Fever pitch

In a crowded field, Tulsa’s love of soccer shows no signs of slowing

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Tulsa loves soccer. It was evident last summer when World Cup Fever swept the city and thousands of flag-waving fans filled ONEOK Field to watch Team USA’s matches on the jumbotron.

But it didn’t start there. Not by a long shot. Tulsa has had soccer in its blood for decades. 

Out of the blue

The Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League relocated from Honolulu to Tulsa in 1978, and the city was immediately, irrevocably smitten. Attendance numbers at the team’s home field—Skelly Stadium at the University of Tulsa—were routinely among the highest in the league, topping out in 1980 when more than 30,000 turned out for the Roughnecks’ 2-1 win over the New York Cosmos. The team went on to win the Soccer Bowl (league championship) in 1983 before the NASL folded the following year and the Roughnecks disbanded. 

But the impact the team made on Tulsa sports fans was profound. 

Three decades later, Dale and Jeff Hubbard—co-owners of the Tulsa Drillers minor league baseball team—announced their plans to bring a United Soccer League expansion team to Tulsa and invited the public to choose the team’s name. In a landslide, Tulsa’s soccer faithful chose to pay homage to the past and their beloved NASL squad—and now we have the Tulsa Roughnecks, 2015 edition.

“The Roughnecks were a big part of the wonderful Tulsa soccer community,” Roughnecks Head Coach David Irving said in a release. “I know that I have a tough act to follow with the legendary Roughneck players and coaches.”

If opening night at ONEOK Field was any indication, Tulsa soccer fans have already embraced the new version of the team. A sellout crowd of more than 8,000 fans turned out on March 28 to cheer the Roughnecks to a 1-1 draw against new in-state rivals Oklahoma City Energy FC. 

Before the match, a new tradition was born as fans gathered at Guthrie Green for pre-game festivities, where the Roughnecks’ official fan organization, the Roustabouts, taught chants to the new Roughneck faithful before leading a march to the stadium prior to kickoff. The Guthrie Green pre-game party and fan march are planned for every home game this season, which will resume Thursday, April 2 against St. Louis FC.

Home grown

Given soccer’s recent Tulsa resurgence, the excitement about the Roughnecks should come as no surprise. For a couple years now, the Tulsa Athletics of the National Premier Soccer League have become a grass-roots phenomenon, gaining a fiercely loyal following with high-scoring matches and festive fan gatherings at Athletics Stadium (the former Drillers Stadium).

The new team at ONEOK Field might have the Roughnecks moniker, but Athletics co-owner Sonny Dalesandro said his team is steeped in the spirit and tradition of the old Roughnecks as well.

“The whole reason I love this game is because of what was brought to Tulsa in the late ’70s, and the impact on us was profound,” Dalesandro told the Voice back in September. “We felt like we needed to start something organically, new, while paying respect in our own way to what has been here before.”

After just two seasons in the NPSL, the young Athletics have come out firing, winning their conference both seasons and setting national records for goals scored per game. The team kicks off its 2015 season May 10 against the Liverpool Warriors, but the real party begins on May 16, when the Athletics host Dallas City FC in their home opener at Athletics Stadium.

“We feel like we have the best product in town at the best value,” Dalesandro said. “Five bucks to get in, great beer, great concessions and a great product. 

“We want the community to take ownership of our team. We’re not in this to make money. We will take this as far as the citizens of Tulsa and surrounding communities want this to be taken.”

If Tulsa’s soccer frenzy continues at its current clip, that could be very far indeed.