Energy FC gives Boys & Girls Club a timely assist – and scores a dramatic Thanksgiving goal

Players and staff with Oklahoma City Energy FC, the professional soccer team that plays home matches at historic Taft Stadium on N. May Avenue, went “SouthSide Style” recently, to provide a timely assist to the Boys & Girls Clubs in their pre-Thanksgiving outreach. Energy FC traveled to Wilmont Place Baptist Church at 6440 S Santa Fe Avenue, where players helped distribute Thanksgiving meals, loading cars as they drove through the church parking lot. The space was decorated with “Energy-themed” regalia, with players and staff aiming to make the time fun and festive.

Participants included Carly Johnson, director of development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, and Villyan Bijev, the skilled Energy FC Forward. Organizers told this reporter that approximately 150 Thanksgiving meals were distributed to families in need during the event.

The FC Energy continues with a strong base of community support at Taft, but for the long haul hope to benefit from plans the government of Oklahoma City has to build a multipurpose stadium as a new home for the squad – a place that could also host “concerts, high school athletics and an array of private and public events.”

https://www.city-sentinel.com/arts_and_entertainment/oklahoma-city-mayor-holt-and-maps-program-manager-david-todd-share-maps-4-stadium-ideas/article_1fd6f162-ad7f-5815-8dc7-842f50ab1f3a.html

Even with that broader agenda, the venue is envisioned as a home for great soccer, including college soccer, high school football and soccer, and other sports. Thanks are extended to Energy FC players and staff, in fond hopes that they enjoy continued success bringing the original version of football to more and more Oklahomans in the years ahead.

NOTE: Pat McGuigan coached middle-school soccer for eight years, and is a passionate fan and student of the game.