Teal Bunbury, the club's 21-year-old superstar, performed extra finishing repetitions with an assistant coach at the far goal. A group of defenders hung out with head coach Peter Vermes at midfield-in a pow-wow of sorts-while other players congregated in the locker room of their $5 million practice facility.
"Yeah, they do this a lot," says a club employee. "They always stay."
The owners of Sporting KC have gone the extra-mile to create a soccer team that has staying power.
The execution of this goal required what some die-hard Sporting Kansas City (then Kansas City Wizards) fans deemed great sacrifice. Bold and innovative, the strategy has involved leaving now to ensure the community stays later. Since its departure from Arrowhead Stadium in 2007, Sporting KC has left behind two stadiums, a head coach, a team name and, perhaps most importantly, an entire brand and culture.
"The rebranding is something that ownership has thought about a long time," says Andy Tretiak, vice president of marketing. "With the timing of the new stadium opening, it really was a second chance to make a first impression."
Tretiak says the fans, above all else, were the impetus for the changes.
"We wanted to create a new model for professional sports organizations to interact with the fans," he says. "The whole concept was built around this idea of creating membership for our parent organization, Sporting Club, that allowed unprecedented access to not only our team but also our partners."
While the practice of soccer teams falling under the blanket of a sporting club has roots in Europe-arguably soccer's most acclaimed continent-Sporting KC maintains that their name change was much more about concept.
"We weren't just picking the name Sporting because it had European flair and would provide some authenticity," Tretiak says. "The new brand is a living and breathing thing, and being local and community-based is critical to our DNA."
Community reaction to the transformation has varied, just as team officials and Sporting KC players expected.
"At first, people were so accustomed to the old Wizards that the name change was shocking, and people weren't too excited," Bunbury says. "But like anything, it takes time to adjust. Now, I think our fans really appreciate the rebranding."
"For a while now the reaction has been really positive," Sporting KC captain Davy Arnaud says. "With the new stadium opening up, there's been a lot of excitement around the club."
Club officials have touted Livestrong Sporting Park, which recently finished construction, as "a complete destination." With more than 18,000 seats and a price tag that reads $200 million, the stadium serves as the owners' capstone project, a place they hope will engage Kansas Citians with the "ultimate fan experience."
The club's mission to stay dedicated to the community is evidenced by the new stadium's name and chief sponsor. The Livestrong organization, known best for its founder, world champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, is dedicated to funding cancer research and supporting survivors. Its nonprofit, cause-driven business model makes it a truly unique partner for Sporting Club, which is committed to providing a minimum of $7.5 million in revenue to the cause.
"We felt like the naming rights to the stadium was obviously a crown jewel for us, and it's a great property to offer, but the more we discussed it, the more we thought we had the opportunity to do something really special with this," Tretiak says. "We started to navigate toward doing something with a cause because we thought it'd be truly groundbreaking as it takes a team, which is normally used to generate revenue, and really does some good with it."
The philanthropic partnership is expected to be as mutually beneficial as the stadium, which is located in the popular Village West area in Kansas City, Kansas, and will seat up to 25,000 music fans for concerts.
"It's going to be great for KC because it'll help bring some bigger events that might not normally have come here because a lot of people want to help support the cause," Tretiak says.
Sporting KC's altruism and emphasis on outreach has trickled down from the owners to the players and coaches, who take pride in the sponsor they will represent.
"Everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer," says Sporting KC defender and Overland Park native Matt Besler. "That's why the partnership is so cool. It's definitely a sponsorship all the players are proud of. I know a number of the guys have been asking how we can be more involved."
"A lot of times there are sponsors you can't really connect with," Arnaud added. "What Livestrong does for cancer research and cancer patients is huge, and it's something so relatable."
When asked about the home opener and the quality of the new stadium, Besler's eyes lit up and a smile stretched across his face.
