Kansas City Current Stadium – design description

For whom will the new stadium in Kansas City be built?

In late 2012, a new professional women's soccer club, FC Kansas City, was formed in Kansas City. In 2013, the team entered the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League, the highest level of professional women's soccer in the United States. In 2014 and 2015, the club won the championship of this competition. After the 2017 season, however, the team was disbanded and the female players moved on to a new club, Utah Royals FC, based in the suburbs of Salt Lake City.

In December 2020, Utah Royals FC was purchased by new owners who relocated the team back to Kansas City, creating a new team called Kansas City Current. In its first season (2021), the franchise played its games at Legends Field, which, however, is primarily designed for baseball. As of 2022, the team already plays at the soccer-specific Children's Mercy Park, which is also home to MLS league team Sporting Kansas City.

When were plans announced to build the first-ever stadium for a women's soccer club?

In September 2021, the owners of Kansas City Current announced plans to build a new training facility in the suburb at a cost of $15 million to serve the club. On 26 October 2021, meanwhile, intentions to build a new, soccer-specific stadium for Kansas City Current were made public. The facility is to be built near the city center and will seat 11,500 spectators. This will be the first time in the world that a new stadium has been built for a professional women's soccer club. Together with the new training facility, Kansas City Current's infrastructure will set a new standard in world women's soccer.

Where will the new Kansas City Current stadium be built?

The land for the stadium was obtained through a 50-year agreement with Port KC to lease 7.08 acres of land on the Missouri River waterfront in Berkley Riverfront Park, next to the Christopher S. Bond Bridge and near downtown Kansas City. The cost of building the arena will be paid entirely by the club's owners and is expected to be $117 million.

When will the new stadium in Kansas City be built?

The design of the venue will be prepared by Generator Studio and the main contractors will be JE Dunn and Monarch Build. A slightly modified concept for the new stadium was presented in May 2022, including floodlights embedded in the canopy instead of the four light poles originally planned. Construction started in the fall of 2022 and should be completed in the spring of 2024.

What will the Kansas City Current stadium look like?

The stadium will have a soccer-specific rectangular layout. The two largest, two-story stands will be built along the length of the field. Behind the goal on the south side will be a slightly lower, single-level stand (no corners). Behind the northern goal, only a very low terrace tribune with standing places will be built, behind which a large LED screen will also be located. On the east, south and west sides, the stands will be covered by a roof, in which floodlights will be installed. The space behind the north goal will be open, leaving much of the audience with a view of the nearby river. The stadium will have pubs, open to spectators during matches.