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Council defers vote on consultant for soccer park operations after local clubs raise concerns
Summary
Councilmembers voted unanimously to defer action on a proposed professional services agreement with Collective Best to evaluate operations at North OKC and South Lake soccer complexes, after local soccer club leaders said the consultant’s report contained inaccuracies and worried about future management changes.
The Oklahoma City Council on March 25 deferred consideration of a proposed services agreement that would fund a consultant study of the city’s two major soccer complexes, after local soccer organizations said the consultant’s initial report contained factual errors and expressed concern about potential operational outcomes.
Gabby Noble, president of North OKC Soccer Club, told the council the club and neighborhood supporters helped secure bond funding and MAPS support for a soccer-specific complex and that the organization has been a long-term caretaker and programming partner. “This is not what the voters of Ward 8 were told or what the Oklahoma City voters voted on,” Noble said. She asked the council to deny the item.
Brandon Lawless, executive director of Southlake Soccer Club, said the consultant’s phase‑one report misstated seasonal use and capacity. “Our soccer programming actually runs late January to mid December,” Lawless told the council, and he said the clubs already operate near full capacity. He warned that a recommendation for a multisport operating management company would be logistically incompatible with current usage and could displace existing clubs.
Council members, including the item’s sponsor, said they sought more time to review the full contract and attachments (staff noted the full packet incorporated a number of attachments that expanded the page count). Concerned councilmembers requested a briefing from staff so they could review the report, contract and attachments in more detail before making a decision. One councilmember noted the agenda language initially suggested a $72,000 fee going forward but attachments implied additional amounts; staff clarified the $72,000 was the next-phase cost and that $49,000 had been spent previously on the initial work.
Action taken: the council voted to defer the item to the April 22 meeting and asked staff to provide additional briefings and documentation so council members could review the consultant report and contract attachments.
Why this matters: the facilities — North OKC Soccer Complex and South Lake Soccer Complex — are longstanding community athletic assets and host year-round programming and regional tournaments. Local clubs told the council they have invested in facilities and programming for decades and opposed changes that would transfer operating control or reduce their ability to program the fields.
Ending: The item was deferred to April 22. Council members invited staff to schedule briefings explaining the consultant’s findings and the scope of services before the deferred hearing.
