My husband introduced me to professional soccer when we first started dating. I wouldn’t call us fans exactly, but I actually really do enjoy watching the game. Something about the way the game never stops keeps me enthralled. Fast forward to this year when our daughter started playing in an under 6 league, and soccer is now MUCH more prevalent in our house. So when we were given the opportunity to check out the OKC Energy FC, we jumped at the chance!
We had a great time, and the overall experience – accessible professional soccer – was great for our whole family. Here are a few of the highlights for us:
Experience.
The Energy play in Taft Stadium, so the view from any seat is fantastic. You feel like you’re really up close and personal to the field and the players. It was also really cool for our daughter to get to experience soccer at that level. Because of her budding interest, we were able to explain some of the more advanced rules of the game through real-life examples. She also really enjoyed comparing her own soccer skills to the professionals’. She loved learning that they use multiple soccer balls in one game, seeing the head kicks, and getting some free swag.
Facility.
- Great seats. As mentioned before, every seat is great and there are lots of options for ticket prices. Plus, no long walks to the top of the stadium here!
- Clean Restrooms. As a mom, I very much appreciated the cleanliness and size of the restrooms. They were bright, clean, and well air-conditioned.
- Parking. Parking was easy, and there were several options right across the street from the stadium. Be sure to bring some cash, as the options closest to the stadium will be around $10.
Family-Friendly.
- Concessions. The stadium had a great selection of concessions from the standard hot dogs and chips to Shaved Ice, wine, and beer. AND “Kids Eat Free by Sara Lee” for every home game. You can’t beat that!
- Kids Zone. My daughter is somewhat of a kid zone aficionado, as in, if there is one, we will go. She loved getting her face painted (it lasted for 4 days by the way-she wouldn’t wash it off!). They also had some inflatable soccer challenges. Unfortunately, we didn’t wear the right kind of shoes, so we didn’t participate – so if you go, make sure to have some sneakers or other closed-toe shoes. You can also sign your kids up for the Kids Club to receive perks like birthday postcards and invitations to events with players.
- Player accessibility. After the the games, players are available for a bit to sign autographs. Our daughter loved this!
Overall, we had a great time. We enjoyed the professional atmosphere in a no-stress, no-hassle way, and it was so much fun to expose our daughter to a higher level of the sport she is growing to love! An OKC Energy FC game would also make a great location for any group outing! They have different group packages available, and we saw a couple of “tailgate” style set-ups for groups as well. We’re already talking about when we’ll go back!
