Really cool seeing how things went in Tulsa on night 1. Keep it up! I'll be far more interested in then I already was watching how this goes now
This is BigSoccer. DONT TELL ME HOW TO SPEND YOUR MONEY!!! Actually, one of my curiosities was whether or not the lower sections are sitting on one big concrete mold.
We now have a workaround. We'll be spreading pesto all over the field in time for our next home game... http://www.newson6.com/story/22407202/pesto Sonny Dalesandro and Jake Dobkins from the Tulsa Athletics make pesto.
USRufnex, I know we probably discussed this before, but is the Athletics goal to get into USL PRO or NASL in the near future? I mean is that your stated goal. (and before Kenn destroys me, I am wondering if that is USRufnex's goal or the owners goal). PS I am also trying to keep this NASL-centric to keep it here in the NASL forum. PPS Great job!
It is our stated goal that we will have such incredible fan support that MLS will have no choice but to place a team here.... that's our story, we're sticking to it. BTW, former Charleston Battery striker Levi Coleman got the hat-trick last night against the Houston Regals... Final NPSL score: Tulsa Athletics 5, Houston Regals 2 I can't speak for the exact motivations of Sonny and Dr. Kern, but I've been at this personally for awhile... however, this is a really nice touch from the Doc... "Eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic Center and Dr. Thomas Kern would like to announce that a Sports Medicine injury clinic going to be held prior to the Athletics home games." "Dr. Kern will be available to assess new injuries for youth soccer players two hours prior to kickoff. For the initial game, Dr. Kern will start seeing patients at 4 o'clock at the Athletics ticket office at the stadium." "In order to help as many people as possible, Dr. Kern will only be able to see one problem per patient, and will not be able to assess chronic or long-term issues. The clinic is open for youth soccer players, age 4-18." Summer 2008 -- proposed downtown ballpark has soccer lines superimposed on it. https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/usl-team-in-tulsa-oklahoma.717390/ Fast forward to December 2009 for my original proposal... https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/bring-back-the-roughnecks.1256802/ In the summer of 2009 (the ballclub's last season at the old stadium), I got $5 gen adm tickets offered by a local Tulsa grocery store. Drillers people made sure that nobody sat in the upper deck past first or third base. If you tried it, an off-duty WalMart greeter would tell you to "get off my lawn!" It was at that time when I admired a great looking grass field and some really great site lines for soccer. Then, the county offered a survey to ask people what they'd like to see there-- soccer won, thanks to us spreading the word to members of the Green Country Soccer Association. The fall of 2009 saw the TOA split from USL-1. At that time, the group got trademark rights to several old NASL nicknames (including "Roughnecks") and became the new NASL we see today. And now, I'd like to take this time to speak on behalf of the "Roughnecks kids." Most of us are in our 40s now, and we have kids, nephews, nieces and many of us now have grandkids. We would LOVE for them to have the same experiences we enjoyed as kids with the old Roughnecks. Back in the 90s, many of us considered the minor-league Roughnecks to be a cheap cover band imitation of the real thing. Playing D-3 soccer at high schools stadiums that can't serve beer is not a fitting tribute to the kind of atmosphere present when we were drawing crowds of 20k - 30k at TU's Skelly Stadium. And there is one "Roughnecks kid" who would be highly interested in producing a feature length documentary on us (same style as "Once in a Lifetime") if we can get the financing for it (hint, hint!) http://www.connellcreations.com/projects.html The old ballpark at the fairgrounds allows us to offer a superior fan experience and the NPSL offers a very affordable price point. And the fans and our new supporters group have responded. I am skeptical about USL PRO since it is D-3, but whatever makes more sense... we have a mayoral election coming up, and there's already been some groundwork done to propose a soccer stadium in phases... it failed to make the cut in 2003 and failed as a mixed-use TIF project in 2005... maybe the third time will be a charm... I believe this could be the start of something really special... GET IN!!!
Better than "Where's Waldo?"...... find Sonny & Dr. Kern in this pic... And then see if you can find our NASL Soccer Bowl trophy making a cameo..... ***For the record, I was drinking Fresca in the stands that night, not Tab... damn you, Hollywood, for taking artistic license.....
I believe Saturday's attendance was announced at about 2,200? I don't remember an announcement for Sunday afternoon, but here's a crowd shot...
