The stadium that rebooted soccer in Kansas City signed the first charitable naming-rights deal in sports before it even opened. Sporting Park - known since 2016 as Children's Mercy Park - at 1 Sporting Way in the Village West district of Kansas City, Kansas, opened on 9 June 2011 with an over-capacity crowd of 19,925 watching Sporting Kansas City draw the Chicago Fire, ending the club's wandering years at Arrowhead Stadium and a minor-league ballpark. The 200-million-dollar Populous design, built by Turner Construction beside the Kansas Speedway after the Great Recession killed the original Missouri-side site, opened as Livestrong Sporting Park - the groundbreaking charity partnership with Lance Armstrong's foundation - before becoming Sporting Park in 2013 and taking the local pediatric hospital's name in a ten-year partnership announced in November 2015. The building set the template for American soccer-specific stadiums of its decade: 18,467 seats expandable to 25,000 for concerts, a canopy roof over the bowl amplifying the Cauldron supporter end, 1,217 club seats, wide integrated technology - it opened as one of the most connected stadiums in the world - and sightlines tight enough that most matches draw around 21,000 across its flexible configurations, with the record 21,650 set against Real Salt Lake in December 2013. The trophy calendar validated it fast: in 2013 alone the stadium hosted the MLS All-Star Game, a US Men's National Team World Cup qualifier and the MLS Cup final - the only venue ever to stage all three in one year - with Sporting winning that Cup on home turf in a marathon shootout. The 2012 and 2017 US Open Cup finals were also won here, CONCACAF Gold Cup groups and international friendlies rotate through, NWSL sides FC Kansas City and later the Kansas City Current used the ground, and summer stadium concerts fill open dates. Manager Peter Vermes's sides made the fortress reputation real - eight straight playoff seasons from 2011 - and the stadium's success underwrote the region's soccer boom that later produced the Current's CPKC Stadium across the state line. The Village West address keeps it in a retail-and-racing entertainment district with parking to match.

Type: Stadium / Arena

Address: 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, MO, United States, 66111

Website: https://www.sportingkc.com/childrensmercypark

Capacity: 18467

Opening Date: 09/06/2011

Serves Food

Outdoor Area

Accessible