A Great Pitch

from Boyd Street Magazine April 2020

Wine, Grapes & the Environment

Norman Parks, Youth Soccer Work to Upgrade Facilities

BY: Lindsay Cuomo

Drivers making their way down East Robinson may have noticed some extra activity at Griffin Park these days. In additional to the usual springtime hustle and bustle, a few more of Norman’s youth soccer fields are getting a facelift. Officials with the Norman Youth Soccer Association (NYSA) are in the midst of a multiphase, multi-year renovation.

“We are in our third phase,” said Steve Gillis, facilities director for the association.

Through the 2015 NormanForward bond initiative, the Norman Parks Department has already upgraded several existing fields with irrigation, lighting, improved playing surfaces as well as a new bathroom and fencing.

“We are working to create a top tier facility,” Gillis said. “We’ve done the work in sections to ensure that league play is continuous.”

In addition to the construction, NYSA has made some internal changes, including the addition of Skip Thorp as their technical director.

“The big goal of a soccer club is to offer opportunities for all interest levels, from the casual player to the most elite. Our goal has always been to build from within,” said Don Rother, the association’s executive director.

“We want to develop players and coaches from right here in Norman.”

Rother said Thorp’s focus will be on developing and supporting coaches.

“We’ve grown so much it was important to bring in someone to focus on coaching and create the best learning environment we can,” Rother said.

Thorp brings with him more than 30 years of experience, and he has coached men’s and women’s soccer at the college, national and international levels as well as professionally in Portland, New York and Philadelphia.

“To have someone with Skip’s credentials and connections in Norman, it’s really incredible,” Gillis said.

Despite graduating from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Thorp chose coaching as a career.

“I always felt it was my calling,” Thorp said. “I started coaching younger kids when I was in eighth grade. The connection that kids and a coach share, for me, you can’t put a value on that. The expression on a kid’s face when they finally get something they have been working so hard on… it’s priceless.”

Thorp said he’s already started observing coaches and exploring ways to make practices more efficient.

“It’s important to have an established curriculum to help keep the program on track,” Thorp said. “We want to create a complete player who loves the game.”

Rother said the changes at NYSA represent an effort to elevate Norman soccer and Gillis said Norman Forward is propelling Norman to a new level.

“Norman Forward has provided us a way to fast forward improvements,” Gillis said.

Once the multi-year planis complete, Gillis and Rother both agree that Norman will be able to attract regional and national tournaments.

“We’ve been out here for a long time. We are kind of Norman’s best kept secret,” Gillis said. “With more fields, we can host more events. Collegiate and national level events are realistic with the type of facility planned.”

Once work on the existing fields is complete, construction will pause until the park’s baseball fields are relocated. As city officials workout budgeting shortfalls, Gillis and Rother said their organization wants all youth sports to succeed.

“We can’t be successful without the great relationship with the city,” Gillis said. “We can’t emphasize how valuable that support is.”

“We need to make sure that all youth sports in Norman succeed,” Rother added. “We want to cultivate multi-sport athletes. We need great facilities for all sports.” – BSM