Tuesday’s new episode of the Sporting KC Show on Sports Radio 810 WHB aired live from Children’s Mercy Park, as hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine joined the site of a free youth soccer clinic sponsored by Ivy Investments.
Approximately 100 local children ages 8-12 participated in the clinic, which included on-field instruction from World Cup veterans Matt Besler and Roger Espinoza as well as MLS All-Star Ilie Sanchez and MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Tim Melia. As part of the event, adults in attendance received key tips on planning for children's higher education goals through a seminar from Ivy Investments, including tips on tax-advantaged education savings plans called 529 plans.
Two of the three guests on Tuesday’s episode were Sporting KC President Jake Reid and Roger Hoadley, VP, Director of Communications at Waddell & Reed, Ivy Investments. Both reflected on the unique event as a strong supplement to the long-standing, multi-faceted partnership between Sporting KC and Ivy Investments.
“Ivy Investments shares such an association with our brand and this stadium,” Reid said. “With Sporting KC and Ivy so engrained in Kansas City, it’s always been a shared question of, ‘How are we giving back, doing things for the kids and developing the youth?’ This event was a natural fit for us, and it was good to have parents come and learn about how they can fund college for their children, who are out on the field learning from players like Matt, Roger, Ilie and Tim. That’s not a bad group to learn from if you’re going to do a soccer clinic.”
Hoadley echoed Reid’s sentiments, highlighting the similarities between Sporting KC and Ivy Investments that make the partnership special.
“One of the reasons we were so eager to line up with Sporting KC back in 2013 is because there are a lot of parallels to being a successful soccer club and a successful investor,” Hoadley said. “When you think about discipline, looking for opportunity, long-term focus. Performance counts in everything we do. So while the kids were learning soccer skills on the field, we were translating skills to the parents. If they want their kids to be successful, whether it’s playing college soccer or receiving any kind of higher education, they’re going to need a plan to get there. This was a good venue to tie those two things together, and the parents go a lot of good ideas about how they might try to pursue that goal.”
Tuesday’s final guest on the show was Ilie, who was appreciative of the opportunity to work with kids on the Children’s Mercy Park pitch.
“I was just another kid out there,” Ilie said. “The kids just want to learn, and they are so much fun. Sometimes you just see yourself in one of those kids out there. When that happens, you want them to be comfortable with you, have fun and be themselves around you. It was a great experience that we had tonight.”
In addition to talking about his recently signed contract extension with Sporting KC, Ilie recapped last weekend’s emphatic 5-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes and looked ahead to Sunday’s cross-conference clash with the Philadelphia Union. Sporting KC owns a one-point lead in the Western Conference going into the matchup, having won six of their last seven games.
Sunday's game at Talen Energy Stadium will kick off at noon CT on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, while Sports Radio 810 WHB will carry a local radio broadcast with Bukaty calling the game live with Carter Augustine from No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District. No Other Pub will host the official watch party for the match with $4 Bud Light drafts and an all-you-can-eat buffet with bottomless sodas and domestic draft beers.
Listen to the full podcast below.