Of course, winning games 7-0 and 6-0 also helps... Favorite Tulsa Ultras chants overheard this weekend... 1. "Go back to club level... clap, clap, clap-clap-clap" 2. "Better call Walgreens" (after opposing team shoots ball over outfield wall and through a hole in the netting) 3. The tune of the Chicago Fire song done to a pow-wow drumbeat... amusing. 4. Chants of "magic spray" when the opposing team's medic came out... (not the classiest move on our part after the player obviously twisted something, but still pretty funny) 5. "He's big! He's Welsh! He knows nothing else!" (ironic considering Wayne's a pretty cerebral guy) http://www.tulsahurricane.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/farmer_wayne00.html 6. "Men take goal kicks" as a bronx cheer to the opposing keeper. 7. The ever popular, "Ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy... OI! OI! OI!" http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=190291 8. Our take on a Sounders chant... T boom-boom U boom-boom L boom-boom S boom-boom A.... 9. Tulsa til I die And finally, #10. Bury me in Tulsa Bury me in Tulsa Bury me in Tulsa So I can die an A Bury me in green and yellow Bury me in green and yellow Bury me in green and yellow So I can die an A Take me back to Tulsa Take me bake to Tulsa Take me back to Tulsa If I should die away
Brad Lund granted two-year lease to Taft Stadium for soccer team ... newsok.com/brad-lund-granted-two-year-lease-to-taft.../3853730 5 hours ago – Former chief executive officer of the Oklahoma City Blazers plans to house a North American Soccer League team in the renovated stadium.
This is a rivalry that could be great! The OKC move might give potential investors in the state incentive to get behind Tulsa
Tulsa Athletics looking to lead rebirth in soccer By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist on Jun 7, 2013 http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.a...ebirth_in_soccer/20130607_203_B1_Drille777503
Last night two events were presented simulataneously at the Tulsa fairgrounds... Horse Racing at Fair Meadows Park... ***Plenty of good parking spots available directly behind the horsetrack grandstand. --VERSUS-- Soccer at Ye Olde Drillers Stadium... Gametime was at 6pm, kickoff was delayed 30 mins to accommodate the crowd. Parking was a mess due to the abundance of horse trailers parked in lots that our fans would normally be using... at 5pm, the owner posts this message... "Fans, parking is a bit nightmarish this evening. You can enter the parking lot one exit west of the normal entry point (both are open). Parking is an issue that is out of hands at the moment, although we'll be working to change that for next year. Though we don't control the situation, we always hold ourselves accountable for the events that our club puts on. We are having a rickshaw deliver you folks from the depths of the parking lot this evening as well. Thank you for your support and understanding." Attendance was not announced during the game... but I was informed by staff it was at 3700 around 7:15pm and people were still buying tickets. The game itself was as intense as the crowd watching it... if you're a Facebook user, you may find the team announcement made this afternoon with two dozen comments pretty entertaining as well as the two dozen comments posted immediately after the game ended in a 2-2 tie. https://www.facebook.com/ttownsoccer?fref=ts
...and last night at the BOk Center...http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Shock_routs_Storm_by_wide_margin/20130623_29_B1_CUTLIN609176 Tulsa Shock ripped the Seattle Storm 92-70 Saturday before 4,327 at the BOK Center. ...at the ballpark... http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.a...uts_down_Drillers/20130623_408_0_Former934765 Adam combined with two relievers on a five-hitter to lead the Northwest Arkansas Naturals past Tulsa 3-1 before 6,545 fans at ONEOK Field.
Highlights from this weekend's games at Drillers Stadium... 6/29 sportscast from Fox23... soccer highlights start at the 2:50 mark on the video... http://eplayer.clipsyndicate.com/em...&tags=sports&va_id=4122470&volume=8&windows=1" 6/30 sportscast from Fox23... soccer highlights start at the 5:30 mark on the video... http://eplayer.clipsyndicate.com/em...&tags=sports&va_id=4122828&volume=8&windows=1" One of Tulsa's favorite daughters Jeanne Tripplehorn and her husband Leland Orser stopped by to take in the match... ***It is a struggle to get media attention for an amateur team. But we move forward, step by step, playing in the same venue where the NASL's Tulsa Roughnecks spent their last season in 1985... give us 3 - 5 years and see where we go from here...
Two more wins, good stuff, how was the attendance considering the 2 games over two nights. Hope your Club America friendly draws well and is successful!
They're here... Happy Canada Day! And, to stay with the NASL theme.... an interview in the new July 2013 issue of Tulsa People magazine... Tulsa scores with pro soccer Jeff Martin http://www.tulsapeople.com/Tulsa-People/July-2013/Tulsa-scores-with-pro-soccer/
"Saturday night’s crowd of over 2200 watches Stevie Brocks on another breakaway" (ed: Sunday's crowd was probably half that but wasn't announced)