Both leagues presented at the OKC School Board meeting, and the NASL group was approved to develop a contract to play games in Taft stadium.

Ustream recording (http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/34506371) starts at about 45:00 into the meeting.

There is a summary on the Foundation for OKCPS (https://twitter.com/FoundationOKCPS) Twitter feed.

Summary:

$3M startup cost
$2M-$3M annual operating cost
They will invest $100K for a video board at Taft
Will pay $3500 / game + % of concessions + $2/ticket to existing charity that helps underprivileged kids get free tickets (Wes Welker Foundation, I believe)
Existing amateur (PDL / WPSL) teams will still exist and will also play at Taft.
NASL team will start in 2015
NASL is the 2nd tier league in the US, just below Major League Soccer
Taft seats 7500. The amateur teams (OKC FC men/women) have been averaging 1200+ at OCU so far and the atmosphere is great.
Will specifically target Latino population, perhaps even have some games at Capitol Hill stadium.
NASL team will be named the ???? (fill in the blank)


NASL will now vote on July 15 to approve the expansion to OKC.

This is great news and I especially like they will be playing at and investing in Taft Stadium. Such a cool setting and the renovations will make it much nicer.

Great idea about playing some games at Capitol Hill. That stadium is being renovated as well.

This is very great news, good for my favorite city in the world OKC

This is good news for not only OKC soccer fans but also fans of OKC growth! I tend to fall in the latter but who knows I could become a soccer fan.

Not being a soccer fan I decided to do a little research and once done it, I thought I might as well share.

The hierarchy of soccer in the US appears to be: MSL, NASL, USL Pro and then PDL.

OKC currently has a team in the PDL and according to boy’s post above the team will continue to exist. The OKC FC appear to be ranked number 8th in PDL attendance and in a four team tie for fifth place for the league. OKC FC is averaging 1,177 per game.

According to respective league web sites;

The MSL is made up of two conferences, splitting 23 teams. Average attendance is 17,435. The number one team attendance wise is Seattle averaging 41,502 per game.
Seattle did not have a team until after the Sonics moved to OKC.

The NASL, the league the new OKC team will be joining, currently list 12 teams in the league. Three of which are international teams Edmonton, Ottawa and Puerto Rico. OKC’s closest rival would be the San Antonio Scorpions, other teams are Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Raleigh, Tampa, Ft Lauderdale, New York and the Virginia Cavalry in a DC suburb. Average attendance is 4,584, the league leader is San Antonio with 7,122. In 2012 San Antonio averaged 9,176 but they moved into a smaller more intimate venue for 2013. Every team in the NASL except San Antonio is up year-over-year in terms of average announced attendance.

The USL Pro league has 13 teams. Average attendance is 2,716 and the attendance leader is Orlando averaging 7,466.

The PDL league has 64 teams. Average attendance is 645, attendance leader is Portland averaging 4,316. OKC plays in the Mid South division of the Southern conference along with teams from Austin, El Paso, Houston, Laredo and Midland

All attendance figures are for 2013. » PDL (http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?tag=pdl)

With the lease beginning in 2015 for two years (and an option for a third), could this mean we are potentially looking at a push for a downtown stadium by 2020? Omaha built a downtown soccer stadium for $14 million (6,000 capacity, suitable for NASL's projections for OKC, which is 4,500/game), and San Antonio built their NASL stadium for $30 million (11,000 capacity).

If land costs weren't so high, the area south of Harkins and north of the Coop would seemingly make a perfect location.

The San Antonio Scorpions stadium calls for two phases of construction. The first phase opened in April 2013 will have an initial capacity of 8,000 for soccer matches and 14,000 for concerts and festivals.
With MLS intentions, this stadium is expandable to 18,000 as demand increases. No timeline was given for phase two.

The name of the soccer stadium is Toyota Field. So now there is Toyota Field in San Antonio and the Toyota Arena in Houston. Ah to have a car manufacture in your backyard!

Link here: http://www.toyotafield.com/about-toyota-field.html

So San Antonio has aspirations for the MSL, hopefully soccer will be as popular here and by 2020 OKC will have MSL aspirations as well. Based on how well the PDL team is doing in their inaugural year this very well could happen.

Speaking of San Antonio, the city seems to be good sports city and does a good job supporting their minor league teams. The Scorpions are number one in NASL attendance and the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL was number 6 in the AHL for 2013. To date averaging 7,067 per game for the 2013 season.

