Tulsa Sports and Performance Center Opens
By GLENN HIBDON
GTR Sports Writer
INDOOR ACTION: Tulsa Sports and Performance Center General Manager Stan Liedel, left, with Coach and GM of Sports Performance and Health Services Jeff Pace at the Titan Sports indoor facility at 101 E. 81st St. in Tulsa just north of Jenks. The indoor facility can house almost any type of indoor sport. The Titan Sports logo is displayed on the garment of the coach in the background.
GTR Newspapers photo
Sports facilities in Green Country took a giant leap forward on Memorial Day with the opening of the Tulsa Sports and Performance Center.
“There is nothing like it anywhere,’’ says General Manager Stan Liedel. “We are the only combined indoor and outdoor facility regionally and we’re in the center of the Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Texas area. Usually, people from Tulsa have to go Kansas City, Dallas or Little Rock for tournaments. Now, we’re in the hub.’’
The complex features two locations. Nineteen soccer and lacrosse fields are open at 9850 S. Elwood Ave. in Jenks with the indoor arena at 101 E. 81st St. in Tulsa cutting the ribbon on May 28. Eight basketball courts can be converted into 16 volleyball courts and there are two indoor soccer fields, a health club and an athletic performance center. The facility will also host parties, camps and clinics.
Twelve outdoor soccer-lacrosse fields are also available at the 191,000 square foot side at the 81st Street facility. Combined, the project covers 125 acres.
“All we’ve got to do is some work on the elevator, landscaping, touching up the paint, finishing the parking lot and small detail stuff,’’ says Liedel. “We should be done this summer.
“Our courts are open, but we are a little behind schedule. We were hoping to open in mid-winter, but we didn’t make it. We wish we could have opened to capitalize on winter business, but it was due to weather related stuff.’’
The building kicked off with training activities taking center stage, along with volleyball performance camps. Requiring more than $20 million to build, the project features 16 investors forming a limited liability corporation. The Tulsa area economy in expected to benefit by more than $6 million annually.
“Preschoolers to big leaguers will be training here,’’ Liedel says. “Our coach who has the training center has a big following of major leaguers who will train here during the offseason. We should have district and regional high school basketball and volleyball tournaments and every major soccer tournament.’’
Liedel says it’s all about location, location, location. If anyone doubts it, just ask him.
“We have the perfect location,’’ he insists. “We’re close enough to restaurants and hotels and we hope to host one million visitors in year one. We serve any sport, but mainly soccer and lacrosse. Several local soccer clubs and our own lacrosse club practice here. We’re mainly for youth, but we do have adult clubs. The Tulsa Roughnecks also have plans to use the site as a training facility.’’
Liedel says the idea for Titan came from parents whose children play several different sports that require frequent out of town travel for tournaments. The GM represents the head of day-to-day operations for Titan. He has a retail background covering 24 years and coached youth sports for 20 years.
“Our company goal is more about education and the training of athletes, parents and coaches,’’ says Liedel. “We have an education center to help prevent injuries and help coaches and referees learn about the sports they are doing. We want to bring athletes up the proper way and our performance training center teaches kids how to stretch and not get injured. We focus on conditioning.’’
Titan Sports and Performance Center has secured a three-year agreement with most of the local soccer, basketball and volleyball clubs. Anyone can rent the facility for independent competition or training.
“Our goal is to bring as many people as possible through our programs.’’ says Liedel. “We have something for everybody, the whole family. Parents can drop off their kids for soccer and then go to the health club. They can drop them off for karate and join an indoor soccer league.
“Seniors can play pickleball. It’s a fast growing sport, something like tennis or badminton, but you don’t have to move as much. You use a wooden paddle and a whiffle-like ball and a smaller court. We also have futsal. It’s a little like indoor soccer using a weighted ball. It’s popular in Asia and South America.’’
Other sports offered include ultimate frisbee and flag football. Leagues for preschools introduce them to ball sports. One day basketball is featured and then baseball or kickball, etc. Approximately 50 employees handle the programs along with a certified strength and conditioning coach.
Jeff Pace is the general manager of performance and health, Don Ryan the director of field sports, Janna Green is the assistant GM and director of courts and Rusty Laubach director of facilities.
Updated 06-21-2018
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