Article in the Oklahoma Gazette

Wallydrag · May 3, 2004

Oringially published in the Oklahoma Gazette (a OKC metro weekly) on April 28th, 2004.

Doesn't really say anything new at all. Same old, same old. There isn't a link to it online, so here it all is.

UCO trying to lure a Major League Soccer franchise
By Jay C. Upchurch

April 28, 2004 – The Oklahoma Gazette

If you build it, will they come?

That’s the question University of Central Oklahoma officials are hoping will be answered with a resounding “yes” sometime between now and the completion of Wantland Stadium’s ongoing $15 million face-lift. The renovation project, scheduled for completion in 2005, will not only give the school’s football program a beautiful new home, but could be the missing piece that helps the Oklahoma City metro attract a Major League Soccer franchise.

MLS has expansion plans for its 2005 and 2006 seasons, and Oklahoma City appears to be one of the dozen front-running markets. The key ingredients to landing one of four new franchises figure to be a suitable venue and an interested ownership group. UCO has said it will provide the digs if MLS brass can work out a deal with a company of potential investors.

Any takers?

Seriously, any investors out there willing to take a chance on bringing a big league sports franchise to OKC? And if some group does make the commitment, will the OKC area commit its full support?

So many question and so few answers. So far.

One thing is for certain: There is an abundant amount of existing interest.

“We are definitely interested in the Oklahoma City-Edmond area a possible location for a new team,” said Mark Abbott, chief operating officer for Major League Soccer. “We like UCO’s stadium plans and the potential fan base that exists, but they need a local ownership group to step up. That’s obviously a key to bringing in any professional franchise.”

Oklahoma-based Express Sports and its owner, Bob Funk, showed some initial interest when the idea originated in 2003. In fact, Express Sports has helped host two MLS exhibition games at UCO over the last 12 months. Despite poor weather conditions on each occasion, both preseason contests were met with great enthusiasm by fans.

“Given that this is not a hometown for either team, it was 40 degrees and played in a driving rain – we had 7,000 paying fans there, which is really impressive,” said UCO Vice President of Administration Steve Kreidler when asked about the recent exhibition game between Kansas City and Dallas at Wantland Stadium.

The turnout was even better at the first exhibition on March 29, 2003, as close to 10,000 enthusiastic fans braved cold, blustery conditions to watch Kansas City play Columbus.

“The response form the area fans was really terrific considering the unfortunate weather they had to deal with,” noted Abbott, who has visited the Oklahoma City area five times over the last year. “I was at the first game and both the size and intensity of the crowd were great. I think the fns there are hungry for something like Major League Soccer.”

Results from a recent survey confirm Abbott’s intuition. UCO, along with the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, hired a firm to test the market’s potential to support a professional franchise.

“If there wasn’t a market here, we certainly weren’t going to spend any of the time, energy or money to pursue this,” Kreidler said. “But they did the survey and came to the conclusion there is definitely a market here for a soccer franchise.

“I believe the lack of any other professional sports franchise is a real plus for Major League Soccer. They compete at the same time of the year as the NBA playoffs, with Major League Baseball and with the start of football.”

While Express Sports ahs cooled somewhat in its interest as a potential investor, it has not completely taken its name out of the hat. One other potential investment group has expressed interest, but neither UCO nor MLS was at liberty to disclose any names at this point.

Finding an owner is obviously going to present the biggest hurdle for all parties currently involved. But that won’t stop UCO from forging ahead with its $15 million renovation project on Wantland Stadium, which was in the works long before the idea for bringing an MLS team was hatched.

“With or without Major League Soccer, we’re going to make all the planned improvements on the stadium,” Kreidler, noting that Wantland was built in 1962 and existed for 40 years with any changes.

So what are UCO’s motives? Is it unusual for a university to put itself in the business of trying to help attract a pro sports franchise?

“It’s become a fairly common practice for university to find ways to utilize their sports facilities in ways to increase revenues. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to have a quality facility on campus and only be able to use it a few times a year,” Kreidler added.

UCO would negotiate what Kreidler termed “a very reasonable deal” with a potential franchise to play in Wantland Stadium. In turn, the university would get a percentage of the revenue generated by concession and ticket sales.

Best of all, the Oklahoma City area would have a professional sports team to support. It’s an opportunity that could potentially open the door for the arrival of other pro teams in the not-too-distant future.
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Sempuukyaku · May 3, 2004

Wouldn't it be great if some multi-billionaire investor came up and decided that he wants to start 4 new MLS franchises (Seattle, OKC, San Antonio, Miami)? And he wanted to start them because he's a soccer fanatic?

If only I could dream....

worldfootballgenius · May 3, 2004

Sempuukyaku said:

Wouldn't it be great if some multi-billionaire investor came up and decided that he wants to start 4 new MLS franchises (Seattle, OKC, San Antonio, Miami)? And he wanted to start them because he's a soccer fanatic?

If only I could dream....
Click to expand...

I agree, Im young, and if I ever become rich, it's time for MLS philadelhpia, seatlle, okc, miami, and san antonio)