2015 OKC Energy FC

[bradh]

Not a fan of the people throwing crap in to the stands either, distracting as hell.

[bradh]

When the owner actually realizes that the supporters are the real fans, and the atmosphere of the game depends on them, not from teenagers throwing t-shirts into the crowd every 10 minutes, this is the kind of supporter's section he builds for them:
Attachment 11070
Sac Republic and their "temporary" stadium

Here is the problem, OKC doesn't have enough of the supporters type fans right now to even fill the south grandstands, let along both sides of the stadium. So you have to work to please everyone, or find a balance.

[gopokes88]

Here is the problem, OKC doesn't have enough of the supporters type fans right now to even fill the south grandstands, let along both sides of the stadium. So you have to work to please everyone, or find a balance.

Trying to please everyone leaves no one happy. They should have had a private meeting to come to a compromise, instead he started a knife fight on the internet.

[bradh]

Trying to please everyone leaves no one happy. They should have had a private meeting to come to a compromise, instead he started a knife fight on the internet.

Yeah sounds like both parties left that first meeting with two different impressions.

[C. B.]

There is a meeting tomorrow night to figure it all out before Tulsa this weekend.

[Lord Helmet]

Sounds to me like Prodigal doesn't understand soccer fan culture in the least. Look at every other club in any league on the planet...cuss words in chants happen.

[elitespy]

Press release about the grid and energy FC
Energy FC

[bradh]

Fantastic to get all fans involved in chants and songs....you don't get the atmosphere of Sporting Park with just one small section.

[Laramie]

[OKCretro]

Thought about going yesterday afternoon, got online and saw that tickets on the sunny side were $20 a piece, and then tickets on the Shade side were $42 each. So me and the better have would have cost close to $90 bucks to see minor league soccer game.

Sorry will pass. Seems like they are priced way to high, then I saw some pics of the crowd, there was lucky to be 2k there.

Congrats Prodical you ruined another sport in OKC.

[benjico]

Thought about going yesterday afternoon, got online and saw that tickets on the sunny side were $20 a piece, and then tickets on the Shade side were $42 each. So me and the better have would have cost close to $90 bucks to see minor league soccer game.

Sorry will pass. Seems like they are priced way to high, then I saw some pics of the crowd, there was lucky to be 2k there.

Congrats Prodical you ruined another sport in OKC.

Their pricing is strange. They have an online deal for each game where you can get four tickets on the shade side with eight beer vouchers for $80 total. Or, as you stated, you can spend $10 more the day of the game for half as many seats and no beer.

[shavethewhales]

^Yeah, that's kinda steep. Roughnecks tickets start at $8 for grass seats, and I think real seats start at $12. You can get into a Driller's game for $5. I've been really enjoying going to OneOK field this year because it's a relatively inexpensive way to spend a few hours, and then I can get a good dinner/drinks at a number of the surrounding bars and restaurants. I definitely agree that OKC Energy needs to move closer to an entertainment district and follow a similar setup. It feels more casual, but you get a lot more fans in the stands and it's a boost to the area.

Also, maybe I'm out of touch, but I really don't see the big deal about putting limits on the cursing. I don't care about what "soccer culture" is supposed to be about, and I don't think the families that are supposed to make up the crowd base do either. I've lived in the UK before, and the culture surrounding sports over there just plain sucks. I'm much more comfortable going to games over here.

[bradh]

Thought about going yesterday afternoon, got online and saw that tickets on the sunny side were $20 a piece, and then tickets on the Shade side were $42 each. So me and the better have would have cost close to $90 bucks to see minor league soccer game.

Sorry will pass. Seems like they are priced way to high, then I saw some pics of the crowd, there was lucky to be 2k there.

Congrats Prodical you ruined another sport in OKC.

No arguments on price, but there were well over 2,000 there. Not sure what pics you saw, but I saw one the team posted and it was early and did look thin, but it's a late arriving crowd.

[Laramie]

Disappointed in the attendance of 4,541 against the Tulsa Roughnecks at Taft Stadium last night.

Oklahoma City Energy FC tied Tulsa Roughnecks FC 1-1 on Saturday night in the United Soccer League match at Taft Stadium in front of 4,541 fans.

OKC Energy play Tulsa to a tie | News OK

The 1st meeting at Taft on June 13, drew 4,777.

Really thought that this would be the year OKC started to build its base from the previous year. OKC NASL didn't get off the launching pad. The move from Pribil Stadium (Bishop McGuinness High School campus) to Taft Stadium where there were more seat options along with a better environment was the catalyst to provide this spark. Tulsa Roughnecks rivalry should have brought about a real spike in attendance.

