By Kyle Salomon

Most families have that common interest they all share with each other that helps bring them close.

For the Jones family, that common interest is the sport of soccer. In the six-person family, five either played soccer at a high level or are still playing soccer at a high level.

Sean Jones, the father of the family, has been around soccer all of his life. Whether it be playing or coaching, the sport has played a big role in who he is.

The four children in the family are also big into soccer. The oldest child, Jake played in high school and played some college soccer at Southern Nazarene University. Alissa, the oldest daughter in the family, played at Mustang High School and plays at Troy University in Alabama.

Lexi, the second to the youngest, just graduated from Mustang this spring and will be attending Oral Roberts University in Tulsa on a soccer scholarship. And then there is Jaci, the baby of the family, who is going to be a junior at MHS and is one of the best girls soccer players in the state.

“We have done it our whole lives,” Jaci said. “My dad played throughout his whole life, and he got us all into at a very young age. He coached all of us growing up. Anything we do, whether it be vacation or whatever, it is always surrounded by soccer.”

Lexi echoed her younger sister’s comments.

“It’s paying for my college, so I am very thankful we have it in our lives,” she said. “It’s something that brings us all together as a family that we can enjoy. When we used to go to soccer camps and stuff growing up, we always did that together, which was special.”

For all of the Jones family, as soon as they stepped foot on a soccer field for the first time, it was love at first sight.

“At first, I did it because it was something my dad and I could do together, and we like doing it together,” Lexi said. “I ended up being pretty good at it and I loved doing it, so I knew I wanted to keep doing it.”

Jaci said going to watch her older siblings play games and tournaments every week and weekend really helped her get into the sport as well.

“It becomes a part of you when you are around it so much. You almost feel really weird when you aren’t around it. It’s a big part of who we are and our lives. You learn things from them, too. We all pick things from each other’s game that makes all of us better.”

Sean Jones is going to be the majority owner of the new professional men’s soccer team that is coming to Canadian County next spring. The team will be called Oklahoma City FC and will play at Yukon High School at Miller Stadium until the organization can build its own stadium in the area.

The new team will compete in the North American Soccer League, which is a rival league to the MLS.

Lexi and Jaci both said they can’t believe their dad is an owner of a professional sports team.

“It is really cool,” Lexi said. “At first, it was really shaky and we weren’t sure if it was really going to happen, but when we knew it was going to happen for sure, it was a really cool feeling.”

Jaci said it was nerve-racking waiting to hear if her dad was going to get the team.

“We really wanted him to get the team here because he is really passionate about it and he really wanted it. He has put so much time into it, so to see it actually happen is really awesome.”

Sean Jones also owns two Professional Development League teams, in which all three of his daughters are members.

The two PDL teams are amateur soccer teams that play in the highest level of amateur soccer in the United States.

Lexi and Jaci don’t see a lot of playing time on the women’s team because of their young ages, but their older sister, Alissa sees a lot of playing time for the squad.

“The level of play is so high, it is just good to get out there and practice with them,” Jaci said. “Those girls are so good. It’s a lot of fun to go out there and compete with them, to see where you really are as a player.”

Lexi and Jaci have lived in the Canadian County area all of their lives and they believe the Oklahoma City FC will thrive in the location.

“Soccer is growing all over the country,” Jaci said. “I think people will take pride in having a professional soccer team in this area. It would be really cool to eventually see a women’s pro team come here, but for now, we are really excited to see how successful the men’s team is going to be.”