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Tuesday, May 1, 2007
No Signs of Stopping
Central Oklahoma, OK
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Gordon Drummond helped create the Norman Youth Soccer Association and he’s coached for 23 years at Norman. He’s watched Oklahoma soccer gain in popularity and without a doubt, soccer is here to stay.
Longtime Norman soccer coach Gordon Drummond is the Godfather of soccer in Oklahoma. He has coached for 31 years, including 23 at Norman. He helped create the Norman Youth Soccer Association, has coached numerous All-State players and has won four state titles.
And there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
I grew up on soccer. I played since I was a little boy.
My dad played and coached semi-pro soccer so I got to see a lot of games from the sidelines. It was exciting watching these players doing such amazing things. They always played on dirt fields so I thought they were tough players. The stands were always filled. It was always an exciting game to watch.
The thing I remember the most watching my dad is how excited he was when they won and how down he was when they lost.
I realized every game you play you have to give everything you have. That’s the only way to play the game. That’s a good lesson I learned. I teach that to every player. Don’t regret playing your hardest.
I got involved in coaching with a good friend of mine in 1976.
We both had sons and we were looking for them to play something together besides football. Soccer was the perfect sport. So we helped organize the Norman Youth Soccer Association. And it just grew from there. There were enough teams that the OSSAA finally made it a sanctioned sport (in 1985). There was a lot of excitement with that. Then, Norman needed a coach so I volunteered. I had no idea I would be doing it this long.
Growing up in Toronto was wonderful.
Yeah, it was cold, but there was always something to do. We played hockey in the winter, and soccer and baseball in the summer time. It’s a great soccer community. Now with a new MLS team there, they are going to have great support.
We played wherever we could. We would just get all the neighborhood kids, get a ball and go play in the park or in the street.
We played a lot of pickup games. It certainly was a battle. That was the best. Now they don’t do that anymore. They have leagues for everyone. You don’t see kids just going out and playing anymore. Now they have everything organized for them. It’s just different.
I feel like I’ve put something special into the sport of soccer in Oklahoma.
I’ve worked hard, along with a lot of other people, to develop the youth programs and the players in the state. It’s a good feeling to help get the sport well established here. It’s been a big part of my life.
I really do enjoy going out there each day, whether it’s cold or hot, and seeing the young people filled with passion and energy for the game.
I enjoy helping them do something meaningful in their lives, doing what they care about. I feel that passion and energy with them. It’s great to ride that wave. I don’t see myself giving it up any time soon, until I fall off that surfboard. I look forward to every season. I don’t get tired of it.
I have seen and coached a lot of great players and great teams.
I can’t really pinpoint the best player or the best team since I have been involved in soccer here. It’s just too hard. I just know that winning a state championship is unbelievable. But it’s amazing how the sport has grown here and how we are developing such great players. Every year it seems more and more high schools are playing.
When people say that soccer will never make it here in the United States, I look at them like they are crazy.
It’s already made it. If that wasn’t the case then we wouldn’t have six of 13 MLS teams with soccer-specific stadiums. Obviously, there are big investors who think soccer is a mainstream sport here. It’s not just in the youth leagues that soccer is popular anymore. And the U.S. is developing a lot of great players through the system. Soccer is only going to continue to grow in popularity.
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