[Laramie]

Thought about going yesterday afternoon, got online and saw that tickets on the sunny side were $20 a piece, and then tickets on the Shade side were $42 each. So me and the better have would have cost close to $90 bucks to see minor league soccer game.

Sorry will pass. Seems like they are priced way to high, then I saw some pics of the crowd, there was lucky to be 2k there.

Congrats Prodical you ruined another sport in OKC.

Let's hope not; there's nothing left for Prodigal LLC or Express Sports to ruin.

[borchard]

4541 is very disappointing against the in-state rival. When will all the fan boys finally admit that Funk and Prodigal are going to destroy soccer in Oklahoma.City?

[Jake]

As of July 12th, OKC is 6th in the league with an average attendance of 4,404. Tulsa is 4th with an average of 4,767. Sacramento somehow averages 11,256. They must be giving out a lot of free cars or something. Or maybe they just really care about soccer in Sactown.

[bradh]

So we're 6th in the league in attendance, even with our over-priced (which I've been told are going down next season) tickets? I'd say that's not "failing" like a select few on this board who self proclaimed "care about seeing soccer succeed in OKC."

Seriously, compared to the rest of the league, the Energy are doing fine, I think some of your expectations were out of whack. They made a huge mistake with their ticket pricing this season and they appear to be correcting that for next season. I think what they did was took too many of those survey's to heart last season that asked us season ticket holders how much they'd pay for certain levels of seating and quality of play. What they did was then turn around and charge MLS prices for this season, which was an error. We paid sticker price for our very good seats which financially was stupid, but we wanted to support and be in at the ground level for if this takes off. If it doesn't? Oh well, we still have a great time at games.

[Jake]

4th-6th in the league aren't really even that different in attendance anyway. The Energy's attendance honestly isn't that bad.

Could things be better? Probably. But the team isn't failing or anything. Just fix ticket prices and tweak a few other things and the future looks bright. Hopefully fans and supporters will continue to be active and vocal about things that they think are hurting the team.

[OKCretro]

I would bet actual butts in seats and not announced crowd the Dodgers beat the energy 3:1. That is not a good sign at all for the energy.

[Snowman]

I would bet actual butts in seats and not announced crowd the Dodgers beat the energy 3:1. That is not a good sign at all for the energy.

It is in like it's second season, verses the current OKC baseball team has been in continued operations (with a few name and ownership changes) for over fifty years, take out a few short breaks and there has been closer to 110 years of minor league play in OKC. That gives them a bit of an advantage of building up both regular and occasional ticket buyers.

[boitoirich]

Not to mention that sporting events are better attended the closer to downtown a venue is. Tulsa is blessed with a new franchise, a downtown location, and better pricing. The OKC group, if it intends to build, needs to think carefully about location. ONEOK is nears restaurants and pubs. OKC River sites -- not so much.

[OKCretro]

Not to mention that sporting events are better attended the closer to downtown a venue is. Tulsa is blessed with a new franchise, a downtown location, and better pricing. The OKC group, if it intends to build, needs to think carefully about location. ONEOK is nears restaurants and pubs. OKC River sites -- not so much.

Doubt prodigal builds its own stadium. Why would you if u can't get a decent turnout against your "biggest rivals"? I bet they beg for tax payer spending for a new stadium. Hopefully the public won't give them a stadium. Another ownership group I would be ok with public funding, prodical no

[Richard at Remax]

No public monies should go towards any soccer specific stadium. We aren't on the MLS radar and frankly I have a hard time spending that kind of money for a league that doesn't have the best players in the sport.

I do think they screwed up moving away from mcguinness. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, and shopping in the area that people could make a night out of it. Especially with the shuttles from chk. Now the shuttles are from the state fairgrounds. Woof.

I think we are just a one major sports town right now. And there is nothing wrong with that. Our minor league teams provide nice entertainment. They are what they are and I enjoy going to them. For some reason prodigal, good or bad, is trying to market their teams like the thunder do. Unfortunately, They are finding out that only about 2000 people paid those prices for hockey, and about 4000 for soccer per game. I do think we are spoiled in a way with the thunder. We get to see the best of the best every night. so when the option is there to spend money on minor league games, along with the rising number of more legit restaurants and other entertainment, it becomes harder to justify. Ramble over

[boitoirich]

There is the matter of USL pushing ("requiring") their franchises to either own or be primary tenants of SS stadiums by the 2020 season. Disclaimer: I read that on Wiki and [I]did not[I] check it out further. It that's true, then Prodigal might have to shell out $15-40 million for a decent stadium. Kennesaw State built a SSS for roughly $15m (8k capacity, up to 16k). They share it with a pro women's team as well. Toyota Field in San Antonio - much nicer digs at $30m (8k, up to 18k). Building a nice stadium somewhere in the core doesn't have to break the bank.