KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Current announced Tuesday that it has entered a multi-year agreement to put the United Way of Greater Kansas City on the front of its new jerseys beginning with the 2024 season, deepening the NWSL club's partnership with the local nonprofit.
“We are excited to kick off our inaugural season in the first stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional team in the world with United Way of Greater Kansas City as the KC Current’s new front-of-kit partner,” Current founder and co-owner Angie Long said in a statement. “This was a crucial decision for our club and we are thrilled with the outcome. This is a true partnership — one that is unlike any other in sports partnerships nationally and perhaps, globally.”
The United Way of Greater Kansas City also will remain the club’s official charity partner under terms of an existing arrangement.
“We have been so fortunate to have United Way of Greater Kansas City as our Official Charity Partner, so it was a natural extension to continue breaking the mold and building upon our relationship with them as the front-of-kit partner in 2024,” Current founder and co-owner Chris Long said in a statement. “We believe in the direction that they wanted to take this partnership, to drive even greater impact and enhance the work that both our groups are doing to support the community. We can’t wait for the club to sport United Way alongside the Current crest on our kits. This is just the beginning of so much more to come for these two organizations.”
The partnership between the Current and the local United Way, which supports hundreds of nonprofits across the Kansas City region, will include volunteer opportunities for players and staff.
The Current also will give fans the option to round up in-stadium concessions and merchandise purchases at the CPKC Stadium, which is set to open this spring at the Berkley Riverfront.
A portion of tickets and jersey sales also will benefit the United Way of Greater Kansas City, the club announced.
“Kansas City Current is creating transformational change in our community,” President and CEO of United Way of Greater Kansas City Chris Rosson said in a statement. “The organization embodies United Way’s mission to inspire and enable a generation of Waymakers, raising the bar for partnership and unleashing limitless opportunities. When we pull the best pieces of who we are together, nothing is impossible. Working together we can build a stronger, more inclusive, and more resilient community for us all. This new partnership will allow us to reach a new audience and bring even greater impact to our community. We’re beyond proud to collaborate with the Current.”
The Current’s new jerseys — including home, road and secondary kits — will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
This isn't the first time a local professional sports team has entered a charitable sponsorship agreement.
Sporting Kansas City's stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, was originally named Livestrong Sporting Park for its first three seasons after opening in 2011.
It became Sporting Park after Lance Armstrong's fall from grace from 2013 to 2015 before being renamed Children's Mercy Park.
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