Kansas City Current set for historic CPKC Stadium opening | OneFootball

Amidst big-money signings, television contracts and more interest than ever before, the NWSL kicks off on Saturday. For Kansas City Current, 2024 is just as much about what’s happening off the pitch as on it as they prepare to open the doors of their new CPKC Stadium for the first time.

This isn’t just any shiny, new arena. This is the first-ever dedicated NWSL professional sports stadium. The Current have gone all out to prepare for the opening. Every fan who attends the game will go home with their own commemorative poster. Rapper and local hero Tech N9ne will perform live before kickoff.

The whole city has been transformed through a teal takeover. This is a city and a club ready to stride into their own piece of sporting history.

The CPKC Stadium: The story

The idea for a designated training area and stadium for Kansas City came in December 2020 with co-owner Chris Long first sharing the bold vision. After a training facility was developed in Missouri, full focus moved to the stadium. The Current’s ownership formally proposed the $70 million stadium development with an 11,000-seat capacity in 2021, with a future expansion of up to 20,500 seats also part of the plan.

Construction began in October 2022 and completed in early 2024. The naming rights went to Canadian Pacific Kansas City, a Canadian railway company with US headquarters in Kansas City.

Season tickets have sold out, and the project has captured the imagination of the city. With world class facilities that set a new standard for the women’s game, the blueprint has been well and truly set.

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Who are the first opponents?

The first game in the new stadium sees Kansas City take on the Portland Thorns. The Thorns beat the Current in the 2022 NWSL Championship, so there’s added history behind the fixture. After a disappointing eleventh-place finish in the league last season, Current will be hoping the new stadium helps to elevate them back towards the heady heights of the previous year.

Could others follow?

We could well be about to see something similar happening in England. Brighton and Hove Albion recently announced plans for a new stadium to house their women’s team. That construction would be the first of its kind in England.

There are clear signs that the CPKC Stadium will be just the beginning.

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