FC Tulsa
- Thread starter drboobay
- Start date
Meh. Been to their games and didn’t enjoy it. I have more fun going to see other local soccer. Playing at a minor league baseball stadium is so bad.
Unless the city is going to help build a soccer only stadium ala OKC then I’m not sure FC Tulsa has many other options.
Agree on playing in a baseball stadium. The show is good though and the fan experience for those games is pretty good.
It's funny how Tulsa is so divided over FC Tulsa vs. Tulsa Athletic...sort of like Man City vs Man United...it's blasphemous to be a fan of both.
This has supposedly been in the works since the Crafts bought the team. Problem is they really can't build downtown in a location to take advantage of everything that has gone up downtown. OneOK has taken all of that and the businesses that followed them in have taken any and all available land really. The Riverwalk in Jenks is really the most logical location moving forward but you risk alienating the fan base who like the downtown location.
Riverwalk would be a good location imo. FC Dallas and Sporting KC both have stadiums in the burbs. Seems to be the trend with mls clubs to locate outside of downtown areas.
FC Dallas is in a great location and Frisco has exploded around it as well. You mention KC and I've heard grumblings that Sporting KC are not happy with their current location but it was the only one offered up. They're now extremely envious of KC Current's downtown location that will soon be bolstered by the Royals also moving downtown, and the Chiefs are exploring different options, one of which is a downtown location.
I think a lot of it depends on the development around the location. If you build it, they (meaning restaurants and bars) will come doesn't always work and there are constraints on if there is space available to add those things. St. Louis is only a couple blocks from downtown but in a highly visible and known entertainment and restaurant district at Union Station. Even the Krafts are looking at a possible downtown Boston (or close enough to downtown) site for the Revolution. I don't think they could do downtown to be honest but Charlestown, near the community college and right on the orange line only a couple stops from the North End and lots of bars would be possible. They have to get out of Gillette.
If the fc Tulsa owners were really invested in Tulsa soccer they’d build their own stadium. Don’t need help from the city
Very few clubs build their own stadiums at least that I’m aware of. They may contribute to the cost but almost all get assistance. I can’t imagine that Jenks wouldn’t help with the cost if it’s built near the River Walk.
And the thought behind building a stadium complex with training grounds, etc. is that it wouldn't just be used for FC Tulsa. I think the College Cup needs to move around and not just be in the Cary, NC complex. We could bring it to Tulsa and have it do very well. Heck, I'd like to see St. Louis bid for it and play it at City Park. St. Louis knows how to host NCAA events. Frozen Four is going there next year (Go BU!) Wrestling was there this year. Tulsa could do all of those events. Wrestling Championships might be the diciest as you've got a ton of people coming from all over so Tulsa may need to up its hotel game, but for the others, we've got more than enough hotel rooms and infrastructure in place to host a 4 team final four.
A stadium out by the Riverwalk would do well...Jenks residents would probably bitch because it would bring more hotels and restaurants to the area meaning more people to work those jobs. I mean they didn't want a regional baseball complex over by the new outlet mall because....kids. And if they do a bond to do a stadium complex then they need to include upgrades to infrastructure and access as well as field and surface improvements to both Titan and Jenks SC and then maybe you can get some regional ECNL tournaments and showcases, high level youth stuff with finals at the stadium. (Think Toyota in Frisco but spread out over 2-3 complexes). QT can slap their name on the complex too.
Speaking of Toyota, their ability to keep those fields in pristine conditions despite the constant training and play is nothing short of amazing. They do rotate the trainings but those fields have hosted tournaments almost nonstop for the past two months. A few show some signs of wear in spots but most are still in perfect condition.
If it's the grass I think it is (one of those TIFF Bermuda hybrids that are used a lot on golf courses but also it's the primary surface at TU's soccer stadium), it is heat and drought tolerant and extremely wear resistant with quick recovery. Of course they also have a timed irrigation system (as does TU). I was a little surprised at how green they were for this time of year as most bermuda grasses are just now coming out of dormancy. I know TU does a heavy rye overseed in the Fall to keep their surface green for their later matches and again in the Spring. I would assume Toyota probably does something similar. Nice thing about rye grass is it is typically a softer single bladed grass and nicer on the body in terms of slide tackles or hitting the ground. The bermuda creepers can be course if you slide on them. The best part about these hybrid bermudas is they're designed to be cut short (think fairways in golf) and still maintain their green and still extremely hardy.
