FiredUp Network
Wednesday, July 3: Game Time NWSL Championship Is Coming To CPKC Stadium
But as of this morning, the Kansas City current not only play in the first purpose built stadium for women's athletics in the world, they're also going to host the NWSL Championship coming up Saturday November 23rd. Championship coming to Kansas City and that's a really great honor to be bestowed and perfectly fitting with CPKC Stadium being that first purpose built women's stadium. How did this come about Danny? Well, I think you have to go back to just the vision of Angie and Chris Long and of course Brittany and Patrick Mahomes and what this stadium represents. From the moment that we built it, we knew that we wanted to have a championship here at some point and I think that's kind of the origin story of it. It's only fitting and so perfect, especially from a PR standpoint, that the first stadium purpose built for a women's professional team will now host the NWSL Championship and it'll be the first women's championship in Kansas City. So I think that's a very, very powerful statement. It's a powerful moment and it also is huge for CPKC Stadium, but it's also huge for Kansas City to be able to hold yet another event of this caliber. And it's a whole week of championship activity. Everything's nationally televised. The playoffs are becoming a bigger and bigger deal. What's going to go along with the championship game. So a lot of those details will be revealed here over, you know, in the next couple of weeks. But obviously there will be a fan fest involved. There will be a whole week of events leading up to it in which the community can be incredibly engaged with the event. Kansas City is the perfect place for this because the community does support its women's soccer team and it sports so avidly. And so not only will you get an opportunity to come and watch some of the best women's soccer in the world right here in your own backyard, but you also have a chance to really be engaged and be a part of all of the events that will surround it that week leading up. As a somewhat self serving question, having Kansas City current season tickets will season ticket holders get an opportunity to get in line for championship game tickets. That is a great question and more information on that will come in the later weeks as well. But I do not have that information to share with you right now. Well, I just wanted to go over some of the stats that your team put out and I'm sure will find out more because I know I'll be asked to get a couple of tickets. It's a great event to bring a championship to the city and I mean, yeah, who's not going to want tickets. You've now had a chance to experience the game firsthand. And when you come to CPKZ Stadium, if you haven't been here, it is remarkable and incredible. And the minute that you experience it, you have FOMO, like it leaves you wanting to come back for more because this experience is unlike any other women's professional experience in the world. And I think that's just a testament to the fact that you're already asking that question about tickets. It's huge because people want to be here. They want to experience it. And now that you've had the opportunity to experience it or see it from a fan perspective and even a viewer perspective, people are going to want to miss this. It's going to be amazing. Yeah. And you come at it with the perspective of having been on the field covering the Kansas City Chiefs during playoff runs during championship seasons. And you get that same kind of electric atmosphere at CPKZ Stadium that's made Arrowhead so iconic, which is great. I mean, the first year, you would think, okay, maybe it's going to take a little build up, but every game sold out. And you can even tell from the picture in my background, the excitement of the fans after a goal. I mean, it is a great atmosphere. We've heard from multiple broadcasters that it's difficult to hear when you're on the sideline. And I mean, it's the same way for the Chiefs, right? So, for us to be able to say that and be in that conversation, it is monumental. And it also just as a testament to the fans here in Kansas City about how passionate they are about their sports teams, regardless of gender. And I think it's really, really cool to be able to talk about this moment in history and the fact that, yes, Kansas City has had some incredible, incredible events over the past decade or so. But this will be just this moment in time and really on its own platform in the fact that it's going to be an NWSL Championship, the first one here in Kansas City, as well as the first one in CPKZ Stadium. Yeah, and it's a year that we may well be looking at should be looking at the most watched NWSL Championship ever. Just look at these stats and keep it in perspective that this is at a time when ratings for everything are down and down dramatically. At everything. I mean, network programs are getting less than a million views. Broadcast viewership of NWSL games this year, up 95% versus a gain from the previous year. So it's a huge gain over a gain. NWSL social media