Steve Gillis, the man whose 37 years of facility work shaped where more than 3,300 Norman-area soccer players now train, is stepping away from Oklahoma Celtic Football Club.
The club announced Gillis's departure as facility director of the Norman Youth Soccer Association in its August 2026 newsletter, published Sept. 10. The farewell lands during the club's 50th anniversary season.
His name is on the complex.
The Gillis-Rother Soccer Complex at 1001 E. Robinson St. spans 22 fields, 11 equipped with lights, according to Sports Planning Guide. Executive Director Ryan Trudgian wrote in the newsletter that the club and its facility would not be where they are without Gillis's vision, persistence and countless hours of work. Much of that work, Trudgian wrote, happened quietly before practices and games began.
Oklahoma Celtic was founded in 1976 by Bob Shalhope and Gordon Drummond with 200 recreational players, according to the club's website. It has grown to 2,344 recreational players and 1,000 competitive and academy players. Gillis joined the operation in the late 1980s and helped build what Trudgian described as one of the region's leading soccer facilities.
Don Rother, who previously served in multiple director roles at the club, is returning as the new facility director.
No direct statement from Gillis was included in the newsletter.
50th anniversary events ahead
The club's fall recreational season opens Sept. 12. Several anniversary-related events are on the calendar:
- The Oklahoma Celtic Breakaway, a fundraising run billed as a new annual Norman tradition, is scheduled for Nov. 7 at 9 a.m. Proceeds support the club's player scholarship fund and this year's featured cause: Celtic alumnus Jack Coleman, a former Duke University soccer player who experienced a life-altering event in December 2025 while visiting family in Norman.
- The Outreach Program for Soccer (TOPS) offers free soccer sessions for children with intellectual, emotional or physical disabilities. Fall dates are Sunday, Sept. 20, Sunday, Sept. 27 and Sunday, Oct. 4, from 3–4 p.m. at NYSA Field 12, 1001 E. Robinson St.
Registration details for the Breakaway and TOPS are available through the club's website.
