West Side Alliance Youth Soccer Group Unveils Plans For Large Tulsa Sports Complex

Tulsa’s West Side Alliance plans to rebuild the West Bank Soccer complex, transforming it into a marquee destination for youth sports, with the only all-synthetic turf installation of that size.

The 40 acres complex is leased from River Parks and has minimal improvements now beyond bare fields.

WSA renderings for the project show a plan to replace all 12 fields, and add buildings for concessions and locker rooms, bathrooms and administration.

Roger Bush, the Executive Director of WSA Soccer, estimated the project will cost $50 million.

“The vision was can we expand the usership and at the same time create an event center that's a regional, maybe national tourist destination?” Bush said.

The Tulsa Chamber of Commerce believes it would. Executive Director Mike Neal said better facilities help tourism recruiters go after larger and better events, and sports continues to be a major driver of tourism in Tulsa.

The complex now has only partial lighting and few facilities, with no shelter or shade.

Landscape Architect Carl Szafranski, a consultant on the project, said the turf, especially with some fields connected by turf, would be a draw.

“That’s a unique aspect for Oklahoma, and the main thing is that right now, all of the fields have artificial turf, and there's no one else doing that in the state,” Szafranski said.

Bush sees the project as transformative for youth soccer in Northeast Oklahoma, with the turf allowing a longer season at the Complex.

WSA already has about 3,000 children playing under their organization, with steady growth predicted.

“We've given ourselves a year goal to get the funds raised and be ready to build and a secondary goal of having it ready when the World Cup comes to the US in 2026," Bush said.