The turf at Toyota looks exactly like what’s at TU. Assume it’s the same stuff. Toyota definately over seeds as those fields were green all winter. They are even mowed in two directions right now to give the look of striping every five or so yards. I have a pic from Saturday I just don’t know how to get it from my phone to my post. I’m old 
I think I saw it on Tulsa Soccer Guy's FB postThe turf at Toyota looks exactly like what’s at TU. Assume it’s the same stuff. Toyota definately over seeds as those fields were green all winter. They are even mowed in two directions right now to give the look of striping every five or so yards. I have a pic from Saturday I just don’t know how to get it from my phone to my post. I’m old
Just sold Goodrum to Louisville for a record intraleague transfer fee. I guess it is understandable seeing that they have had trouble generating offense and they got a good price. But you worry about their commitment to winning.
What commitment to winning? FC Tulsa has never been good. They’ve never won a playoff game and barely ever made it into the playoffs. Losing Goodrum just shows they’re a second rate club in USLC.
The Crafts have invested a lot of money into facilities, training, etc…. The foundation for success is now there. It’s now time to see results on the field. I’m willing to give them another year given the upgrades they’ve made behind the scenes. That said….the time to win is now.
Most people want to visit to listen to some music, eat some BBQ, etc.. If it comes down to living in Memphis it's only folks that can't escape to the suburbs, and most don't have much of a choice. Those that do live in the revitalized areas that have been cleansed of all things that make Memphis Memphis.
Right. The proof will be how they finish this season and the next. We will see soon enough if selling Goodrum results in poorer results.
The Craft brothers are just spending daddy's money trying to be something in the community. FC Tulsa is no better off today than when the Jack$$ Barry owned it as the Roughnecks. Also hard to move FC Tulsa to Jenks but if you transformed the Golfsuites into a stadium with all those bays as luxury boxes would be cool.
Going to disagree. They now have their own indoor fields along with an outdoor turf and grass pitch. They have their own weight facility along with a speed and agility area. They also have who I believe is the best speed and agility trainer on this side of the state working with their players. All of those things make FC Tulsa more attractive to prospective players. I don’t really care about the origins of the money. The upgraded facilities and staff is the important piece. I don’t care for how they treat Nsien but those fences are being mended. Look for good things on the horizon in the next year or two.
I disagree Titan is an absolute money drain. Rich people don’t like to be losers. The Crafts didn’t really want it but Titan was going to close and they needed it. You can’t hire a cocky prick from the Tulsa Botanical Garden to run a sports facility. Titan has many issues. Can’t compete with Soccer City, can only either have a basketball/Volleyball or Soccer event because of parking so half of your money maker is always sitting empty. The gym is a ghost town. No one (maybe 15 a day) is in speed and agility. The Crafts wanted to be tenants now they have a shot show. Along with the
show that is FC TulsaI wasn’t talking about Titan’s viability as a stand alone investment. I’ve seen the financials. I’m quite familiar with the cash flow issues which come with that facility. I was talking about the fact that FC Tulsa now has its own facility. They now have a dedicated speed and agility trainer with which to work. The facility alone places them in a better position as a club. Whether it’s profitable as a business outside of FC Tulsa is the Craft’s problem but it doesn’t change the fact that FC Tulsa now owns and operates its own training facility.I disagree Titan is an absolute money drain. Rich people don’t like to be losers. The Crafts didn’t really want it but Titan was going to close and they needed it. You can’t hire a cocky prick from the Tulsa Botanical Garden to run a sports facility. Titan has many issues. Can’t compete with Soccer City, can only either have a basketball/Volleyball or Soccer event because of parking so half of your money maker is always sitting empty. The gym is a ghost town. No one (maybe 15 a day) is in speed and agility. The Crafts wanted to be tenants now they have a shot show. Along with the
If they keep it. And I think that’s a very big if. They bought it right so moving on from it wouldn’t be an issue. Then they are back to square one….
Agree there. However, I’m not sure that facility is of much value unless the owner plans on using the same. I don’t believe it will ever be an operation which creates positive cash flow. That statement is of course dependent on what the buyer pays. Without Titan I absolutely agree with your statement regarding FC Tulsa. If they are part of a youth academy then I absolutely believe they will not only keep it but continue the upgrades.
