Prodigal LLC News Release -- www.prodigal.com
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, Prodigal LLC announced a partnership with locally owned ADG, Inc. to design and build a soccer-specific stadium in Oklahoma City to be the home of Prodigal’s USL PRO franchise.
Beginning in Spring 2014, Prodigal will operate a USL PRO franchise in Oklahoma City. Several stadiums for game play for the first season are currently under consideration. USL’s PRO division is the strongest, best operated and most experienced North American men’s professional soccer league outside of MLS. The league not only serves as a springboard to the MLS for players, but also for franchises. Four of the last five clubs to enter MLS have moved up from the USL’s top professional division, including teams in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and Montreal.
Prodigal and ADG are exploring sites to build the stadium and are engaged in discussions about long-term strategy, location and design. Initial plans for the stadium call for it to seat 7,000, with the ability to expand to 20,000, the minimum size for a franchise to be considered to earn an expansion team in North America’s best soccer league, Major League Soccer (MLS).
“Part of the three-year long process to bring a USL PRO team to Oklahoma City was to explore the opportunity to build a soccer specific stadium in the metro area,” said Prodigal CEO Bob Funk Jr. “ADG has proven itself to be a company that can design and service award winning work. We look forward to working with ADG to design a stadium that can serve the needs of our USL PRO team, and also expand based on our long-term goal of bringing and MLS team to Oklahoma City.”
"We are privileged to be a part of this important project for Oklahoma City," said Scott Dedmon, Design Director and principal at ADG, Inc. "When we designed the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark it set a new standard for Triple-A Baseball. We expect to do the same for USL PRO Soccer. This will be an exciting new sports venue for Oklahoma City and will express the growth of our city."
ADG provides design and program management services to clients throughout the country from its base in Oklahoma City. The firm’s award-winning design work can be seen throughout downtown Oklahoma City. The firm designed the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, now in its 15th year of operation. ADG is also responsible for the new Dean McGee Eye Institute at OU Medical Center, Nonna’s Ristorante, the City Center Parking Garage north of Devon’s tower and multiple projects at Saint Anthony Hospital, including Saints Medical Plaza, the east campus expansion and the twin beacons atop the ADG-designed surgery center.
Sports and recreation design work beyond the ballpark has included multiple projects for schools and churches throughout Central Oklahoma. Founded in 1975, the firm has called Bricktown home since 1987—before the sports and entertainment district was established. ADG has a staff of more then 50 employees, including architects, interior designers, engineers and program managers. Program management contracts include overseeing all the MAPS for Kids projects as well as the MAPS 3 program.
Prodigal LLC is a full service event management company based in Oklahoma City. Prodigal operates the Oklahoma City Barons professional hockey team, co-promotes Professional Bull Riders (PBR) events in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, operates the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo (RNCFR), serves as the co-organizer for the March of Dimes Sports Headliner Banquet and produces the Bricktown 4th Fest and is sales and marketing partner with All College and World Cup of Softball.
Prodigal is engaging the local community to assist in naming the team with an online contest at www.okcusl.com. Tickets may be reserved by calling (405) 232-KICK.