we’ve grown over the years through the programs and the tournaments, and we’ve had teams that advanced to the national [level]. Last year, Oklahoma had a National Championship team for the first time in 20 years. That just shows the hard work we're putting in and we're just growing,” Price said.
Numerous other organizations have experienced this growth as well. The Más Fútbol Foundation aims to make the sport as accessible as possible for students with free soccer. The organization welcomes all players but has become widely attractive to members of Oklahoma City’s Latine community.
Even among players who have a perceived language barrier, President Javier Hernandez said the beautiful game knows no language.
"They can communicate through the sport. It's that common factor, that common goal of let's play soccer, let's get better together, let's train that I think helps connect everyone first, and then everything else comes after that,” Hernandez said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBoth OSA and Más Fútbol Foundation anticipate that the 2026 U.S. World Cup will positively impact their organizations and the way soccer happens in Oklahoma. OKC and Tulsa are on a potential roster to be base camps for a World Cup team, yet even with no game happening in the Sooner State, momentum is expected.
For Más Fútbol, the nonprofit anticipates higher energy, more partnerships and plugging itself even deeper into the community.
“You’ll see a surge after the World Cup. There’s always one after the men’s, after the women’s; everybody experiences a huge surge of children just wanting to play soccer. So we’ll grow again this year and next year,” Price said.
The Grid capo, Cameron Coley, holds a smoke canister up during a soccer game between Energy FC and Indy Eleven in Oklahoma City, Saturday, July 10, 2021.The future of OKC Energy
OKC’s future in soccer is changing. As the new team is still developing and plans to enter the USL, the construction of the multipurpose stadium is beginning to take form.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMayor David Holt said this stadium, which will primarily be used for soccer, will be built with the knowledge of the deep-rooted fandom that is throughout the city. Combining the well-maintained support with the momentum sparked by private partners like Russell Westbrook, Christian Kanady and Echo, a soccer stadium has the boots to sustain and put Oklahoma City in the right direction.
The stadium is not a result, but the first step, Holt said.
“My role and this generation's role here at Oklahoma City is to keep taking another step forward to keep us in the game. If we hadn't built this stadium, we'd literally be out of the game of soccer,” Holt said.
“We’re taking the steps to leave a legacy that the next generation can build upon.”
The Grid member RJ Williams cheers during a soccer game between Energy FC and Indy Eleven in Oklahoma City, Saturday, July 10, 2021.The modest stadium will accommodate a roughly 10,000-seat audience, and plans are ongoing following the passage of the bond agreement. But one thing that can be promised from OKC for Soccer President Court Jeske is that this stadium will not be like any other.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSimilar to how designers on the new home of the Oklahoma City Thunder are looking for ways to make the arena as powerful for fans as possible, Jeske said they want to replicate that in their own soccer way with the closest fan section to the field in the world.
“We believe having them very close to the pitch creates an intimidating environment for the away team, but we also know that [fans will] respect the rules of the game and the Oklahoma standard in the way that they treat the away team with respect,” Jeske said.
Jeske said more details are to come on the future of the stadium, what amenities will be present, but what the former MLS and USL executive can say is that Oklahoma City is not like other cities when it comes to soccer.
“There's no more aligned city in the country right now than Oklahoma City. When you think about how the MAPS 4 group, our city council and existing ownership are all in on moving this project forward, it makes it a very, very exciting and unique project,” Jeske said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd for Nate Wormus and many of the other original diehard fans of the Energy, they agree.
“We have people like me who have been around not only for Energy FC, but before that. The amateur club, OKC FC, and you're going to have a new wave of fans, too, that's going to be joining in. It's going to be really exciting seeing the cross-generational growth and development of soccer culture,” Wormus said.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: New stadium plans spark renewed pride, belonging among OKC soccer fans
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