The Northern Oklahoma College Board of Regents unanimously voted to move the men’s and women’s soccer programs to NOC Enid from NOC Tonkawa Wednesday afternoon at the May meeting.

The move will be completed in time for the new Enid Jets Soccer program to start in August with the Fall 2023 season, as part of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 2 Athletics. This will continue under the leadership of Head Men’s and Women’s Soccer Coach Michael Duroy who has just completed his 26th year at Northern.

The City of Enid considers itself as a soccer community, with over 300 participants in Under 18 soccer through the YMCA and 700 players in club soccer. The Advance Soccer Complex in Enid is putting the finishing touches on the $12 million dollar complex that will be the new home for NOC soccer.

NOC Vice President for Enid Jeremy Hise commented, “Through their incredible efforts, the Allen family, McLaughlin family, the City of Enid and all those involved in the creation of the Advance Soccer Complex have provided the sport of soccer an unparalleled opportunity. This investment will bring benefits to soccer players of all ages, teams, fans, and local businesses for generations to come. Northern Oklahoma College is profoundly grateful for the privilege to be a part of this remarkable soccer community, and we are very appreciative of the positive impact this investment will have on our soccer program for generations to come as well.”

The Advance Soccer Complex will provide both a championship artificial turf field that they will use for home games and practice. The teams will also have access to six full size natural turf fields for practice and tournaments. The indoor complex provides for adequate training in bad weather as well as locker rooms complete with smart boards, a meeting room, concession area, and training room. The championship field seats 1,500.

President Clark Harris said, “The Advance Soccer Complex and the members of the Enid community have made it very attractive for Northern Oklahoma College to move the teams to NOC Enid. We know that this will provide the best soccer opportunities for the athletes. They will have world-class facilities for practicing and playing their home games.”

“NOC appreciates the good support that the Tonkawa community has provided to the teams and the individual players,” Harris added. “Community members have enjoyed interacting with the athletes. Some individuals have invited international players into their homes to make them feel welcome during their time at NOC. We know that individuals in the Enid community will be as welcoming.

“ Current NOC Soccer players were contacted by text message Wednesday night and informed of the move adding the college will work with the student athletes to make the transition to the NOC Enid campus as smooth as possible.

“We are excited to partner with Advance Soccer Complex to bring college soccer back to Enid,” said NOC Board of Regent Chair Jami Groendyke. “This is a great opportunity for our student athletes and the community. We feel this move will benefit Northern Oklahoma College and Enid as a whole.”

“We are excited to provide our soccer student athletes the opportunity to compete and train in a World Class facility such as the Advance Soccer Complex,” said NOC Athletic Director Alan Foster. “In the ever-changing world of competitive collegiate athletics, a state-of-theart facility is so important in recruiting and retaining top notch student athletes. I believe the Enid Community will be very welcoming to the soccer student athletes and will help make their transition as easy as possible.”

“The athletic department will do everything possible to accommodate the student athletes in this transition and make it as seamlessly as possible,” he added.

The programs have been successful at Northern, the women’s program had a 15-3-2 record in 2022 and was ranked in the Top 20 finishing second in the Region 2 Tournament. The men’s program was ranked in the Top 20 in 2021.

Wednesday’s move is actually a return of soccer to NOC Enid as the Jets had a program for one year in 2000.