It might be the smallest U.S. city to host the FIFA World Cup this summer, but Kansas City organizers are hoping to be considered the mightiest by fans who will be arriving in the Midwest to celebrate the biggest single-sport tournament in the world.
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The opportunity to be home to the World Cup arose after Kansas City’s steady work to create the infrastructure that makes it the “soccer capital of America,” host committee CEO Pam Kramer told NBC News. Hosting the tournament could help define Kansas City, a population of just over 500,000, in people’s minds as a global leader in the sports industry.
“I think there is this Midwestern pioneering spirit — we don’t wait for other people to do things. We just kind of lock arms and get it done together,” Kramer said. “But it’s all about coming together around a big idea. So when you think about great sports moments, we want them to know that we celebrate our teams.”
At the core of its World Cup festivities will be the city’s free fan festival for all the ticketless soccer lovers who want to be close to the action. Fans can gather at the National WWI Museum and Memorial for watch parties, with a lineup of musical performances that includes The Chainsmokers, Flo Rida and the All American Rejects.
“We want people to experience the passion of the global soccer fan and all that’s great about Kansas City… That’s, to me, the intersection of how do we harness the World Cup energy and bring the heart of Kansas City to that party,” Kramer said.
The city is also offering affordable transit with varying destinations, including a free ride from the airport into the heart of downtown and an unlimited regional pass that can take people to the fan festival for as low as $5 for a day or $50 for the entire tournament.
Community partnership is a huge aspect of the city’s plans for this summer’s tournament, with Kramer expressing gratitude to local businesses for pitching in their time, ideas and sponsorship that make the affordability part of hosting possible. One of the local sponsors that actually designed the fan festival layout is Populous, a Kansas City-based firm that has designed stadiums, arenas, and other facilities around the world.
“The site plan, the WWI Museum and Memorial is really iconic,” Kramer said. “It’s very focused on unity and peace and really making sure that people understand the cost of war, also honoring people who have served, but not just the U.S. perspective on that war, but the global perspective.”
Kramer expects that an estimated 650,000 people will be in the city across the tournament with six games being played at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. The host committee is going to work on communicating with residents on when to expect the highest traffic from visitors and suggest that people either leave downtown early or work from home where they can.
“But I will say one of the coolest things is, because it’s such a big deal here, people want to know how to help,” Kramer said. “And so if they have the feeling that they’re going to help by leaving an hour early or staying an hour late, there’s a willingness to do that because they want to contribute to our combined success.”
England, the Netherlands, and Argentina will be based in the Kansas City area while Algeria’s squad will be making its home in nearby Lawrence, Kansas. Kramer credits the city’s dedication to sports infrastructure that brought some of FIFA’s best ranked teams to the city.
The Netherlands, for example, are going to be using the Kansas City Current’s training facilities for their team’s base camp. The Current made history by creating the first standalone women’s soccer stadium in the world, a trend that’s now being replicated in Denver and across the Atlantic Ocean in Brighton, England.
“We’re the only host city with more than one team, and to have three is pretty extraordinary, but it’s a combination of the experience they have when they’re here, the investment that’s been made in sports and soccer, and our location and our ethos,” Kramer said. “I think those three things we just can’t wait to show in, in everything we’re doing.”
After all is said and done, the organizers hope that people across the world walk away learning about Kansas City’s history, its culture, and the warmth people carry around every day.
“It’s hard to communicate that in words but when you’re here, when you talk to people, or you meet people from here, it comes across because it’s super authentic,” Kramer said. “We’re very friendly, we’re very welcoming. I think that’s the intangible part of it.”
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