Kansas City Council approves asking for state tax credits for KC Current stadium

Kansas City’s City Council on Thursday approved legislation that will allow the city to apply for state tax credits on behalf of the KC Current women’s soccer team.

The team asked the City Council to apply for $6 million in state tax incentives.

Councilman Brandon Ellington, District 3 at-large, was the lone no vote.

The price tag for the stadium — the first of its kind in the country — has ballooned to $117 million as ownership has expanded its vision for the venue.

Team representatives said they are adding about $47 million in costs and another 500 seats (11,500 total) to the stadium, expected to open along Berkley Riverfront park for the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season. The cost was $70 million when the stadium was first announced in October.

At that announcement, the team’s owners stressed that the stadium would be privately funded. The team is co-owned by Angie and Chris Long and Brittany Mahomes.

In a statement provided to The Star last week, Angie Long said the $70 million would “have built a nice stadium with average amenities. But, as we have gotten into this project, our vision for this team and our vision of what this stadium can mean for our city and for women’s sports everywhere has grown.”

The legislation allows the city manager to apply to the Missouri Development Finance Board for the tax credits. There is no financial commitment on the city’s part.

The stadium, with a groundbreaking set for this fall, will be the first one built specifically for an American women’s professional soccer team. Games are currently played at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The owners are also building a $15 million training facility for the NWSL team.