Latest news with #CPKCStadium
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
USWNT announces October Portugal doubleheader; games to honor Alex Morgan, Alyssa Naeher retirements
U.S. Soccer has announced a three-game slate for the USWNT during October's international window. The USWNT will face Portugal in back-to-back matches in the Northeast before facing a still to be determined opponent for their first ever game at Kansas City Current's soccer-specific CPKC Stadium. Emma Hayes's squad will head to Chester, Penn. on Thursday, October 23 for a match at Subaru Stadium (7 p.m. ET), which will also serve as Alex Morgan's retirement ceremony. Morgan retired from both international and club soccer last summer after announcing her second pregnancy. Morgan scored the first of her 123 international goals at the very stadium outside of Philadelphia on Oct. 6, 2010 — nearly 15 years to the date of her retirement game. Advertisement There will be a second retirement ceremony once the team moves to East Hartford, Conn. for the second match against Portugal on Sunday, October 26 (4 p.m. ET). This time, Connecticut native Alyssa Naeher will receive tributes in front of a hometown crowd, following her retirement from international soccer last year. The Connecticut match will also feature a double-header with the U.S. Men's Deaf National Team (who will play at 1 p.m. ET), though their opponent has yet to be named. This will be the second such double-header for the USWNT with an extended national team, after a successful inaugural match with the Women's Deaf National Team last summer in Colorado. Both retirement matches will feature bobbleheads, with U.S. Soccer stating in their release the first 2,000 fans through the gates at both games will receive the giveaways. Portugal will serve as a familiar opponent for the U.S., the pair having played out a 0-0 draw during the group stage of the 2023 World Cup. There has, however, been large amounts of roster turnover within the USWNT since the fixture two years earlier. 'Portugal is a growing team that will be highly motivated for these matches, but as always, these three games are more opportunities to work on us,' Hayes said in Monday's release. 'I'm very impressed with the progress we've made since the Olympics and I want to give a lot of credit to the players for embracing our culture and ideas, but our staff and the players know we still have much work to do before World Cup qualifying next year.' U.S. Soccer has yet to announce the opponent for the third match of this window, but on Wednesday, October 29, the USWNT will take the field at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. Demand for this match will be high, with a much smaller capacity than usual. In the past, the USWNT has usually opted for Children's Mercy Park, home of Sporting Kansas City. CPKC Stadium seats 11,500; Children's Mercy Park has a capacity of over 18,000. 'CPKC Stadium is a smaller venue than we usually play in, but in this instance, it's important to bring the National Team there,' Hayes said in the federation's release.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
KC Current unveils new kits for 2025. They're teal — and feature a map of Kansas City
When the Kansas City Current revealed its official branding and logos after the club brought professional women's soccer back to KC, the color teal was in everything. When you visit the Current's training center, it's everywhere. Now at CPKC Stadium, the seats are teal. Advertisement Teal was everywhere ... except as a primary color for the kits. While making an appearance on side stripes, socks and shorts, teal was never the primary jersey color until now. On Thursday, the Kansas City Current revealed its new secondary kit, dubbed 'Teal Town.' The teal is everywhere: on the shirts, shorts and socks. Matching the club's 'Teal rising' mantra, the color has gone from the Current's socks to shorts and now shirts in the span of three seasons. Kansas City Current star Temwa Chawinga wearing the club's new 'Teal Town' jersey, which is new in 2025. The new look pays homage to downtown KC. While you won't see it on TV, up close the shirt features the grid and outlay of the Kansas City metro, even featuring the Northland and Missouri River. Advertisement The placement of the map correlates so that the club's logo and badge, worn on the left side of the chest, aligns perfectly with where CPKC Stadium would be on a map. KC Current players show off the club's new kit for the 2025 NWSL season. The teal jerseys are the first of their kind for a Current uniform, and include a map of the Kansas City area. 'The 2025 Teal Town Kit has been years in the making, and we are so excited to give fans and players the full teal kit they've been waiting for,' said Kansas City Current vice president and head of marketing Jocelyn Monroe in the club's release. 