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Under new ownership and with plans to move into a new stadium, OKC Energy FC has a new executive to lead its soccer operations.
Court Jeske has been hired as president of Echo Soccer, it was announced Thursday.
Echo is the Oklahoma City-based investment company founded by Christian Kanady, who last month bought a majority stake in the soccer club.
Jeske will oversee Energy FC, including ongoing stadium developments with the city, according to a release.
Kanady and developer Mark Beffort have plans for a $1 billion stadium district in Lower Bricktown. The soccer stadium, part of MAPS 4, would seat between 8,000 and 10,000, according to plans.
Energy FC suspended operations in 2022 due to renovations at Taft Stadium, where the Energy played its home games.
More: A $1 billion stadium district may be coming to Lower Bricktown
Energy FC, founded in 2013, most recently competed in the USL Championship League. The franchise, which has been dormant for the past three seasons, is listed on the USL Championship’s website as one of five “future clubs.”
Twenty-four teams compete in the USL Championship League, including FC Tulsa.
Kanady’s group is hoping to revive Energy FC, with Jeske at the head of it.
“Court is a force in the world of professional sports,” Kanady said in a statement. “His record, reputation and influence time and again demonstrate his tremendous talent for both breathing new life and building from the ground up.”
Jeske grew up in Tulsa and attended OU.
His resume in professional soccer is robust. Most recently he worked as chief commercial officer in the United Soccer Leagues (USL), which Energy FC is set to rejoin.
Jeske has experience building a soccer franchise from the ground up.
He was the founding CEO and minority owner of Nashville SC, a club that climbed the ranks of professional soccer and today competes in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Jeske has also worked for MLS as vice president of international business.
“There is no question that soccer has arrived in our country in a big way, and it’s time for Oklahoma City to join the party,” Jeske said in a statement. “With a professional club returning to the city and a state-of-the-art multipurpose stadium coming to the heart of our thriving downtown, we’ve got all the pieces in place to do it right.”
It’s unclear if Energy FC will resume play before the proposed stadium is built.
David Todd, who oversees MAPS 4 initiatives, said the city has hired a firm to design the stadium and hopes construction bids will go out in the fall of 2025.