AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark addresses the media during NCAA College Big 12 Women's Basketball Media Day on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.
When Nate Lee was first introduced as Kansas State football coach in December, he not only praised Kansas City's current role in football, but also expressed optimism about its future.
“We're in or about 45 minutes away from the soccer capital of America,” he said at the time. “And I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. If anything, it's going to become more entrenched in itself.”
On Tuesday, Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark announced that the league's postseason football tournament will be held for the next two seasons at CPKC Stadium, the new home of the Kansas City Currents, which calls itself the inaugural football league. As a result, the city's status further increased. A stadium built specifically for women's sports teams.
“It's not just about men's and women's basketball, it's about women's soccer,” Yormark said of the league's connection to Kansas City. “It's great that we can be a part of this community and our relationship is growing. I'm very excited about it.” “And we look forward to attending the KC Current opener this weekend and experiencing the incredible venue this community has helped build.”
That means the best player in the conference will return playing close to Lawrence. KU Athletic Director Travis Goff called his X “a big league partnership with a big league franchise in a big league city.”
“It makes sense that one of the first major events outside of KC Current's regular season games at CPKC Stadium will be the Big 12 Women's Soccer Championship,” Current President Raven Jemison said in a press release. “As we power the next generation of soccer talent, we can’t wait for them to experience our highly purpose-built facilities.”
The tournament was previously held in Round Rock, Texas, for each of the past three years after seven seasons at Swope Soccer Village. Starting next year, there will be a new 16-team Big 12, meaning 12 teams will compete in the tournament from late October to early November.
Lee said he hopes the Jayhawks “will be able to compete for a Big 12 championship sooner rather than later.”
The fact that these tournaments are held just a short distance along Interstate 70 could be another selling point for the coach as he looks to expand into the Kansas City area. At his inauguration, he called the region “an incredibly rich and fertile recruiting ground to start as ground zero.” ” to him and assistant Tyler Smaha.
When Lee appeared on the Jayhawker Podcast in February, he and his staff were already working in Kansas City.
“I told some of the coaches, 'If you're tired of us, just tell us, we'll stay and try to get the best players,'” he said on the podcast. “Our job is to keep people in their homes when they leave town.”
Meanwhile, Lee's current players begin their spring game March 24 at Creighton. The only home exhibition this spring will be against Washburn on April 21st.
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written by henry greenstein