'The attention to detail within the design reflects the identity and values of the organization. The kit is tattooed with our city map, highlighting our pride in representing Kansas City. This season, the team will literally carry the city across their hearts.' Advertisement The KC Current main kit sponsor will continue to be United Way of Greater Kansas City, which is featured on the front of the kit. A portion of the revenue from kit sales will be donated to United Way of Greater Kansas City. The Kansas City Current's Claire Hutton shows off the back of the club's new jersey for the 2025 season. The Current are sporting teal jerseys for the first time. The team's primary kit will remain the red jersey and shorts worn last season, with teal socks. As Kansas City thaws out from last week's deep freeze, the Current players have been enjoying the sunshine during their preseason in Florida. The 2025 season begins on March 15, when Kansas City faces the Portland Thorns at 11:30 a.m. central at CPKC Stadium. Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at
New York Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Down to Business: Stadiums have long been built for men, but that's starting to change
As the daughter of an architect, I have judged every space I walk into since I was old enough to reach a door knob. Combining that with my job as a sports writer, I love a well-designed stadium and take in every element. While I admire good taste and quality materials, what matters most to me in those arenas is how easily I can access my seat, how intuitive the layout is for my sightline, how cleverly they've set up concessions and merch and whether I can make it to the ladies' room and back without aging a decade. Advertisement Over the past few months, I've spoken with architects, design firms, industry insiders and fans to understand what it means to design stadiums with women in mind. Turns out the common thread — from turnstiles to bathrooms, from food courts to shower cubbies for athletes — is that those in charge are starting to think more intentionally about how to create spaces that cater to women, both on the field and off. In the NWSL, Kansas City Current's CPKC Stadium marks a major milestone as the first purpose-built venue for a women's team in the league and a bold bet that a women's club can deliver a return on investment. While the stadium wasn't designed to be different simply because it's for women, the intention was to build it to the same professional standards as any top-tier men's venue, and it still reflects a deep consideration for women who use it. From women-specific locker rooms to sensory spaces and breastfeeding facilities for the fans, the design adds a thoughtful layer of creativity, exploring how a stadium can function and feel when women are considered equally. 'We've been doing a lot of thinking, both from an athlete and a fan perspective,' said Fran Weld, the co-founder and CEO of Canopy Team, a consulting firm that helps sports venues design conscious spaces. 'One of the things that I think has been used as a proxy for designing for women is actually designing for kids and thinking about how children interact with space.' Weld is also an investor in the NWSL's Bay FC franchise, which currently plays at PayPal Park, built for the men's team, the San Jose Earthquakes, in Major League Soccer. The venue will also host the 2025 NWSL Championship in November. One of Canopy Team's notable projects is the renovation of the 63-year-old Dodger Stadium with women and families in mind. Advertisement While the stadium is not currently used for women's sports, Canopy put women front and center when designing common spaces. They added new seating in Centerfield Plaza, created more space for kids to run around and introduced family-friendly features across all levels. Play areas, sensory rooms, nursing and infant care accommodations were all added. Play zones were placed near food and beer gardens with big-screen TVs, so parents can keep an eye on the game while their kids stay entertained. The goal was simple: make it easier for families to enjoy the stadium together. They also added dedicated locker rooms in the clubhouse for women coaches and umpires, a long-overdue update. The move isn't just the right thing to do. It's also good for business. A 2024 survey by The Collective, Wasserman's women-focused advisory business, found that 72 percent of women globally identify as avid fans of one or more sports, and 25 percent said following their favorite sports is 'one of the most important things in their lives.' Canopy is also working on the first girls-only youth development and leadership training facility in Indiana alongside Marvella Sports. After dozens of interviews with girls, coaches, training staff, parents and professional athletes, the firm developed a space specifically designed for young female athletes. Eponymously named Marvella, as a tribute to Indiana Senator Birch Bayh's wife, who inspired the transformational equity in higher education and sports, which led to Title IX, the 300,000-square-foot indoor training and educational facility will be the first sports campus designed uniquely for women athletes. 'We've been working closely with coaches and training staff to design clubhouse spaces specifically for the female body,' says Weld. 