Child development experts agree that regular physical activity offers tremendous benefits for children. By encouraging your kids to get up and get moving, you’ll cultivate healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Many children love to play sports, and families in and around Oklahoma City are fortunate to have numerous locations where their kids can participate in basketball, tennis, hockey, soccer, and more.

Earlywine Tennis Center at Earlywine Park

A young child hitting a tennis ball during a lesson in Oklahoma City.

The Earlywine Tennis Center is a 12-court outdoor public park administered by the Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department. The Earlywine Tennis Center offers various programs for junior tennis players throughout the year, including summer camps, after-school tennis clinics, private and group lessons, and tournaments. The center also includes a pro shop with an air-conditioned snack area.

Director and Head Teaching Professional Randy Painton oversees the facility and its programming. Painton, a certified United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Elite Professional, has been in the tennis business for over 25 years and has dedicated much of his time to championing tennis for children in the Oklahoma City area.

  • Location: 3101 SW 119th St., Oklahoma City.
  • Telephone: 405-691-5430.

Oklahoma City (OKC) Tennis Center at Will Rogers Park

Discover a world-class United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournament-level facility in Oklahoma City. The OKC Tennis Center is found within Will Rogers Park and features 36 courts, including 24 lighted outdoor, six indoor, and six youth courts. You’ll also find shaded rest areas and a tennis pro shop with a concession stand. More than 60 tournaments, including the USTA Nationals, occur here throughout the year.

The OKC Tennis Center offers several tennis opportunities for kids, including tennis lessons with top-level tennis professional coaches and the OKC Elite Academy, where children as young as 5 can participate in the tennis development program to help them learn the fundamentals of tennis and the academy’s core values.

  • Location: 3400 N. Portland Ave., Oklahoma City.
  • Telephone: 405-946-2739.

SoccerCity OKC

As Oklahoma’s largest indoor soccer facility, SoccerCity OKC delivers plenty of high-energy soccer action for kids in Oklahoma City. SoccerCity OKC uses FieldTurf infill, a recyclable and sustainable product that closely simulates the look and feel of natural grass and provides a superb playing surface for young athletes. Three boarded fields, ranging in size from the smallest, at 150 feet by 85 feet, to the largest, measuring 190 feet by 85 feet, provide practice and competition space for soccer leagues, tournaments, camps, and training clinics.

SoccerCity OKC organizes a house team for kids who aren’t members of a school team but still would like to participate in soccer with other youths their age. House teams are open to children of all skill levels, from beginners through advanced soccer players. Divisions for boys and girls include U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U19. The participation fee is $80 per child, and each child receives a T-shirt as a uniform with the player’s choice of number on the back.

  • Location: 4520 Old Farm Road, Oklahoma City.
  • Telephone: 405-748-3888.

SportsHouse Development

If your child is interested in participating in the growing sport of futsal, SportsHouse Development is the place to go. The SportsHouse Development futsal program helps players develop and refine their skills to compete in club and league play. Coaches possess experience at the high school, college, youth, and club levels, and they’re passionate about helping kids advance their knowledge and competence playing futsal.

SportsHouse Development offers a premier futsal technical training program called The Forge. Each class session focuses on technical development for the individual player. The goals of each class session center on expanding foundational skills, building confidence in ball-handling abilities, and not being afraid to try new things.

Advancement follows a tiered approach, with skills and techniques gradually becoming more difficult as players progress. Players gain promotion to the next level by mastering the requirements at each level and passing a level skills test. Upon each new level reached, players receive a T-shirt with the color designating the new level attained.

The Forge technical sessions are held Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6 p.m. The cost is $20 for an annual membership or $15 per technical session. Each session is limited to 45 participants. Visit the SportsHouse Development website for more information about The Forge and links to futsal leagues in the Oklahoma City area.

  • Location: 5000 S. Santa Fe Ave., Oklahoma City.
  • Telephone: 405-204-4645 or 580-330-0270.

The Hive

Discover this dynamic first-class sports facility for basketball in nearby Edmond, Oklahoma. The Hive offers four indoor basketball courts, a shooting room featuring two state-of-the-art shooting machines, and private and semi-private basketball training opportunities for children of all ages and positions. Open training sessions every Monday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. allow youth athletes to hone their ball-handling and shooting skills. The cost to participate is $10 per child.

The Hive also rents court space for full- or half-court basketball, volleyball, futsal, and indoor soccer. Parents and coaches can request a rental through the My Sport Space app, available for download from Google Play and the App Store.

  • Location: 14414 N. Lincoln Blvd., Edmond.
  • Telephone: 405-286-4726.

YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City

The YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City provides year-round youth sports opportunities for kids to improve their skills, practice sportsmanship, and engage in friendly competition with their peers. Through each sports opportunity, the YMCA emphasizes the enduring skills of leadership, teamwork, and cooperation.

Sports offerings are as follows:

  • Spring: Soccer, track and field, volleyball, martial arts, and tae kwon do.
  • Summer: Baseball, softball, and Thunder Basketball leagues.
  • Fall: Soccer, flag football, volleyball, cross country, martial arts, and tae kwon do.
  • Winter: Thunder Basketball leagues.

Visit the YMCA’s website to find your closest branch location.

Get Active With Your Kids in Oklahoma City

Regardless of what sports interest your child, the Oklahoma City region provides plenty of venues where kids can practice their skills and enjoy some physical activity. What did you think about our suggestions? Are there other places or organizations you would like to see us spotlight? Please contact us and let us know. Our Crème de la Crème staff members are always eager to share helpful information with parents of young children in Oklahoma City. We hope our list of recreational opportunities proved valuable for your family.

Your Court Tennis lesson by Tim Ozbun is licensed with CC BY 2.0