From my understanding NASL is right below MSL in level of play. Similar to what the AHL is to the NHL and AAA baseball is to MLB. While the higher level of play has its merits one would think that proximity of teams would be a concern for NASL teams. The close proximity to and a larger number of closer rivals is one area that the PDL would seem to have over NASL teams, similar to the old Central Hockey league.

Speaking of hockey and proximity of other league teams looks as though the Barons may be or have lost one of their closer rivals. The Houston team is no longer shown on the AHL league maps. They were ranked 7th in attendance last year. This isn't good for OKC to lose one of their closest opponents, especially when they only had three to start with.

Can’t help but think that the powers to be at Prodigal Sports, as well as the two remaining Texas teams, are in the ear of league officials about how that league is become upper Midwest and Northeast eccentric.

If one looks at the league map there are now only three teams in the southwest and none in the western USA. Perhaps this is part of the reason that the Barons were last in the league in attendance.
Can’t help but think that f the league could add teams in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Houston, Omaha, Tulsa and Wichita. not only would the Barons it would also help the two Texas teams. It would be better exposure for hockey in general.

Links:

Teams; TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League | Home Page (http://theahl.com/team-map-directory-s11579)

Attendance; TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League | Home Page (http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance&season_id=40)

In general, as you go up in leagues the further your rivals are going to be. There are more places nearby that can support the 1,000+ crowds the tier-4 PDL currently draws. There are fewer that can support the 3,000+ crowds of USL Pro, even less able to draw 5,000+ for NASL, and even a couple current MLS teams struggle to bring out 10,000 night in and night out (the attendance for Chivas USA looks more appropriate for NASL). That being said, if you're going to be a big league city, you have to be able to do that whether your rivals are Tulsa, Wichita, and Fort Worth, or if they are San Antonio, Minneapolis, and New York.

As for the eventual (and hopefully downtown) stadium, I'm hopeful that we get something urban in design, cozy for the fans, but expandable in case they start bringing in 9,000 a night like the Blazers used to. Or even if the MLS eventually comes calling. What I fear we'll end up with is a suburban stadium surrounded by a sea of parking that charges $20 on Thunder game nights.

This is good news for not only OKC soccer fans but also fans of OKC growth! I tend to fall in the latter but who knows I could become a soccer fan.

Not being a soccer fan I decided to do a little research and once done it, I thought I might as well share.

The hierarchy of soccer in the US appears to be: MSL, NASL, USL Pro and then PDL.

OKC currently has a team in the PDL and according to boy’s post above the team will continue to exist. The OKC FC appear to be ranked number 8th in PDL attendance and in a four team tie for fifth place for the league. OKC FC is averaging 1,177 per game.

According to respective league web sites;

The MSL is made up of two conferences, splitting 23 teams. Average attendance is 17,435. The number one team attendance wise is Seattle averaging 41,502 per game.
Seattle did not have a team until after the Sonics moved to OKC.

The NASL, the league the new OKC team will be joining, currently list 12 teams in the league. Three of which are international teams Edmonton, Ottawa and Puerto Rico. OKC’s closest rival would be the San Antonio Scorpions, other teams are Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Raleigh, Tampa, Ft Lauderdale, New York and the Virginia Cavalry in a DC suburb. Average attendance is 4,584, the league leader is San Antonio with 7,122. In 2012 San Antonio averaged 9,176 but they moved into a smaller more intimate venue for 2013. Every team in the NASL except San Antonio is up year-over-year in terms of average announced attendance.

The USL Pro league has 13 teams. Average attendance is 2,716 and the attendance leader is Orlando averaging 7,466.

The PDL league has 64 teams. Average attendance is 645, attendance leader is Portland averaging 4,316. OKC plays in the Mid South division of the Southern conference along with teams from Austin, El Paso, Houston, Laredo and Midland

All attendance figures are for 2013. » PDL (http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?tag=pdl)

Is OKC acceptance as an expansion team a foregone conclusion? Current attendance less that 2,000 per game is not very convincing

From the first post on this thread it appears that the answer to your question is that it will be determined whether OKC is admitted to the NASL on July 15th.

Don’t know about the foregone conclusion part, but my guess would be that if a group is willing to pay the franchise fee and can absorb the $3m start-up cost (again from the first post) there is probably a strong probability that the league will accept the application.

