Rec Sports
J.W. Craft: Investing in Community Through Sports
Raised on the courts and fields of Tulsa, J.W. Craft grew up competing in classic childhood sports and enjoyed the camaraderie and connection. After living in some of the country’s biggest cities and building a successful career, he felt a strong pull back to his hometown—not just to work alongside his father in their family […]
Raised on the courts and fields of Tulsa, J.W. Craft grew up competing in classic childhood sports and enjoyed the camaraderie and connection. After living in some of the country’s biggest cities and building a successful career, he felt a strong pull back to his hometown—not just to work alongside his father in their family business, but to raise his kids – he has five – in a city that is near and dear to his heart. He is also very interested in investing in Tulsa’s future and has done so with brothers, Ryan and Kyle, through bold moves like acquiring FC Tulsa and Ascension St. John Sportsplex (formerly Titan Sports Complex).
Through these endeavors, they are blending their passion for sports with heart for community development by creating vibrant spaces where families, fans and future athletes can thrive. Their mission? To fuel civic pride, foster healthy lifestyles, offer high-level development and connections locally, and help Tulsa shine on a national and global stage.
TK: What did you enjoy about growing up in Tulsa?
J.W.: I played all the traditional kids’ sports where I was able to compete and get to know many kids who went on to play at the next level.
TK: You left Tulsa for college and a career but eventually returned to raise a family. What made you want to return?
J.W.: The main thing was the chance to work with my father in the family business. Also, having been raised within a family who were actively working with non-profits to make Tulsa better, I was keen on making that a priority when I moved back. I have lived in several different large cities (Washington, D.C., NYC area, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas) and the quality of life and raising a family here is very hard to beat.
TK: What sparked your interest in owning a professional soccer team in Tulsa?
J.W.: I was looking for a project of some kind that was going to add to the fabric of the city that would complement the positive growth going on with the Gathering Place, Guthrie Green, BOK Center and ONEOK Field. Soccer is going through tremendous growth in the country, and the idea that we play major market cities (Tampa, Sacramento, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis), I felt like our matches could be a nice two-hour commercial to highlight the city for people around the country and world. Having this team has also had a positive impact on economic development, increased the talent/workforce, and quality of life for Tulsans.
TK: What have you seen FC Tulsa provide to our city?
J.W.: Sports bring communities together. We have one team the whole city can cheer for and support. This team has been a source of civic pride in celebrating what we have in common versus what is divisive.
TK: Once acquiring the team, it went through a rebrand. Tell us a little about that.
J.W.: It was really about embracing Tulsa’s history, but also looking to the future. The name, FC Tulsa, resonates internationally and works because we draw a lot of international players. We were looking to recognize the name of our city as well as the scissortail flycatcher, our state bird, being at the heart of the logo – so really taking a lot of our local influence and honing back into where we’re from. It also incorporates vertical typeface that matches a lot of the downtown signage, and the Art Deco matches the buildings.
We continue to work with a number of different local graphic designers to amplify a lot of really cool stuff that’s happening here in town, and you’ll see that in special jerseys and merch.
TK: What interested you about acquiring Ascension St. John Sportsplex?
J.W.: We’ve been a tenant in the space since it was built in 2018. When it was listed for sale a few years ago, we knew we either needed to purchase it or look to build our own. FC Tulsa is an important but small piece of what the facility provides. We are running all kinds of youth programming, national and international events in the space. It brings visitors to Tulsa and encourages a healthy and active lifestyle for kids and adults of all ages.
TK: Tell us about your vision for FC Tulsa and the Sportsplex.
J.W.: Our vision is to have packed, sellout matches and have the Sportsplex utilized all the time. We play 17 times at home from March to October, and we want every match to be an event people look forward to going downtown to see. At the Sportsplex, we really have two different segments: Weekends host tournaments bringing volleyball, basketball and other sports into town playing teams from Tulsa, the state and region. And during the week, we have our youth and adult leagues to keep people active and enjoy fun and competition in a comfortable place.
TK: Why do you feel that FC Tulsa and the Sportsplex are good ways to invest in Tulsa?
J.W.: Tulsa is on an exciting trajectory and certainly having more things for the community to get behind as it grows is something we want to be a part of.
TK: Tell us about what people can expect when they attend the soccer matches.
J.W.: With roughly two games a month, most of those matches are on Friday or Saturday night. We offer a number of ticket options and bundled group pricing to appeal to all fans. The games run about two hours with two halves of 45 minutes each. Goals are exciting as we shoot off fireworks when we score!
T.K. As a father of five, how have you involved your family/kids in what you’re working on?
J.W.: Only one of my kids plays soccer, but my passion has rubbed off on each of them. I will usually pick one or two road games a season and take one of my kids with me. We pick the city and make a weekend with the game as one thing on the itinerary. Last year was a big one for international soccer as we went to the Liga MX final in Mexico City and quarterfinal and semi-final matches in Germany for the Euros.
T.K.: How can families/kids get involved in FC Tulsa? What opportunities are available?
J.W.: This summer, we have a variety of sports camps running all summer long at the Sportsplex. Register for one of our sports leagues at the Sportsplex Signup for the FC Tulsa Training Academy Camps.
Get to know our players, come out to a match and support the team. Both home and away games are on ESPN+, and the Paramount+/CBS Sports Network.
Listen to the Sharing Passion and Purpose Podcast for the full interview and to learn the one thing that J.W. never expected to happen as a result of investing in FC Tulsa. Listen on your favorite podcasting app or directly at SharingPassionandPurpose.com.
Check out FC Tulsa & Ascension St. John Sportsplex online: FCTulsa.com is #ForTulsa; Instagram: @fctulsa & @ascensionstjohnsportsplex; Facebook: @fctulsa & @ascensionstjohnsportsplex
