From The KOTV Vault: Tulsa Roughnecks Welcomed Home After Winning 1983 Soccer Bowl http://www.newson6.com/story/195460...ks-return-home-after-winning-1983-soccer-bowl
Disappointing to see their ownership doesn't understand how MLS works. Disappointing but not surprising. "Dalesandro and co-owner Dr. Tommy Kern hope the Athletics generate so much public interest, that Major League Soccer will have no choice but to establish a team in Tulsa. " Read more: http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/sports/local_sports/professional-soccer-team-to-move-to-tulsa-play-as-tulsa-athletics#ixzz2Pi6iTNVs
Is it that Kern honestly doesn't understand how MLS works, or that he judges the audience doesn't and says things for marketing or pr effect?
The latter. "Dalesandro and co-owner Dr. Tommy Kern hope the Athletics generate so much public interest, that wealthy Tulsans will have no choice but to sell their WNBA team to buy into the NASL" would have been more accurate but wouldn't have had the same ring to it... I'll be sure and tell Sonny and Dr. Kern that it it bigsoccer's consensus opinion that we dream small...
I am not aware of anyone who has been able to coax a little club with limited resources into MLS on the backs of modestly-heeled investors. Anyone who dreams of starting an NPSL team and eventually working it into Division I will not be around (at least in any meaningful way) to see that dream fulfilled. The system allows for clubs to move up. It does not allow for that to happen without a lot of cash.
Fair enough. It was a press conference (aka "local pep rally"). The owners would love for Tulsa to have an MLS team someday. That means other deeper pocketed local "investors" would need to step in and open up their wallets... if that were to happen in the next 3-5 years, I believe Sonny and Dr Kern would be more than happy to step out of the limelight... pretty simple concept, come to think of it. Sometimes you guys really crack me up.
From the press conference, new Coach Joey Ryan with the 1983 NASL Soccer Bowl Championship trophy and the 1983 trophy for winning the Southern Division...
She's alot easier on the eyes than Nolan Richardson, that's fer sure... I fear our supporters group meeting this Sunday will be a sausage fest... https://www.facebook.com/events/158312694330901/ She's invited to the party bus anytime, no questions asked....
Our field of dreams.... Outfield walls are getting painted green... One month from opening day... c'mon grass!... grow, dammit! BTW, our owners may not know the precise minutiae of the inner workings of Major League Soccer, but they do know the game and have a keen sense of humor... Tommy Kern Scores....Opposition Left Deflated 04/19/2011 8:28 PM : Random Hobo http://www.bostonavenueathleticclub...Tommy_Kern_Scores....Opposition_Left_Deflated
New soccer team could boost Expo Square, stadium By KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writer on Apr 22, 2013 http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.a...po_Square_stadium/20130422_16_A1_CUTLIN555064
Our first game is against the wannabe scousers, aka Liverpool of Dallas... We're deciding between, "You'll Never Walk Again," "You Never Work Again," and my personal favorite... Dream on, dream on, with hope in your heart cuz you'll never win this game... you'll never win this game.
Old Driller Stadium Gets A New Team For Spring Posted: Apr 22, 2013 1:57 PM CDT http://www.ktul.com/story/22044096/old-driller-stadium-gets-a-new-team-for-spring
Tickets, $5. Shirt, $15. Cheering until your throat is gone, FREE. A game winning diving header by Walter Hubbard in the 86th minute. PRICELESS!!! "Ziggy Zaggy, Ziggy Zaggy, Oi, Oi Oi !!!" Final score in the NPSL: Tulsa Athletics - 3 Liverpool Warriors of Dallas - 2 Announced attendance: 2,738
Wow, what a great turn-out. Do you think that you will get that kind of attendance in other NPSL games? EDIT: Didn't realize that NPSL had a team called Liverpool.
The small section of bleachers you see above were just added the week before the game. Those seats were $15 each. It was kind of an afterthought... The $5 upper deck general admission seats are a great price point for us. No waiting at the soft drinks tent...... long lines at the beer tent I was hoping we'd get a crowd of over 2k... kickoff had to be delayed 15 mins to accommodate... from looking at the stands, my guess would have been between 3k and 4k. I am pretty sure the 2,738 was not based on tickets sold-- we've been generally disorganized and occasionally FUBAR in the ticketing dept... and we sold out of nearly all our team merchandise Saturday night. I think we'll get some good word of mouth, fan experience was excellent and everyone I spoke with wants to know when the next game is so they can bring their friends... Our first tailgate was a qualified success.... ... and once we got into the stadium, lots of stuff for the kids, beer for the adults, and the stadium march was a lot of fun... I guess the Dallas team is an offshoot of the Liverpool FC America youth program... since this is an NASL thread, I guess I should mention that the owner of the Houston Hurricanes actually played for the old NASL club of the same name... Our upcoming problem is that we're stuck splitting our fanbase a bit by having home dates against both Houston clubs on consecutive days (June 1& 2 Houston Regals, June 29 & 30 Houston Hurricanes).
Sections 9 & 10 are for the supporters group. Ironically, the infield dirt and pitchers mound are in the best shape... the rest of the field turned out to be more of a challenge to get into shape...
It takes time to recover a neglected field without throwing a ton of money at it. Still, what you guys are doing down there is fantastic! I like how you placed the soccer field in the stadium. I was curious if you have thought about (or if it is even possible) to hulk-smash the lower section on the first base line at the elbow in order to bring the soccer field back or angle it in better? Would you be allowed to do something like that legally?
Nice crowd. Now see if you can do it again. But good Lord, that is the worst pitch I have seen outside of one of the smaller Caribbean nations.
Sorry to crosspost from our NPSL thread, but... Updated attendance figure for Saturday's game... 3,261 (I honestly would have guessed 3,500 from the look of it as the stadium holds 11,000) Athletics Win Opener in Dramatic Fashion http://www.tulsa-athletics.com/news/athletics-win-opener-in-dramatic-fashion/ FYI, Levi Coleman has played most recently for the Charleston Battery.
Nice idea, but the problem is one of cost v benefit. Back when the Roughnecks played their last season there in 1985, the stadium had a much lower capacity and the grandstands faced the field at 90-degree angles... http://www.digitalballparks.com/Texas/Drillers_640_7.html Considering the lease terms (lease was signed in early March of this year) and that we would need to be the ones who do the "hulk-smashing," we simply have higher priorities at this time. (like eventually getting that field up to snuff!)