On Saturday, thousands of fans will sit in teal seats to watch the historic football game on Kansas City's Berkeley Riverfront.
The Kansas City Current's season opener against the Portland Thorns will also be the first game at CPKC Stadium, the world's first arena built exclusively for a women's professional sports team.
“We are all excited about the new stadium,” said current head coach and former U.S. Women's National Team leader Vlatko Andonovskiy. “We are all excited about this historic moment. We are proud to be a part of this.”
The game will kick off at 12:00 PM Central Time. Check out his KCUR guide to watching current games here.
Saturday marks a big step for the league. Even as the National Women's Soccer League gains fans and leveraged public interest in a $60 million television rights deal last year, each team still has to adjust its schedule to match the Major League Soccer and college sports teams with which it shares stadiums. Often requires assembly.
“Up until now, women's teams have only been able to play in stadiums that are left over from men's teams or in abandoned stadiums,” said Rachel, a fan and current communications director for the Downtown Neighborhood Association. Pearce told KCUR's Up to Date. “It's time to have one of our own.”
The San Diego Wave, who finished atop the league standings in 2023, played some of their home games at Snapdragon Stadium, with the San Diego State University football team's yard lines and logo still clearly visible on the field. .
Despite representing a city with good public transportation, the Chicago Red Stars play in suburban stadiums that are difficult to access without a car.
Current players are keenly aware of the historical importance of CPKC Stadium. His NWSL predecessor of the team, FC KC, played its first game at the Overland Park high school football field in 2013.
“To join when the league started and have to change into a car…we've certainly come a long way,” said current midfielder Desiree Scott, a member of the original FC KC team, in a recent Instagram post. He said in a post on the gram. team.
Their new practice is a far cry from changing clothes in the car. Current players got a first look at the new locker room earlier this week.
Forward Kristen Hamilton said, “To have our own space, it's a sense of pride that something is ours and to be in it.” “It’s something we will cherish for years to come and hope to create many memories.”
Saturday's game will have many echoes of FC KC's first game. Current will face the Thorns, just as they did on the field at Overland Park in 2013. Becky Sauerbrunn, who played with Scott at FC KC, will be back on the field as a defender for Portland.
Fans were also very excited. Season ticket holders will get a special preview one week before the game, check out local eateries like Joe's Kansas City Barbecue, Waldo Thai, Yoli Tortilleria, and wander around the stadium taking in the views. I was able to do that.
Among the first to show up were Carly Keillor and her partner. Because they were season ticket holders last year, the pair were given priority for season-long packages this year.
“They gave out these commemorative tickets, and they had little cards on them that said, ‘Congratulations on being the first season ticket member for this seat in your first year.’ Really. It felt cool,” Keillor said. “It's a brand new stadium, so we were the first ones in the seats. That made it feel a little more personal.”
Keilers plans to ride his bike to CPKC Stadium from his home in historic Northeast, two miles away, so he won't use any parking.
Charlie Riedel
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Associated Press
Other fans were unhappy with the way the team communicated about parking options. Current told season ticket holders they could purchase a season-long parking pass for nearly $1,000, but did not initially tell them about alternative parking.
The team then followed up with more comprehensive information about transportation options, including the River Market and free team shuttles from downtown. Construction on the riverside extension of the KC Streetcar, a big selling point for the downtown stadium, just broke ground earlier this month, but it likely won't be able to transport fans until the 2026 season.
The team also announced that fans will not be allowed to tailgate in team parking lots this season due to concerns about limited space.
In response, the Downtown Neighborhood Association organized a “walking tailgate” along the Riverfront Heritage Trail from the River Market. Fans will meet at Kansas Bridge Town at 10:30 a.m. and walk about 25 minutes to the stadium entrance.
Pearce, who bought season tickets for the first time last year, said the new stadium would be a statement.
“It's amazing that Current was able to right what I feel is a wrong in the world, which is that there were no women-only stadiums,” Pearce said. “Long time, no see.”
Many of Current's die-hard fans have witnessed the team's evolution firsthand. Official supporters of the team His group, the Blue Crew, got its name from his original FC KC colors.
When the team returned as Current, Blue Crew added an official drumline, Surface Tension.
North Kansas City high school band director Carrie Epperson leads Surface Tension and has been a fan of Current since its first season. Epperson went to see the stadium several times before the opening.
“Seeing it being built from the ground up is such an elation to have something here in Kansas City that will be a permanent part of the skyline,” she said. “A lot of people worked hard to make this happen. One thing was not just to build a team in Kansas City, but to build a team for ourselves.”
On Saturday, Epperson will be sitting right behind the Portland Thorns' goal — where the drumline will play as loud as it can to distract the goalie.
Greg Echlin and Savannah Hawley-Bates contributed reporting.