Actually, FC Tulsa rejected several of their initial trade and transfer offers. Louisville City them offered so much it triggered the automatic buyout and transfer clause in Goodrum's contract, meaning FC Tulsa couldn't reject it and the only one who could at that point was Goodrum, which he did not. Why would he want to stay on a 9th place team when he could go to a 1st place team that is the betting odds favorite to win the USL Championship? FC Tulsa fought this to the extent they could. And this type of thing happens all the time in Europe (and FIFA in general). One of the Saudi teams triggered the auto buyout for Mo Salah last year trying to get him to move from Liverpool, but Salah was the one who rejected the move at that time.
BTW, FC Tulsa scored 3 1st half goals against New Mexico United who sits atop the western conference the other night. However, because FC Tulsa needs to improve their 6, 8 and 10 spots to control the ball in the MF more, they had no answers for NMU when NMU threw everyone forward in the 2nd half. Instead of looking for consistent and good MF help, they went out and got a player from LA Galaxy II who is supposed to be a stud goal scorer.
That's an interesting idea. I've thought the space would be ideal for a soccer stadium but all the characters who make FC Tulsa games fun would probably bitch and moan about moving them off the baseball field that is downtown. But you might get more families and more people in general going to games if you put it at the Riverwalk...and I would suspect you could get more tenants and restaurants/bars built near there especially with the outlet mall now.
On the other part...Barry was a minority owner in FC Tulsa. I believe the majority owner was the same group that owned the Drillers. I believe the Crafts bought out all the owners when they purchased the team which then destroyed the "promise" Barry made that TSC was becoming the youth academy arm of FC Tulsa.
There’s a lot of bad blood between FC Tulsa and Barry. Hell…there’s a lot of bad blood between Barry and everyone involved in soccer in the Tulsa area at this point. I don’t see FC Tulsa ever embracing TSC as long as Barry is involved. I do believe TSC will be sold in the next few years. Just need to find a buyer who ECNL will endorse.
I agree 100% with this. ECNL needs a travel partner with Energy. TSC needs to merge with or get bought at the same time as another club. Need 1500-2k players in your academy to compete. If FC Tulsa is just going to piss millions away they should just do it. Maybe they could get the Scheels complex guys to help them with how to grow grass.
I’m fairly confident FC Tulsa will be involved in the youth soccer business within the next few years. The question is whether that will involve an acquisition or starting their own. The platform is also an unknown.
WSA makes the most sense to me as the purchaser of TSC. Getting ECNL would almost be worth the price alone imo. The acquisition would give them the numbers to compete across all ECNL platforms…ECNL, ECRL, ECRL-regional. Multiple teams at that.
Given the purchase price of the original TSC, do you think Mr. Barry will part with it for less than that amount?
Do you think the Bushes are liquid enough to front that amount or willing to get financing?
WSA does not need to put every good kid in the city driving to either terrible West Bank fields or an extra 20-30 minutes to get to the beloved namesake West Side complex.
If they did that, they would immediately have legitimately very good RL teams if they stayed at the club.
You could buy TSC today for a number between $1M-$1.5M imo. WSA would have to acquire ECNL level fields/complex if they bought TSC imo. One of the knocks against the Oklahoma clubs has always been their complexes and pitches. Neither are up to the level of most of the Texas league members.
Not sure on the price. Whoever buys TSC is locked into a long term lease at Scheels. Which has received the 2nd highest rating in Texas ECNL. I don't think the Bushes are liquid enough or deep enough In general without a fundraising campaign. I still think it Blitz and TSC that end up together in some form.
It will be a cold day in hell before Wilbur works with Barry. He's pretty pissed at the way TSC orchestrated the MTSC/Tulsa United merger and then bumped Blitz off of the fields at 169 and 41st St. And I don't think anyone at Blitz has the kind of $$$ needed to purchase TSC outright. Unless there's someone hiding.
They substituted two important players at halftime. I presume it was due to the two goal lead and trying to get in some rest. But they were punchless in the second half.
They keep tinkering with the roster and I think their new midfielders are improvements. Pacheco has emerged as dangerous on the left as well.
Yeah, I think the new coach is a keeper if they can hold on to him. I've seen some definite improvements in key positions but I'd like to see a more possession based 6 who can also be a physical presence in the defensive midfield, and a CB to complement Bourgeouis. I was shocked at how easily Tulsa was able to get into the attacking 1/3 the other night and then how dangerous they were creating actual chances. It's a stark contrast to what they've been doing. I know Goodrum was a pure goal scorer and it's always nice to have but I think FC Tulsa relied on that too much and lacked creativity when Goodrum wasn't an option. This actually might turn out in Tulsa's favor getting more guys involved in the offense. Maybe you don't get a 20 goal scorer but 3-4 guys with 8-10.
