Kansas City Current

Kansas City Current is an American professional women's soccer team based in Kansas City, Kansas. It began play as an expansion team in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2021.

History

Establishment

Kansas City last had an NWSL team in 2017, when two-time champions FC Kansas City ceased operations and its player-related assets were transferred to expansion team Utah Royals FC. Three years later, the Royals also had to cease operations, and a Kansas City-based ownership group led by financial executives Angie and Chris Long took advantage to secure an expansion team along with the Royals' player-related assets on December 7, 2020. Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and former college soccer player at University of Texas at Tyler, purchased a stake in the team as well. The Longs immediately named Huw Williams, former general manager of FC Kansas City, as the team's inaugural head coach. In May 2022, the team hired Allison Howard as its first president.

Stadium

Kansas City played its 2021 home matches at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas.

The club announced in September 2021 that it would host all home matches at Children's Mercy Park beginning with the 2022 season.

In October 2021, the club unveiled plans to construct the first purpose-built stadium for North American women's professional soccer. The 11,000-seat stadium is planned to be built in Kansas City, Missouri at the Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park with a then-estimated cost of $70 million. The project would be entirely privately financed through the ownership group, with the team signing a 50-year lease for the site at which the stadium will be located. The costs increased to an estimated $117 million in May 2022, which the club's owners attributed to construction costs and a redesign increasing the stadium's capacity to 11,500.