Tulsa soccer club hopes for sports complex renovation ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup

TULSA, Okla. — The West Side Alliance (WSA) soccer club is planning a multi-million dollar redevelopment of their training facilities in west Tulsa. The team said these plans could benefit the whole community.

The team told FOX23 Monday that they want to build a state-of-the-art sports complex. They also said they hope the complex will be completed in time for the next World Cup, which the U.S. is cohosting.

WSA said up to 6,000 people — from 2-years-old to 70-years-old — use the West Bank Sports Complex every week. The complex isn’t just used for soccer, but also frisbee, lacrosse, walking and fishing. But it needs some work, and the team wants to make it a destination that can be used by the whole community.

Roger Bush is the executive director of the WSA. He said the West Bank Sports Complex is in need of a revamp.

“It’s a great location, but we can’t host events because the amenities are not quite there,” Bush said.

At the moment, Bush said the ground is uneven, some of the nets are old and out of 10 fields, only four are lit. WSA National Super Y League soccer champions have sometimes trained in the dark because their mobile lights aren’t reliable.

The club has developed a masterplan for the renovated facility — 11 fields, stadium lighting, an all-weather pitch and a food truck court.

Bush told FOX23 the revamp will help everyone in the community.

He said, “I don’t think there’s any question that improve facilities improves the quality of training. It improves the quality of experience. It improves the quality of opportunity.”

They want to make it a destination that could bring in 8,000 to 10,000 people for events – not just for soccer but also frisbee, rugby and lacrosse

It will cost around $50 million to build, and the team wants the renovation to be completed by 2026 for the World Cup.

Bush continued, “We could host potential national teams on their way between Kansas City and Dallas, which are probably likely venues. And that’s definitely something that we’ve considered, and its got us motivated to make sure that its here and ready before then.”

Jeff Edwards is the executive director of the River Parks Authority. The group leases leases the 40 acres of land to the WSA, and he said it’s exciting for Tulsa.

“It would definitely attract, not only from a regional standpoint but maybe a national standpoint, to get folks to want to come here to Tulsa to play soccer competitively.”

Currently, they are in the fundraising stage. They said they’ve raised a third of the money so far with help from the Sports Development Council.

If all goes well, they hope to begin the construction phase within one year.

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