With KC a Women’s Final Four finalist, city leaders welcomed NCAA on Wednesday

Members of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball committee and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association were in Kansas City on Wednesday, surveying the city as a potential destination for the 2023 or 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Kansas City is one of eight cities being reviewed by the committee as potential hosts for the Women’s Final Four between 2021 and 2024, with Kansas City making bids for the latter two years.

Several factors go into the NCAA’s evaluation, including the facility in which the games will take place, a large convention center for NCAA community events, a strong hotel network and efficient public transport. Kansas City is not applying to host in 2021 and 2022 because the Kansas City Convention Center is already booked for other events during the time the Final Four would take place, according to Kansas City Sports Commission president Kathy Nelson.

Presently, Kansas City checks at least two of those boxes, with the 18,972-capacity Sprint Center and the Kansas City Convention Center offering viable locations.

The last two Women’s Final Fours, at Dallas’ American Airlines Center and Columbus’ Nationwide Arena, were both sold out with capacities just over 19,000, putting the Sprint Center on relatively equal status.

Additionally, the addition of a new terminal at Kansas City Airport, which is projected to be complete in October 2022, is a huge boost to Kansas City’s public travel capabilities.

“When they see the new airport and start to understand the potential of more dates and more direct flights and all that comes with it, they get excited,” Nelson told The Star. “They were asking great questions about what’s the experience like when someone gets off the plane, how will they know how to get to their hotel, how will they know times of the Final Four games and all that.”

It is expected that a Women’s Final Four would bring up to 40,000 outsiders to downtown Kansas City, according to Meredith Cleaver, director of championships and alliances for the NCAA. Cleaver was one of seven NCAA and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association officials touring Kansas City on Wednesday.

Later, the group met with KC mayor Sly James, Jackson County executive and former Royals infielder Frank White and other local event organizers, including Nelson from the sports commission.

Along with experience hosting big events, the committee also takes into account prior success hosting NCAA Tournament games, including Final Fours. Kansas City last hosted a Women’s Final Four in 1998, and most recently played host to the Men’s Final Four in 1988.

The Sprint Center has been a frequent stop for the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament early rounds the last couple of years.

“It’s a very competitive process. It’s always an advantage when you have the history, the experience, is very, very valuable,” said Debbie Richardson, a member of the committee.

“We’re very fortunate we have a number of cities that also have previous experience,” she continued. “So Kansas City has been great and it is an advantage to have hosted before.”

The other seven finalist cities for a Final Four are Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Nashville.

The committee will conduct site visits throughout August, before finalist cities make an in-person presentation to the group in Tampa, Fla., during the week of Sept. 17-21.

The final announcement for the four host cities will be announced in late September to early October.

This story was originally published August 1, 2018 at 4:18 PM.