impressions up 94% and the customers, the viewers aren't just watching, they're investing NWSL shop sales up 300% from last year. Combine that with the league already crossing a million attendance. This should be the biggest championship game ever because the interest is just growing overwhelmingly. You know, having covered sports and women's sports for years, going back 30 some years ago covering the NCAA Division one sports. I think we're seeing that explosion of women's athletics that we've been anticipating for years. It's here now. I think we're living in it. Yeah, a colleague of mine actually put it perfectly. I think he said that, you know, we've turned from this spectacle or this, you know, sporting event that people are curious to come see to now. This entire stadium here at CP KC stadium, which I'm coming to you from, is covered in Casey current gear and not only is a match day full of fans that are wearing teal and, you know, heartland red and storm blue, but it's also out in the community as well. And so when you're going to the Plaza or you're going to other sporting events, you're now seeing the Casey current crest out in the public. And so I think that's just this microcosm of this bigger picture of momentum that women's forces is part of right now and to be able to show those stats. I mean, for anybody who's super like number savvy, it's proof there. And I think, Gerald, have you, have you been to the Casey current team store? Have you had a chance to check that out? I have been. Yeah. So when you say that and sell store, those sales are up. I mean, part of it is because women's teams are getting better about that and having more opportunities to actually expose people and partner with, you know, with groups and even here for us locally, having local partners to create really cool merchandise. I think that definitely helps. Absolutely. I'm a repeat customer of the Casey current team store. And we're going to have to get a custom jersey too, because the media games coming up, so need to get a jersey for my wife to match the media game jersey. But hey, yeah, big game coming up this week on Saturday, taking on the Orlando pride. And this is the game that the league's been building for all year. The two undefeated sides. The two golden boot leaders, Banda and Temwa Chewinga going one on one, not really, but had to head at CPKC Stadium this Saturday. And this is just an amazing culmination to this part of the season, because it seems like we've been building the current's been building. It's been rising all year up to this game. That's so funny. I thought you were going to say that this is such a big game because of the media game at halftime. Six minutes of pure excitement. Come on. That's really what this is all about. Right. No, I think I'll be, I'll be on the sideline with Jamie Weiss from channel nine cheering it on. We both decided that, you know, it's probably a good idea to just hang out because one to avoid those injuries that I'm so prone to. No, I'm sure you're going to be a sleeper. I'm sure we'll end up with a drill Bentley goal in that in that magical six minutes. But, yeah, it'll be a lot of fun to have all of the media members out there to really take in this experience. And, you know, what we didn't know was going to be such a monumental game. Now, a lot of people in our community get to be a part of. And I think that that makes it really special. But I also think like coming on the heels of this announcement this week, and the excitement of two unbeaten teams facing off going into the Olympic break. Gosh, it doesn't get any better than that, does it? No, and you can even follow your Casey current during the Olympics because. Nichelle Prince going to be representing team Canada. And Lauren. Is going to be for the Brazilian side and it looks like Claire Hutton may get a chance to be on the US team. So. The current's going to have a presence in Paris too. Having those representations are amazing like we're so proud of them. It's really, really cool to be able to cheer them on during the Olympic break. I also think it's really it's going to be really fun to have things going on and soccer going on in our own backyard during that time as well with the International Summer of Soccer as we take on. We get MX teams as well as the women's cup so we can look forward to them playing in the Olympics and we can also look forward to things going on right here at CP K C stadium. So pretty pumped about both. Yeah, absolutely all sorts of events and hey, where can the viewers find out or where should they go to to stay up to date on the NWSL championship game this. Well, look, I'm going to say you can go to the league website for sure but we have a lot of stuff on Kansas City current dot com. So be sure to check in there as well as CP K C stadium dot com. Got a lot of updates things that are club oriented championship oriented and follow us on our social handles as well. Great. Well, hey, Danny, thanks for joining us here and on three 123 K C baby. Hey, go. Thanks a lot and we'll see you on the pitch at CP K C stadium. Let's do it.