Kind of frustrating. A few years ago, that ticket demand WAS there, but due to reasons the waitlist went poof in a single season. On one hand, it makes business sense. SKC was intentionally waiting until 2017/18 to reassess stadium expansion to see if waitlist numbers were sustainable or a fad... and it does make financial sense not to expand if your entire waitlist can poof in a season. At the same time, we know the potential is there, and we keep seeing expansion markets around the league drawing 30 or 40k+ fans popping up every few years. It's hard not to want to see KC push its own capacity a little bit. Our little 18.6k stadium feels pretty small compared to Atlanta or Seattle or Toronto. I think we all realize that a 40k+ (or something) soccer stadium in KC is an unrealistic extravagance, and we know all too well how caustic an over-sized venue can be, but dammit, 18.6k seems like such a paltry number when you hear numbers like "30k season ticket holders" in Atlanta. Even getting to a capacity of 25k... that would be a significant increase for us and looks a lot more respectable in the league as a whole. I guess we can always fall back on the "it's not the size that counts" argument, but meh. We all want the gameday experience to be the best it can be.
I remember that it was thrilling to sit in Arrowhead with 50,000 when Man U was on the field against the Wizards, however, that was when KC could only draw tiny crowds to see the Wiz in league play. After going to Century Link and watching SKC vs Seattle in that big bowl, the fan experience was not that good. The lower bowl has a fairly good look at the field and players, but once you get to the upper decks, IMHO, the game loses a lot. I think a 24-28k stadium capacity with fans sitting closer to the field is a nice balance between #of seats and fan experience and would be perfect for a market the size of Kansas City.
Agreed. I get wanting to have every single seat filled every single week, but man, 26k for a big game in this city with these supporters would be amazing.
And there's nothing wrong with having a few games below 26k. Sellouts are awesome, but having a bunch of games with a couple thousand empty seats is a small price to pay to have a full, crazy crowd for the important games.
One of the things that has frustrated me for the years we have spent at CMP is what I believe to be an obvious design flaw between sections 104 and 110. All of the concourses at the stadium are wide enough to support the sections that feed into them and allow steady crowd movement except between those sections. There is no walkway from one side to the other, but the worst part is the walkway above those sections is so small as to only allow 3 or 4 people to walk side by side. The congestion before, during half time and after the game is crazy, especially when the line to get into the Shield Club backs up.
no kidding. the amount of marketing speak in that press release was nauseating. just new sponsorships. looks like the local flavor is gone from the members' club... err, excuse me, the brew house? what exactly do they brew there again? very lame, skc.
I mean, on the off chance things get cheaper or we get a much wider selection of real craft beer to choose from, I'll wait to pass real judgement. But until further proof to that effect, I'm basically expecting the opposite. Losing local flavor is regrettable but understandable. Losing quality is not.
The worst is probably the "programmable scarf corner" which is apparently just them rotating scarves out. That as a whole is fine, that wall's been filled for years, but just call it that, don't use some stuff phrasing to try to make it sound "innovative."
I come in peace. I'm going to be in KC for the first time with a few people for a half marathon in Independence on Sunday. Thinking about going to see the game on Saturday. Any recommendations on seating in CMP? Any restaurants/bars we should check out while here? Thanks in advance!
Welcome to CMP. Any seat that you can get will be just fine as there is not a bad seat anywhere in the venue. Your best bet is general admission which puts you behind the goal, but get there early and pick your preferred seat. Restaurant options are numerous around the stadium depending on what you like to eat. The Yard House has a great draft beer selection and good food. Famous Dave’s and Arthur Bryant’s are both close for BBQ (neither are the best KC option for BBQ in my opinion). Chiusano’s Brick Oven Pizza is also not a bad option. Have fun because you will love the atmosphere at CMP.
New season another change. Question, we went to the concession stand to buy some cider's and they did not carry them this year and they thought that nobody else had them either in the stadium. So I am checking to see if anybody had purchased a cider at the last game. Thanks
I was pretty sure the pandemic was officially over when the jar of random candy returned next to the cash register at my local family owned liquor store, but this announcement from SKC confirms it. Full capacity on May 29. https://www.bizjournals.com/kansasc...ng-kansas-city-mls-full-capacity-stadium.html
Disappointing to see that SKC is partnering with that scam festival company and hosting the Tac-o-Treat event. If you're planning on going to this, please read this so you're at least aware of what you're buying into: https://www.thepitchkc.com/taco-fest/
That was the year Neal Patterson passed away, he was an Oklahoma State fan. It was done in tribute to him.
A couple BigSoccer forum questions. Is there a way to edit posts? Does anyone know why, on the Personal Details page, I am not allowed use Estados Unidos to describe my Favorite National Team?
Might as well post this here, football is returning to CMP KU will play 2 games there this year. 8/29 vs Lindenwood and 9/14 vs UNLV. KC have 3 home games around that time 8/24, 9/18 and 9/21. https://kuathletics.com/kansas-foot...4-at-geha-field-at-arrowhead-stadium-in-2024/
so gross. tainting up the field with the drek from lawrence. the 9/14 one is particularly egregious. this is the least surprising move from this front office, though. no less disappointing, but not surprising at all that they'd sacrifice the playing surface so soon before what are sure to be critical late-season games. gotta make that buck, though, right?
I had similar feelings about the playing surface. FWIW I went back and looked at games after football games other times at CMP. I immediately discounted the NCAA D2 championship b/c the grass is going dormant and hasn't fully woken up by the time the next league season starts. So that left the 2015 K-State spring game as the only real comparable situation. It's not entirely the same b/c SKC didn't play at home for a week after the K-State game, but there were minimal spots you could see the lines from the football game. The other thing is the grass certainly looks longer vs what KC uses now. https://www.sportingkc.com/news/game-sporting-kc-1-0-chicago-fire-may-3-2015 The thing that could be different this time is how much more paint is used this time vs for a spring game, because K-State had minimal paint on the field for the spring game.