LIVESTRONG Sporting Park will open June 9th as Kansas City’s first soccer-specific stadium and Major League Soccer’s newest, state-of-the-art home field when Sporting Kansas City plays the inaugural match in the $200 million venue against rivals Chicago Fire at 9:00 p.m. CT.
The grand opening, which comes just 16 months after construction began on the site, will feature a full-array of festivities prior to the opening kick-off in front of a national-TV audience on ESPN2’s MLS Primetime match of the week. Play-by-play commentator Adrian Healey and analyst John Harkes, the network’s lead MLS crew, will call the match, with additional coverage from ESPN studios in Bristol,Connecticut.
The match, sponsored by LIVESTRONG, will be shown live in high definition, and will also be simulcast on ESPN Deportes, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN Deportes Radio.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for pre-game activities on June 9th at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, with box offices opening at 5:00 p.m. CT. The Members’ Club, a first-of-its-kind restaurant and pub for Sporting Club members, will open to all Members’ Stand ticket holders at 5:00 p.m. CT.
All ticket holders may then enter LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT when gates open to to the Sprint Plaza for Live at LSP presented by INK, the first of a season-long concert series featuring the best up and coming bands in Kansas City. The inaugural concert will be headlined by The Republic Tigers after an opening performance by The Brody Buster Band beginning at 6:00 p.m. CT. All concerts in the Live at LSP series are included as part of the game day experience with purchase of a Sporting Kansas City ticket at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
Lawrence, Kansas resident Brody Buster will play traditional Kansas City blues on the harmonica that made him a child prodigy with B.B. King and earned him an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
Following the Brody Buster Band, local Indie rock group The Republic Tigers will perform songs from their new EP No Land’s Man and 2008 hit-album Keep Color until approximately 8:15 p.m. CT. Their music has been featured on several widely-popular television shows, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” through their national record-label deal with Chop Shop Records. The band has been heard by ardent music fans across the country on a national tour that included a stop at the annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas in March.
At 6:00 p.m. CT, three hours prior to kick-off, all areas of the stadium will open for the first time for fans to explore all the amenities available in the general and premium seating areas and throughout the concourse. A limited number of tickets are still available for the match and can be purchased by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.
All ticket holders for the June 9th inaugural match will receive a new Sporting KC matchday program and an 18” x 24” print featuring the interior of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park as a commemorative gift upon their exit from the stadium. Local artist Mike Savage, who has painted some of Kansas City’s most iconic images, was commissioned to paint a 30” x 40” original piece to be put on display in the stadium’s Shield Club. Each of the 19,000 limited edition prints made for June 9th attendees will be individually numbered.
The pre-game ceremony will also include a special video on each of the stadium’s HD video boards – 2,016 square foot in the south end and 550 square feet in the north end – and a stealth flyover. The National Anthem will be sung by local blues and jazz singer Ida McBeth, and military members from Whiteman Airforce Base will sing God Bless America.
Numerous special guests are expected to be in attendance for the match, including Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber, honorary Sporting Kansas City member Chad Ochocinco and Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Joe Reardon. The club’s first manager, Ron Newman, will be in attendance, and will meet with fans in the Members’ Club prior to the match.
The Members’ Club will then host a post-match party, sponsored by 96.5 The Buzz, featuring DJ MikeScott, a nationally-renowned DJ who has worked with a long list of popular artists across the world. Scott will serve as the house DJ for the Members’ Club all season long. He has been showcased locally at entertainment venues in downtown’s Power & Light district and is the most requested DJ in the city for premier events.
The Members’ Club will remain open until 2:00 a.m. and admission is free for all Sporting Club members. The general public can register for free membership before, during and after the match at kiosks located throughout the concourse or with membership services representatives.
June 9th, 2011 Schedule of Events
5:00 p.m. Members’ Club opens for Members Stand ticket holders
5:30 p.m. Sprint Plaza opens for all ticket holders
6:00 p.m. Live at LSP, presented by INK, begins in Sprint Plaza, featuring Brody Buster Band and Republic Tigers
9:00 p.m. Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire preceded by God Bless America by Whiteman Air Force Base, National Anthem by Ida McBeth and stealth flyover.
11:00 p.m. Commemorative LIVESTRONG Sporting Park prints distributed at exits
Members’ Club open until 2:00 a.m. for registered members