'It's all in the details — small touches like built-in shelves in the shower for leg shaving, or handheld showerheads instead of fixed overhead ones, so players can avoid getting their hair wet — something especially important for Black women.' Canopy is not the only design firm thinking and creating inclusive sports venues. Advertisement 'We've been designing for elite athletes for a long time and we look at things from a different perspective,' Sherri Privitera, who sits on global architecture powerhouse Populous' regional board and leads the company's women's sports market and elite athlete training market, told The Athletic. The architecture firm just announced they are coming on board as a sponsor for the FIFA World Cup 26 events in Kansas City by designing key fan environments, including the Kansas City FIFA Fan Festival. Populous is involved with 11 of the 16 FIFA World Cup 26 stadiums, as well as Arrowhead Stadium, Children's Mercy Park and Kauffman Stadium, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman International Stadium (which will host games in the 2034 FIFA men's World Cup). Populous also worked with Australian rules football clubs Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans on their arenas. Stateside, the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA's newest team, has partnered with the architectural firm to design two women-centered spaces: a locker room at Chase Center and a practice facility in Oakland. Privitera's team is also working with the Portland Thorns and Portland WNBA's joint training facility, the Denver NWSL franchise's new stadium and training facility, as well as the New York Liberty's new training facility. From smoothie stations designed to reduce inflammation and ease menstrual cramps, to private changing areas for athletes who value discretion, Populous designers are reimagining female-focused training facilities. They're also integrating lifestyle support spaces for athletes balancing work and family, along with beauty stations for hair and nails, because performance and personal care aren't mutually exclusive. On Tuesday, recently-crowned USL Super League champions Tampa Bay Sun FC announced a plan for their own 15,000-seat stadium across a 33-acre project in the city's waterfront area. If built, it would be the first in the Division I women's soccer league, which sits under the USL umbrella of men's and women's leagues. The area would also house USL headquarters; however, there isn't a timeline for the development plan. Meanwhile, in England, Women's Super League Football (WSL Football), which oversees the Women's Super League (WSL) and Women's Super League 2 (WSL2), commissioned the Manchester-based AFL Architects to create the world's first design guideline for women's stadiums. Following the success of the 2022 Euros in England, WSL Football is launching efforts to grow women's soccer fandom while also accommodating the athletes. 'Women's football stadiums represent a unique architectural typology, distinct from traditional football venues,' Rita Ochoa, senior associate at AFL Architects, told The Athletic. Over her career, Ochoa has led major stadium and arena projects around the world, including Lusail Stadium in Qatar, Fukuyama Stadium in Japan, Gtech Community Stadium for Brentford in London and KAEC Stadium in Saudi Arabia for the FIFA men's World Cup 2034. Advertisement 'They require innovative designs that address the specific needs of female players and cater to one of the most diverse fan communities in sports.' Ochoa's team is consulting a wide range of stakeholders, including fans, players, managers, staff, journalists, influencers, sports architects and sustainability experts for a new report. They've created a focus group with other sports architects, engineers, stadium managers and clubs to review their findings. The document, provisionally titled New Design Guidance for the Delivery of Elite Women's Football Stadiums in England, will be published in late 2025. 'For us in Europe, stadiums are like cathedrals, given football is almost a religion here,' Ochoa said. 'Having your own stadium is important for the community.' Similar to many teams in the U.S., there are currently no stadiums built for women's soccer in England, though some WSL teams are starting to move into men's teams' stadiums, like Arsenal, who will play all games at the Emirates next year, sharing it with the men's team, and Everton Women, who are taking over Goodison Park. Other situations where teams rent stadiums make it difficult to build a community. 'We architects design stadiums based on a document called the Green Guides,' Ochoa says. According to this guide, the space between each seat is based on a typical white British man's height. 