As far as attendance it could also be debated that for a first year team, the attendance for the OKC FC is pretty strong for a team in that league. After all you got to start somewhere.

According to the first post even if the new NASL team does indeed come about the existing PDL will continue to exist. Based on the fact that there are two groups willing to support a soccer team in OKC it would appear that someone thinks soccer will work in OKC. Only time will tell but isn’t that true of any business endeavor?

The newsok.com story is up and can be found here (http://newsok.com/article/3853730).

Interestingly, both ownership groups stated that their teams (USLPro and NASL) would be coming to OKC whether or not they got the Taft Stadium lease. So we will have to wait and see what happens with that. The NASL group already owns both the men's / women's amateur teams. They are very passionate "soccer people" and smart business people so I think they have a great shot at making it work.

>1000 average attendance for a 4th-division amateur team is pretty good. I think the 7500-seat stadium will be perfect for a 2nd-division soccer team and they will have a shot at selling out a few games.

Brad Lund did one hell of a marketing job for Bob Funk Sr., when he was with the Blazers as GM (team averaged 9,000 per game). He eventually got exhausted.
NASL and the USL will both be targeting Oklahoma City's untapped limited soccer market. I would give the edge to Lund because of the fact that Taft will have undergone renovation and Lund has the skills and the marketing strategy advantage over Bob Funk Jr.

The Oklahoma City sports market is almost maxed-out. Most of the efforts for marketing by Lund will be toward OKC's 110,00 hispanic population.

Hispanic population increases in the Oklahoma City metro area | News OK (http://newsok.com/hispanic-population-increases-in-the-oklahoma-city-metro-area/article/3689173)

Appears as though Prodigal LLC, who wants the city to have a USL Pro Team is not happy that Sold Out Strategies wants to bring a NASL Team to the city.

Additionally it would appear that there is another local that wants the NASL franchise for the city.

So that would make three groups wanting to bring pro soccer to OKC..

Link to Oklahoman story: Soccer: Pro soccer's future in OKC will go through courtroom | News OK (http://newsok.com/soccer-pro-soccers-future-in-okc-will-go-through-courtroom/article/3858192)

Brad Lund did one hell of a marketing job for Bob Funk Sr., when he was with the Blazers as GM (team averaged 9,000 per game). He eventually got exhausted.
NASL and the USL will both be targeting Oklahoma City's untapped limited soccer market. I would give the edge to Lund because of the fact that Taft will have undergone renovation and Lund has the skills and the marketing strategy advantage over Bob Funk Jr.

The Oklahoma City sports market is almost maxed-out. Most of the efforts for marketing by Lund will be toward OKC's 110,00 hispanic population.

Hispanic population increases in the Oklahoma City metro area | News OK (http://newsok.com/hispanic-population-increases-in-the-oklahoma-city-metro-area/article/3689173)

giving away thousands of free tickets a game .. doesn't = great marketing

Oklahoma City to Join USL PRO in 2014:

United Soccer Leagues (USL) (http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/734282.html)

http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/imgs/OklahomaCity-Announcement0702.jpg


NewsOK article:

United Soccer Leagues awards pro franchise to Oklahoma City | News OK (http://newsok.com/united-soccer-leagues-awards-pro-franchise-to-oklahoma-city/article/3858705)

And then there's this...

OKC's USL franchise holding contest to name the team | News OK (http://newsok.com/article/3858702)

Hmm... what would be a good name?
:)

The Oklahoma City Wranglers

Anyone else getting the feeling that soccer is going to be immensely popular here in OKC?

One of the guys involved with one of the groups is Tim McLaughlin. I know his family has money. How did they make it?

Bigray in Ok

Quick link to vote for name: Prodigal // Soccer (http://prodigal.com/nametheteam/)

Shame they are not showing submissions and allowing others to vote up or down other people's ideas. Such an easy thing to do and would really show where community support is for different names.

Exactly! I was thinking the same thing. That's how it should be conducted.

Berry Tramel weighs in on the soccer league clash:

OKC's Soccer War needs one winner | News OK (http://newsok.com/okcs-soccer-war-needs-one-winner/article/3858541)

Speaking of Tramel... that suddenly gives me an idea for a team name....

