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Kansas City to make history with first stadium built specifically for NWSL

Kansas City NWSL made history Tuesday with the announcement of a $70 million stadium project at the Kansas City waterfront, which will be the first stadium built specifically for a NWSL team.

Franchise owners Angie Long, Chris Long and Brittany Matthews — former collegiate soccer player and fiancée of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — were awarded the club 10 months ago and they're putting their stamp on the increasingly popular NWSL.

“From the beginning, our vision has been to create a player-first experience, and facilities for our team that match not only the elite level of these incredible athletes, but also the passionate support of the Kansas City metro and our fans,” Chris Long said in a statement.

The franchise owners hope that the stadium will do more than just energize Kansas City fans. They hope it will help continue the growth of women's sports.

“World-class facilities have proven to be a catalyst in transforming all professional sports,” Angie Long said in a statement. “Tremendous momentum exists in women’s sports specifically, and we are so proud to play a major role in ensuring the sport and also our region benefit from the economics and growth offered by a stadium of this magnitude.”

The entire $70 million stadium project will be privately financed by the club owners, and will be the "centerpiece" of the city's ongoing effort to redevelop the riverfront. The stadium plans have yet to be completed, but it will seat 11,000 fans. According to the Kansas City Star, the project is expected to break ground in the summer or fall of 2022.

The stadium is the second building project announced by the KC NWSL in the past six weeks. In September the team unveiled plans for a $15 million privately funded training facility in Riverside, a suburb located north of Kansas City. It will be the first training facility built exclusively for an American women's pro soccer team.

KC NWSL is about to wrap its inaugural season having played all its home games at Legends Field, which is also home to a minor league baseball team. Since the new stadium isn't expected to be completed until 2024, the team will play at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City for the next two seasons.