Late last week, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced plans to build a $15 million training center in the Horizons development in Riverside.
According to a press release issued Friday, Sept. 17, the Kansas City NWSL training facility, privately funded by team owners, will be located off Interstate 635 and Horizons Parkway and is part of the team’s aspiration to set the standard for the future of professional sports.
The complex will include two grass pitches and more than 17,000 square feet. The layout includes comprehensive team training features such as a world-class locker room, weight and cardio rooms and multiple outdoor and gathering spaces. Finally, the complex will house the team’s front office activities and includes spacious areas focused on nutrition and wellness.
With ground broken only nine months after Kansas City was awarded the club, the team’s new facility will also create “iconic outward-facing moments” and visuals billed to become a branding cornerstone not only for the team, but for the entire community.
“The training facility gives a tangible sign of the three driving forces for our club: our players, our community and our passion to create the future of women’s sports,” said co-founder and co-owner Angie Long, “Our team will spend more time together here than anywhere so it’s thrilling for us to bring it to life so quickly.”
In choosing the location for the facility, fellow founder and owner Chris Long said it was important to connect to the history, attitudes and attributes that have shaped the metro. “This location is a perfect representation of both the history of the area and our bright future. Riverside sits on the very river that formed and shaped Kansas City with incredible views of downtown. We are grateful to Mayor Kathy Rose, the Board of Aldermen, and the entire city staff; from moment one, they have shared our vision for an even brighter tomorrow, and an appreciation for the way our team can connect the broader KC community.”
Rose said the project, team and owners will be a wonderful addition to the community.
“As our community began to envision how Horizons could look, the idea of an active, inviting, and engaging development serving people from around the region became our goal,” Rose said. “We’ve had many successes over the past 10 years, but this is certainly a crowning achievement. I am so excited to work with Angie, Brittany and Chris to help their team be a great success and model for young women everywhere.”
KC NWSL has Generator Studio and Monarch Build as its primary design and construction partners for the project, which is expected to be completed in 2022.