The Oklahoma City Boomers

:evilsmile

In the "for it's worth department", Lund had been working behind the scenes for over the last year on conceptual plans to build a multi-purpose type stadium in or near the Core to Shore area directly adjacent to the river. I believe the stadium was in the 15,000 seat range and would have been part of a larger complex that include other soccer fields such that OKC could host large regional tournaments. The believe the complex was planned to extend west into the Wheeler Park area. I said "had been" not knowing if those plans are still a distant hope or not. I do know for a fact that conceptual plans and renderings were drawn up and there had been several meetings with the City, including the Mayor, over the long range vision. Someone out there probably knows far more about than me, but I do know it was "out there". This topic may have already been posted about in some other forum and I missed it, but if not, I'm shocked it never leaked out even if it was pie in the sky.

Does anyone know where I can get one of those awesome Red Dirt Brigade scarves?

In the "for it's worth department", Lund had been working behind the scenes for over the last year on conceptual plans to build a multi-purpose type stadium in or near the Core to Shore area directly adjacent to the river. I believe the stadium was in the 15,000 seat range and would have been part of a larger complex that include other soccer fields such that OKC could host large regional tournaments. The believe the complex was planned to extend west into the Wheeler Park area. I said "had been" not knowing if those plans are still a distant hope or not. I do know for a fact that conceptual plans and renderings were drawn up and there had been several meetings with the City, including the Mayor, over the long range vision. Someone out there probably knows far more about than me, but I do know it was "out there". This topic may have already been posted about in some other forum and I missed it, but if not, I'm shocked it never leaked out even if it was pie in the sky.

A slightly smaller version of Denver's (Commerce City Proper) Dick's Sporting Good's Park would be perfect.

Dick's Sporting Goods Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick's_Sporting_Goods_Park)

The stadium is surrounded by smaller soccer fields and pavillions.

Here is what seems to be (to me, a non-lawyer) a pretty good description of the issues from the legal perspective.

Courthouse News Service (http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/07/03/59060.htm)

From what I have read, and heard directly from people on both sides of the issue, the USL deal seems pretty fishy. The NASL ownership group includes some pretty outstanding citizens who both love soccer and give to this city in many ways that people probably don't even know about (see Home | McLaughlin Family Foundation (http://www.mclaughlinfamilyfoundation.org/), for instance). I'd love to see them get a franchise and make it successful.

Anyone else getting the feeling that soccer is going to be immensely popular here in OKC?

Nope

Anyone else getting the feeling that soccer is going to be immensely popular here in OKC?

Considering that indoor soccer has already been extremely popular for years, and a story that I think News9 ran the other day that said there are 36,000 kids in the metro that play soccer, that it should be popular, I can believe so. Not really my thing, but nice to see.

Considering that indoor soccer has already been extremely popular for years, and a story that I think News9 ran the other day that said there are 36,000 kids in the metro that play soccer, that it should be popular, I can believe so. Not really my thing, but nice to see.

Surprisingly, considering my statement, it is not my thing either.

I was basing my comment on the growing popularity of the sport nationwide and the number of kids (both boys and girls) that play. The majority of their games will be during the summer months. And additionally I was impressed by both the number of posters and their knowledge of the various leagues when the newspaper ran their articles. Just seems like there is some pent-up demand for the sport. I hope it does well here.

Surprisingly, considering my statement, it is not my thing either.

I was basing my comment on the growing popularity of the sport nationwide and the number of kids (both boys and girls) that play. The majority of their games will be during the summer months. And additionally I was impressed by both the number of posters and their knowledge of the various leagues when the newspaper ran their articles. Just seems like there is some pent-up demand for the sport. I hope it does well here.

Not surprisingly, I was agreeing with your statement...not arguing it ;-)

Not surprisingly, I was agreeing with your statement...not arguing it ;-)

My apologies, I should have added another sentence to my post that said, good to see another non-fan supporting the OKC soccer movement.

why doesn't USL just put a team in one of the metro area suburbs, like Edmond or Norman. Surely those suburbs have the population to support a team and could draw from the rest of the metro (particularly if there could be local talent on the team). The team could still be called Oklahoma City whatever, but games are played in the suburbs.

I don't think EVERY minor league team needs to be located in Oklahoma City for the OKC Metro area to support it. Major league team, sure - they belong in OKC. But minor league teams (and especially those below AAA), let's give them to the suburbs.

why doesn't USL just put a team in one of the metro area suburbs, like Edmond or Norman. Surely those suburbs have the population to support a team and could draw from the rest of the metro (particularly if there could be local talent on the team). The team could still be called Oklahoma City whatever, but games are played in the suburbs.

