KC’s Premier League supporters clubs are gearing up for festive Fan Fest weekend

In 2010, a small group of Kansas City natives packed into an apartment in the Western Auto building on Grand at the crack of dawn to watch one of their favorite soccer teams.

That team? Arsenal. And now, more than a decade later, the aforementioned supporters group has grown to more than 100 for regular match-days at Johnny’s Tavern in the KC Power & Light District.

Kansas City Gooners is the official Arsenal America branch for Kansas City. With the Premier League Fan Fest coming to KC this weekend, they are one of multiple local Premier League team fan clubs gearing up for the event.

The KC Live Block on Saturday and Sunday plays host to a fully blown fan-fest for the Premier League. Each Premier League match overseas will be televised there live starting at 5:30 a.m. Saturday. Former Premier League stars Jermaine Defoe and Tim Howard will be on hand to meet and interact with fans — admission is free.

That Western Auto building apartment where the KC Gooners club originated belonged to Boyce Richardson. The group has since evolved alongside the city’s soccer scene. And from the old 810 Zone to Johnny’s Tavern, that evolution continues.

More Premier League supporters’ clubs have emerged, too. Sporting KC and the KC Current, as well as huge P&L watch parties for men’s and women’s World Cup games, have accelerated an expansion of soccer culture in and around Kansas City.

There’s a Tottenham Hotspur club that meets at Strange Days Brewing. Liverpool supporters gather at Chicken N Pickle in North KC, while Chelsea backers convene at The Belfry. Everton and Brentford gatherings have begun to emerge, too.

“I think it’s sort of a rising-tide-floats-all-boats situation,” Richardson said. “The success of that group is also success for us. And Fan Fest … I think really it is sort of the culmination of all of this.”

Arsenal’s matchup with Manchester City will close out the weekend as the marquee final match on Sunday. But there’s a lot of soccer to watch before then. At 6:30 a.m. Central on Saturday, Liverpool takes the pitch against its fiercest rival, Everton, for the 247th edition of the Merseyside Derby.

They are the biggest clubs in Liverpool, separated by roughly 2 miles. Their spirited rivalry is dominated by Liverpool, which has defeated Everton 100 times while losing 68.

While the fan fest will be supported locally, other fans may come to town for it, too. Kyle Miles, point person for the official Liverpool supporters club in Kansas City, said he expects supporters from around the country to attend this weekend’s festivities in the P&L.

“I was just chatting with folks from Washington D.C. earlier — Carlsbad, California … we have folks coming from all over the states for this event,” Miles said.

The event should offer a glimpse of what’s to come next summer, as fans from around the world pour into Kansas City for World Cup matches. Fans from around the globe will mix and mingle with counterparts backing other clubs in a collegial environment.

Miles appreciates the prestige that comes with playing host to a Premier League Fan Fest. In his estimation, it further solidifies KC’s stature as a soccer city and sports town.

“I don’t think Kansas City lands the Fan Fest or World Cup games if it wasn’t for a very passionate local following,” Miles said, “and a sports infrastructure to help make it happen, whether that’s Arrowhead Stadium, great local teams in Sporting KC and the KC Current, and great facilities and venues like KC Power & Light.”

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.

This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 11:58 AM.