FEA TURE — LIVESTRONG SPOR TING
P ARK
BOLD NEW
Sporting Kansas City's state-of-the-art stadium is garnering international recognition for its innovation and
technology. IMAGE: GARY ROHMAN
L 20 th AN N I V ER S AR Y
LIVESTRONG Sporting Park and MLS Sporting Kansas City had an outstanding first year with a new stadium, new name, and new outlook. Feature writer, Steve Traiman, gets the full story from the club, architect, contractor and roof structural engineer.
IVESTRONG Sporting Park in
Kansas City, KS, USA, was named Venue of the Year at The StadiumBusiness Awards in Turin, Italy, back in May 2012, and was also a finalist for Facility of the Year at the Sports- Business Journal Awards a week later. The US$200m-plus home of the renamed MLS Sporting Kansas City opened in June 2011, with a seating capacity for 18,467 soccer spectators and additional standing room sections. “The inaugural season at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park
in 2011 brought international acclaim and attention to Kansas City,” Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman told PanStadia. “Within the first week of the stadium’s open- ing, standing-room only crowds and national television audiences witnessed the arrival of a venue that would forever transform the landscape of soccer in Kansas City. “Captivated by the facility’s amenities and atmos-
phere, our stadium was chosen as the destination for the region’s marquee soccer matches during 2011, including the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the U.S. Women’s National Team’s first match following its appearance in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final. In addition to hosting matches at the sport’s highest level, the club also attracted world- class opponents for international friendlies, including
P AR T II/ S U M M ER 1 2
Mexico’s Club Deportivo Guadalajara and Newcastle United FC from the English Premier League.”
Award Winners Heineman continued: “Sporting Kansas City, a finalist for Team of the Year at the annual SportsBusiness Journal Awards, made the most of its impressive new home field, thrilling its supporters with a club-best fourteen-match unbeaten streak in Major League Soccer and finishing in first place in the Eastern Conference. The excitement around the stadium and the unprecedented fan experi- ence generated the highest-ever attendance in the club’s sixteen-year history, with season ticket sales more than doubling from previous seasons. “The stadium’s versatility was further exemplified with
the successful hosting of two major music concerts on the calendar, the Buzz Beach Ball 2011, and the highlight Farm Aid 2011’s line-up of world-renowned performing artists including Dave Matthews, Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp. Showcasing LIVESTRONG Sporting Park as one of the region’s premier sports and entertainment venues, fans and industry stakeholders have praised the overarching impact the stadium has
P AN S T AD I A 62
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220