I don't think EVERY minor league team needs to be located in Oklahoma City for the OKC Metro area to support it. Major league team, sure - they belong in OKC. But minor league teams (and especially those below AAA), let's give them to the suburbs.

Why does a Major league team have to be in OKC rather than just the metro?

The Redskins are in Landover
Jets and Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Cowboys in Arlington
Bills in Orchard Park
49ers are about to move to Santa Clara
Patriots are in Foxborough
And the Cardinals are in Glendale.

And that's just one Pro Sports league. Now i'm not saying that a Major League Team shouldn't be in OKC Proper, but what reasoning do you have that it needs to be?

Why does a Major league team have to be in OKC rather than just the metro?

The Redskins are in Landover
Jets and Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey (much bigger metro area)
Cowboys in Arlington
Bills in Orchard Park
49ers are about to move to Santa Clara
Patriots are in Foxborough
And the Cardinals are in Glendale.

And that's just one Pro Sports league. Now i'm not saying that a Major League Team shouldn't be in OKC Proper, but what reasoning do you have that it needs to be?

Let me address that Hot Rod!

We still have room to build up the Oklahoma City land area which encompasses 640 sq. miles (that comparable to the land area of both Dallas & Fort Worth.)

Our top sports franchises should be in the city proper where the bulk of the population now resides. Our population density is not 3,000-10,000 per square mile; we're more like 1,000 per square mile with room to grow within the inner-city.

If the surburbs are willing to build a facility then let's consider going there. Edmond already has a collegiate facility which could support a mid-major soccer franchise. The USL will have a better chance of survival moving to Edmond-Guthrie area. Should we later get an MLS franchise; Edmond has a stadium which a feasibility study has already been done to expand Wantland Stadium from 10,000 to 22,000-25,000 seats.

Brad Lund knows the OKC market. He knows how to get butts in the seats. He did it with the Blazers and some of the tickets were give-aways (paid); however, we till managed to put 9,000-10,000 hockey fans into the old Myriad. Currently, we don't have that kind of sports dollars to support two soccer franhises in the city proper.

I've been in this city since the All Sports Association helped build All (one) Sports Stadium (dugout stadium) and the Bricktown Ballpark. We don't need two mid-level soccer franchises in the same city competing for limited sports dollars.

Should we get an opportunity to bring in the MLS to OKC; Edmond already has a facility which could be easily expanded.

Salt Lake City has about the same demographics as OKC; we are slightly larger in population. They have both NBA and MLS; their MLS team (Real Salt Lake) plays in suburban Sandy, Utah in a 21,000-seat soccer-specific facility.

Lund won the contract on Taft Stadium leasing and it would be in our best interest to support the NASL. The forums in Tulsa are just buzzing with the fact that OKC is getting an NASL franchise and they had super support (19,000 average) when they were in the NASL back in the late 70s and early 80s. Tulsa will eventually get an NASL franchise. They have more sports dollar spending power in this area than does OKC.

Lund won the contract on Taft Stadium leasing and it would be in our best interest to support the NASL. The forums in Tulsa are just buzzing with the fact that OKC is getting an NASL franchise and they had super support (19,000 average) when they were in the NASL back in the late 70s and early 80s. Tulsa will eventually get an NASL franchise. They have more sports dollar spending power in this area than does OKC.

With the success of the Tulsa Roughnecks, i have always been surprised that Tulsa does not have a Soccer team. and just to point out, it is a completely new NASL... the old league went defunt in 1984, and thats why Tulsa lost their team.

Which league is higher quality?

With the success of the Tulsa Roughnecks, i have always been surprised that Tulsa does not have a Soccer team. and just to point out, it is a completely new NASL... the old league went defunt in 1984, and thats why Tulsa lost their team.

The Roughnecks won the soccer bowl in 1983; none of the teams in the NASL were profitable--no salary cap.

You did point out that this is not the same NASL as when the league folded in 1984. Let's hope it is better organized and well suited for successful management (espcially player salaries).

Which league is higher quality?

Sources put the NASL behind the MLS. As to the quality of the two leaues (NASL/USL), I don't know how they determined which one was better than the other. It may be surprising that there may not be that big of a disparity.