"It's unbelievable," he says. "Every time we go out there we're just amazed. We keep joking with [team owner] Robb Heineman about coming in and hanging out, [asking] him if we could spend the night."
Sporting KC is here to stay.
"Yeah, they do this a lot," says a club employee. "They always stay."
The owners of Sporting KC have gone the extra-mile to create a soccer team that has staying power.
The execution of this goal required what some die-hard Sporting Kansas City (then Kansas City Wizards) fans deemed great sacrifice. Bold and innovative, the strategy has involved leaving now to ensure the community stays later. Since its departure from Arrowhead Stadium in 2007, Sporting KC has left behind two stadiums, a head coach, a team name and, perhaps most importantly, an entire brand and culture.
"The rebranding is something that ownership has thought about a long time," says Andy Tretiak, vice president of marketing. "With the timing of the new stadium opening, it really was a second chance to make a first impression."
Tretiak says the fans, above all else, were the impetus for the changes.
"We wanted to create a new model for professional sports organizations to interact with the fans," he says. "The whole concept was built around this idea of creating membership for our parent organization, Sporting Club, that allowed unprecedented access to not only our team but also our partners."
While the practice of soccer teams falling under the blanket of a sporting club has roots in Europe-arguably soccer's most acclaimed continent-Sporting KC maintains that their name change was much more about concept.
"We weren't just picking the name Sporting because it had European flair and would provide some authenticity," Tretiak says. "The new brand is a living and breathing thing, and being local and community-based is critical to our DNA."
Community reaction to the transformation has varied, just as team officials and Sporting KC players expected.
"At first, people were so accustomed to the old Wizards that the name change was shocking, and people weren't too excited," Bunbury says. "But like anything, it takes time to adjust. Now, I think our fans really appreciate the rebranding."
"For a while now the reaction has been really positive," Sporting KC captain Davy Arnaud says. "With the new stadium opening up, there's been a lot of excitement around the club."
Club officials have touted Livestrong Sporting Park, which recently finished construction, as "a complete destination." With more than 18,000 seats and a price tag that reads $200 million, the stadium serves as the owners' capstone project, a place they hope will engage Kansas Citians with the "ultimate fan experience."
The club's mission to stay dedicated to the community is evidenced by the new stadium's name and chief sponsor. The Livestrong organization, known best for its founder, world champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, is dedicated to funding cancer research and supporting survivors. Its nonprofit, cause-driven business model makes it a truly unique partner for Sporting Club, which is committed to providing a minimum of $7.5 million in revenue to the cause.
"We felt like the naming rights to the stadium was obviously a crown jewel for us, and it's a great property to offer, but the more we discussed it, the more we thought we had the opportunity to do something really special with this," Tretiak says. "We started to navigate toward doing something with a cause because we thought it'd be truly groundbreaking as it takes a team, which is normally used to generate revenue, and really does some good with it."
The philanthropic partnership is expected to be as mutually beneficial as the stadium, which is located in the popular Village West area in Kansas City, Kansas, and will seat up to 25,000 music fans for concerts.
"It's going to be great for KC because it'll help bring some bigger events that might not normally have come here because a lot of people want to help support the cause," Tretiak says.
Sporting KC's altruism and emphasis on outreach has trickled down from the owners to the players and coaches, who take pride in the sponsor they will represent.
"Everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer," says Sporting KC defender and Overland Park native Matt Besler. "That's why the partnership is so cool. It's definitely a sponsorship all the players are proud of. I know a number of the guys have been asking how we can be more involved."
"A lot of times there are sponsors you can't really connect with," Arnaud added. "What Livestrong does for cancer research and cancer patients is huge, and it's something so relatable."
When asked about the home opener and the quality of the new stadium, Besler's eyes lit up and a smile stretched across his face.
"It's unbelievable," he says. "Every time we go out there we're just amazed. We keep joking with [team owner] Robb Heineman about coming in and hanging out, [asking] him if we could spend the night."
Sporting KC is here to stay.
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