Two days before the 50-year anniversary of Title IX, the KC Current of the NWSL unveiled one of the most inspiring investments in professional women’s sports in America. The $18 million KC Current training facility opened on Tuesday is the first such complex built specifically for an NWSL team. It’s incredible, and the players couldn’t believe their eyes.
Funded privately by club owners, the facility includes state-of-the-art weight/cardio room, training room, hydrotherapy room, locker room, lecture/film room, kitchen/player’s lounge (with a chef), boot room, coaching spaces and two grass fields plus one artificial turf pitch.
It’s beautiful, and it belongs entirely to a professional women’s soccer team.
KC Current Training Facility
Welcome to our new home pic.twitter.com/MG8Gg0U18q
— KC Current (@thekccurrent) June 22, 2022
“From the moment we purchased the team, we knew these elite athletes deserved world-class facilities to call their own,” co-owner Angie Long said. “In less than one year since breaking ground, our training complex is open. It’s a true ‘home away from home’ for our players — a space designed exclusively for them.”
Added co-owner Chris Long: “The overreaching goal in making an investment and commitment of this magnitude is to continue on our path of becoming the best women’s soccer club in the world. Every detail of this facility has been optimized for this team and these players to stay at the top of their game in every respect.”
Players were given a walkthrough of the complex for the first time on Tuesday, and their reactions showed just how impactful this type of investment is for women’s sports. Throughout the league’s 10-year history, clubs have often had to share facilities with other men’s professional teams or even high school and college teams.
"This really is our home now."
We love our gals. And we love this game. pic.twitter.com/7SiDoVFK7Z— KC Current (@thekccurrent) June 22, 2022
This is just the beginning for the Current’s investment in the NWSL. The club has plans for a $120 million soccer-specific stadium at Berkley Riverfront Park in Kansas City, Missouri, which will become the first stadium built for a professional women’s soccer team in the country.
All this comes after a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement for the first time guaranteed a living wage for NWSL players earlier this year. Salaries are on the rise and investment continues to increase in the league. There’s never been a better time to hop on board the NWSL train.