"Sources" put NASL behind MLS?

USL has a close relationship with MLS and will act as their feeder league. NASL is trying to compete with MLS. The latter sounds like a recipe for failure. I'd rather have USL, play in the US Open Cup, and eventually turn that franchise into an MLS franchise.

"Sources" put NASL behind MLS?

USL has a close relationship with MLS and will act as their feeder league. NASL is trying to compete with MLS. The latter sounds like a recipe for failure. I'd rather have USL, play in the US Open Cup, and eventually turn that franchise into an MLS franchise.

Would NASL teams qualify for the US Open Cup?

The ABA competed with the NBA and some of those teams became a part of the NBA. I'm not that familiar with soccer's hierarchy; I don't recall a case where a development affiliation team (not city) moved up the ladder to the parent league.

First, let me say that I agree 100% with these two statements.


If the surburbs are willing to build a facility then let's consider going there.

We don't need two mid-level soccer franchises in the same city competing for limited sports dollars.

However it would appear that current actions by the parties involved conflict with this statement.


The USL will have a better chance of survival moving to Edmond-Guthrie area.

If memory serves me correctly, Brad Lunt with the Funk group, when they were proposing to bring soccer to Edmond and Wantland stadium. Beside the fact that Lunt and the Funks are now foes. It is interesting that both groups, that originally wanted to play in Edmond, are now wanting to play at Taft Stadium.

Any thoughts as to what has changed in the marketplace?

Would NASL teams qualify for the US Open Cup?

The ABA competed with the NBA and some of those teams became a part of the NBA. I'm not that familiar with soccer's hierarchy; I don't recall a case where a development affiliation team (not city) moved up the ladder to the parent league.

I don't think NASL would compete in the US Open Cup, but I'm not positive.

There isn't regulation/promotion in US soccer like in England, but I believe the Portland Timbers were a USL team who was converted to MLS when they were awarded an expansion spot.

I don't think NASL would compete in the US Open Cup, but I'm not positive.

There isn't regulation/promotion in US soccer like in England, but I believe the Portland Timbers were a USL team who was converted to MLS when they were awarded an expansion spot.

The Portland Timbers have kept the same name through a number of leagues with the same ownership group. The MLS Timbers were an expansion franchise.

Would NASL teams qualify for the US Open Cup?

Yes. Both Tier 2 (NASL) and Tier 3 (USL Pro) teams qualify for the US Open Cup. Even this year's Tier 4 OKC FC has a shot if they finish in the top two in the PDL's Mid South Division; they are currently in a close race for second with the Laredo Heat.

As for which league would be better for OKC, I would personally prefer the NASL. They have much better fan support, and if the goal is to build a culture that leads to support for an MLS team in the metro, it would be better to do it with a league that brings up 4-5,000 fans per game rather than the one that brings in 1-2,000.

Furthermore, the highly successful San Antonio Scorpions would be a natural rival for OKC FC (they even played a friendly last night, with the Scorpions winning 4-3 in a back-and-forth affair). Their NASL fans are already excited about the possibility of a rivalry with a new OKC franchise. They currently bring 9,000 fans a night to games and have MLS squarely in target. Just as the Spurs are the model for the Thunder, the Scorpions cut an ideal model for the OKC franchise. My .02

Prodigal, ADG to build soccer stadium in Oklahoma City
BY RHIANNON WALKER, Staff Writer, rwalker@opubco.com • Published: July 16, 2013

Prodigal LLC announced today that it has formed a partnership with locally owned ADG, Inc. to design and build a soccer specific stadium in Oklahoma City to be the home of Prodigal's USL PRO franchise.

Beginning in Spring 2014, Prodigal will operate a USL PRO franchise in Oklahoma City. Several stadiums for game play for the first season are currently under consideration.

Prodigal and ADG are exploring multiple building sites for the stadium and are engaged in discussions about long-term strategy, location and design. Initial plans for the stadium call for it to seat 7,000, with the expansion capability of 20,000, which is the minimum size for a franchise to be considered to earn an expansion team in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Read the rest of the article at: Prodigal, ADG to build soccer stadium in Oklahoma City | News OK (http://newsok.com/prodigal-adg-to-build-soccer-stadium-in-oklahoma-city/article/3862781)

7000 person stadium? Not too shabby!

