Potential South Oklahoma City/Norman team in NPSL

The background

When Soc Takes spoke to NPSL chairman Joe Barone, he recognized that NPSL has a heavier presence on the coasts than it does in the central time zone. Currently, there is no NPSL team in Oklahoma City (a team nearby, Tulsa Athletic, has been active since 2013).

After the collapse of Rayo OKC, OKC Energy has individually controlled the men’s soccer scene in OKC via its USL, PDL and youth teams. Oklahoma City FC played in the NPSL for one year (2013) after switching from the USLPDL to the league. There has been no NPSL team in OKC since that time.

Hooker (center) is a key position in rugby. Credit: All about Rugby 101.

In Rugby, the hooker is one of the four key positions on the team. A position requiring intelligence, experience and the ability to orchestrate the attacking play of the team.

Dustin Hooker aims to use those same attributes to bring a National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) team to the Oklahoma City/Norman area next year.

The ownership group

“We have been in talks for 4 months and are filing out our application.”

Hooker was previously involved in helping set up OKC Energy’s PDL team. Since leaving his job with Energy, Hooker has continued to work with amateur soccer players in various capacities. Now, he has a plan to allow his players to compete in a more organized structure.

Hooker and two unidentified business partners are ready to take on the financial responsibilities of setting up a D4 team. “I have a business of my own, and along with our partners, we are confident that we will take care of the financial requirements fairly easily,” Hooker said via a phone conversation on Saturday morning.

Hooker said of his two partners – “Both people are in the soccer community whom I’ve known for over 10 years, successful business people and soccer fanatics. We want to make an impact in developing soccer here in Oklahoma.”

While the identity of Hooker’s two partners is unknown, Soc Takes understands that Rayo OKC’s minority owner, Sean Jones, is not one of those two partners.

$$$

Having worked within the PDL structure before, Hooker is cognizant of the financial repercussions of running an amateur team. “We are not trying to make money through this, we are just trying to support the sport and the local soccer players around the area. We’ve committed to a five-year plan, and we recognize that we’ll be signing checks for most of that time; we are not naive about what we are getting into.”

NPSL currently does not have a team in Oklahoma City. Credit: NPSL.

One significant expense for NPSL/PDL teams tends to be travel. As stated earlier, at present, there is a dearth of teams close to Oklahoma City. Hooker believes that travel costs will be mitigated by the next round of expansion teams, stating, “we might see more Texas teams.” Currently, Hooker’s team is playing games against FC Dallas’ academy team, Texas Spurs, Norman North, FC Wichita and four others. “We believe this season will serve as a trial period to show that we can do this.”

Currently the OKC men’s soccer scene has been dominated by OKC Energy, Hooker believes a small niche exists for this NPSL team. “We are focused on developing young, local players. We’re not in competition with Energy. I still have many friends there and there are absolutely no hard feelings. I’m focused on us.”

The Oklahoma City Imps

The team will also have an unique name – The Oklahoma City Imps (@ImpsOKC on twitter). When asked about the unique name, Hooker explained that it came about during a conversation with head coach, Adam Kay. Kay, an UEFA B licensed coach, was telling Hooker about The Lincoln Red Imps; a semi-pro team out of Gibraltar who famously beat Scottish giants Celtic FC in a game last year.

“I wasn’t sure about the name at first, but then, I really liked the idea of our team being the small-guy. The underdogs. And, it started to grow on me. We designed the logo and started running with it,” Hooker explained.

The team expects to divide their games between two stadiums – Norman North and Mid-America Christian University. The former will be used for day games, while the latter, housing floodlights, will be used for evening games. Playing at two stadiums is by design. “We want to include the Southern OKC soccer community as much as the Norman soccer community.”

Hooker (and ostensibly his partners) seem confident of NPSL granting them an expansion team. “It’s obviously not 100%, but based on our conversations, our financial plan and our focus on player opportunity, we think we have a strong bid.” Hooker cites a partnership with Norman Youth Soccer Association as an example of the group’s investment in the game.

Soc Takes reached out to NPSL for comment via email. Their response —

“The NPSL does not publicly comment on the status of conversations with, or the applications from, individuals groups expressing an interest in joining the NPSL.”

The takeaway

As the hooker receives the ball, either he or the scrum-half have to quickly survey the field and decide the course of attack. Their initial pass sets in motion the direction of the attack. So, really, their ability to see into the future is as crucial as the actual execution of their pass.

For Dustin Hooker, his plan is simple —

“Like I said, we are committed to at least five years. My goal isn’t to have the world’s best NPSL team. My goal is to give these kids a chance. Most of them won’t end up being professional footballers, but we want them to stay in Oklahoma, settle down here and pay it forward, maybe some of them will become coaches. That’s our focus. These kids aren’t getting the chance they deserve.”

The mischievous devil.

You can find Nipun and Soc Takes at @NipunChopra7 and @SocTakes on twitter.