KC Current has community in mind with launch of no-cost youth soccer league
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- KC Current launched a no-cost youth league in Northeast Kansas City.
- The league provides free Current-branded uniforms, shin guards, and Nike cleats.
- Around 120 eight to 10-year-olds will play across eight teams through Aug. 29.
In an era where youth sports can cost parents thousands of dollars, a new no-cost league in the historic Northeast neighborhoods launched by the Kansas City Current aims to break down the financial barrier.
On a bright and sunny Saturday morning at the 9th & Van Brunt Athletic Fields Park, more than 50 parents and kids listened to elected officials, such as Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Missouri Senator Barbara Washington, Current co-founders Angie and Chris Long, and even National Women’s Soccer League commissioner Jessica Berman speak about the groundbreaking work the Current is doing to advance women’s soccer in America.
The boys and girls eagerly sat on the bleachers in Current branded uniforms, shin guards and brand new Nike cleats, all provided by the league for free. Some active kids glossed over at the lengthy speeches, some watched and listened attentively, eyes sparkling at the work that was put in to launch the league and at the possibility of playing professional soccer.
The Current has an array of partnerships that are contributing to the league, led by CVS Health and U.S. Soccer, and includes additional support from Kansas State Youth Soccer Association, the state of Missouri and local charities such as United Way of Greater Kansas City.
But by the end, Lucas, one of the last speakers, asked them if they were ready to play. The separate high-pitched voices became a chorus with an emphatic “Yes!”
The league will run through Aug. 29 with around 120 8- to 10-year-olds across eight teams from organizations like Estrella De Oro, Guadalupe Centers and Mattie Rhodes Center.
The Current chose the diverse Northeast after talking with local youth soccer organizations about where they can meet the need. The answer they repeatedly heard was making use of the area and the 9th and Van Brunt turf fields one year after a $3 million renovation.
“There’s a ton of youth soccer organizations probably where we could have partnered with, but this just wouldn’t seem special because so much investment had been put into this area,” said Ben Aken, Current vice president of community relations. “This neighborhood probably doesn’t get as much attention as it needs.”
Gifting each player and team with supplies already cuts down costs for parents such as Kansas City, Kansas, parent Daniel Hernandez. His 9-year-old daughter, Ruby, plays for Ryogoku Academy and is motivated to play the world’s game.
“Everything’s expensive,” Hernandez told The Star. “It was pretty hard to find a team like this because her last team, it was 20 bucks here, 20 bucks there, 40 bucks over here, $60 for a uniform. So this is a huge difference, actually.”
It helps parents with multiple children more, like Kendra Guerrero. Her two youngest children, 5-year-old Raúl and 9-year-old Ximena, wanted to follow in the footsteps of their oldest brother and play soccer. Ximena plays for Pantera FC.
“I think it’s a great impact on the community,” Guerrero said. “It’s hard to find a good league that’s like family oriented and stuff like that. So it’s been a great blessing.”
And 9-year old-Margarita Lopez, who plays for Estrella de Oro, spoke for all the youth players during the ceremony.
“Before, it wasn’t always easy to find a place to play,” Lopez said in her speech. “But now, I can come here with my friends and family and do what I love most.”
Using soccer to build community
Along with supplying equipment for teams and players, the league will also provide a stipend for the coaches, who are usually volunteers. There is also a referee program where teens as young as 14 can enroll and become certified, hoping teens from the neighborhood can collect their first paychecks on the pitch.
Soccer will bring the families in, and the plan is to use the Current’s charity partners to offer families additional resources when needed, Aken said. This falls in line with future partnerships the Current plan to roll out soon, providing resources for local schools.
The launching of the league is a full circle moment for several officials who were in attendance.
Washington remembers meeting with Current executive director of community relations DePrice Taylor when she was first hired in 2022 about how Kansas City’s Eastside could get free soccer opportunities. Washington got inspiration from the St. Louis Blues, who have free youth hockey events where kids can try the sport for free.
Berman, who spent 13 years as the NHL’s deputy general counsel and VP of community development, helped the league provide a grant for that program. She hopes all NWSL teams can replicate programs like the no-cost league, which only adds to the pipeline of soccer talent in America.
“We know that investing in communities is what will leave a legacy that lasts far beyond any of us in our lifetimes,” Berman said. “Moments like this are a reminder that the roots that you plant inside the community are the things that will last beyond that moment. So the legacy that this is creating is absolutely incredible.”