7000 person stadium? Not too shabby!

I agree. It could also host smaller high school football games if necessary and outdoor concerts. I think the farigrounds would be a good area for this, but I am not sure what the master plan is for that area.

hopefully the stadium will be built close to downtown .. maybe somewhere close to the river

Game changer. If it gets done.

Which league is higher quality?

NASL is the 2nd tier of American soccer with USL Pro taking the #3 slot.


Edit....already answered!

The Portland Timbers have kept the same name through a number of leagues with the same ownership group. The MLS Timbers were an expansion franchise.

but there is no longer a Timbers in a lower league, right? Were just confirming what I posted?

but there is no longer a Timbers in a lower league, right? Were just confirming what I posted?

Confirm what you posted? If that is the way you read my post. My clarification on this is that the Portland Timbers who were in the USL-Pro no longer exists--does that confirm your post.

My understanding of what you were saying is that the players on the team moved up to the MLS because of their success in the USL-Pro.

My objection was to your previous statement about OKC having a better chance to reach the MLS via the ULS-Pro vs. the NASL was my argument. The NASL is considered the next best thing to the MLS; San Antonio is going to have a better chance getting an MLS franchise with success in the NASL--correct me if I'm wrong. I don't claim to know all the ends and out of soccer hierarchy.

I believe we're on the same page. To me, the NASL appears to be more attractive than the USL-Pro.

We are, I knew that the Timbers didn't just move up promotion style.

In regards to NASL/USL, I had heard that NASL was trying to be a competing league to MLS. To me, that seems like a USFL vs. NFL type thing. I thought USL was more of a AAA type league to MLS, where young guys whose next step is MLS would play.

I understand that the USL-Pro is trying to work out some type of alignment with the MLS; some teams are already there. My understanding is that the NASL isn't trying to compete directly with the MLS; they are trying to re-establish the old NASL which went defunct after 1984 and learn from their mistakes--much of which had to do with not having a salary cap.

There is a lot of information on BIG SOCCER BOARDS which has a ton of leagues (international) and a huge viewing base.

The stadium project by the Funk group could be a game changer. I truely believe that Funk Sr., made a big mistake when he was ready to put down a $10 million franchise fee for the MLS and UCO was on board with expanding Wantland Stadium to 25,000. Funk later purchased the Oklahoma Redhawks.

my God, bigsoccer forums are so incredibly hard to navigate and read, i almost have a seizure when i go over there

my God, bigsoccer forums are so incredibly hard to navigate and read, i almost have a seizure when i go over there

You are correct! LOL... ...and there are some knowledgeable people on there who will blow your mind--now you know what happened to me!

The NASL is considered the next best thing to the MLS; San Antonio is going to have a better chance getting an MLS franchise with success in the NASL--correct me if I'm wrong.

You are correct in your assumption, though success doesn't always = a promotion to MLS. MLS just awarded New York a second franchise, and David Beckham is close to announcing that he will own an MLS team in Miami.

You are correct in your assumption, though success doesn't always = a promotion to MLS. MLS just awarded New York a second franchise, and David Beckham is close to announcing that he will own an MLS team in Miami.

I do know this; money talks with sports franchises. New York a second team... NASL's Fort Lauderdale team had some concerns about Miami getting a team.

The NASL will have to hasten its expansion and get into markets like Wichita, Tulsa, Austin, Albuquerque and Omaha.

I do know this; money talks with sports franchises. New York a second team... NASL's Fort Lauderdale team had some concerns about Miami getting a team.

The NASL will have to hasten its expansion and get into markets like Wichita, Tulsa, Austin, Albuquerque and Omaha.

what the nasl does is really not a concern of the mls .... and market that has NASL that gets a MLS invite will say yes in a heart beat ..

I do know this; money talks with sports franchises. New York a second team... NASL's Fort Lauderdale team had some concerns about Miami getting a team.

The NASL will have to hasten its expansion and get into markets like Wichita, Tulsa, Austin, Albuquerque and Omaha.

As an aside....the NYC market is saturated. With the NY Red Bulls, New York City FC, and the NASL's NY Cosmos all active next season.

As an aside....the NYC market is saturated. With the NY Red Bulls, New York City FC, and the NASL's NY Cosmos all active next season.

3 teams in a metropolitan statistical area of nearly 20 million people hardly constitutes saturation