'When you're designing for women and children, you're dealing with a wider range of heights, but stadium seats are typically built for men. If I'm a child or a woman, I might not be able to see the field. That means seats may need to be higher, and the overall stand design might have to change to ensure clear sightlines to the pitch.' Ochoa's research aims to answer a long list of questions about how to create stadiums for women's teams, from an accessibility perspective to what kind of bathrooms they need to have and what their food courts need to look like. Advertisement 'Most stadiums are built with men in mind, who mostly drink a beer and go back to their seats. We need to think about creating spaces where female fans feel comfortable, with seating areas which are also better for community building,' Ochoa says. They're also encouraging women's teams to design stadiums that feel more open and inviting— spaces that allow passersby to catch a glimpse of the action, in contrast to the traditional, colosseum-like structures that hide the pitch from public view. 'CPKC is a good example of that. Even if you're on the river or on the road, you can see part of the stands,' she adds. As the NWSL continues to expand, commissioner Jessica Berman has made it clear that infrastructure is a top priority. A handful of NWSL teams announced building training facilities, including the Thorns, Angel City FC and Denver, but aside from Kansas City Current, most are still playing in borrowed or retrofitted spaces — usually MLS stadiums — that weren't built with women in mind with cramped locker rooms, urinals and poor sightlines for smaller bodies. Most clubs create gameday setups with more curated activities, but it is a juggling act. 'I think the league's commitment to having venues where the women's team is not second-class citizens is one of the foundations of why we've seen the growth and success in the last few years,' Weld says. But from both a business and environmental standpoint, the solution might not be as simple as building a purpose-built stadium in every market. 'A mix of uses is always going to be the best business case,' Weld said. 'Maybe the men's teams should be thinking about this, too. I often think about leadership and the dynamics of power — if you're in a position of privilege, it's your responsibility to use that influence to make space for others who aren't always given a seat at the table.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council authorizes KC Current to negotiate park along levee near CPKC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City City Council unanimously gave new City Manager Mario Vazquez the go-ahead to begin negotiations Thursday with the Kansas City Current and developers on a new park along the levee at Berkley Riverfront Park. There's a quick timeline for the project. The city wants the project done in time for the World Cup at no cost to the city. Legislator Manny Abarca pleads not guilty to domestic battery charges in Johnson County People already enjoying the walkways along the Berkley Riverfront have watched the area transform before their eyes over the past few years. New additions include apartments, CPKC Stadium, a hotel and a mixed-use riverfront district under construction. 'I moved from the Northland, and it's really nice to be along the river and all these walking paths,' Katelyn Banning said. 'This used to be kind of the festival grounds. So seeing it come back to life is really exciting for me. I've always been in the KC area really looking forward to it, especially with the streetcar too and 2026 with all the soccer coming this way it's going to be awesome. I'm really excited,' Shelby Richardson said. With an eye toward the World Cup now just one year away, the Kansas City Current announced this week plans for a new levee park. But since it's city land, it needs city approval. 'I think this is a long way from what the riverfront used to be, so I commend our developers and who have worked in connection with this,' Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said before Thursday's vote. Renderings show Levee Park with native plants, curated landscaping and new trails and an overlook taking joggers and outdoor enthusiasts safely closer to the water. Besides other amenities like children's play areas and performance spaces, there's one other favorite part of the deal for Kansas City lawmakers. Royals doubleheader recap: Jac Caglianone debut, hot bats, more 'The city desires to grant an easement and enter into an agreement to secure the improvements at no cost to the city. Let's see how many times I can say at no cost to the city,' Councilwoman Andrea Bough joked, completing a summary of the plan that pointed out several times the city won't pay for the park. 'This is something that we would love to do, but it would have cost too much for us to do it. So this is a great way to get a project done that we don't have to invest money into, and yet it's going to have a great impact on the city.' Kansas City Current's owners, Angie and Chris Long, who will pay for the park, said in a statement, 'By transforming this unused space into a beautiful new community asset, we hope to inspire Kansas Citians to engage with the water in ways we haven't yet imagined.' The agreement that will now be negotiated calls for the Kansas City Current and developers to operate and maintain the park for the next 50 years. Once negotiations are finalized, park developers will still need to get Army Corps of Engineers approval as they work to get the project done by the World Cup next summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
