Banking on KC – Allison Howard of KC Current
Listen now or read the transcript below:
Kelly Scanlon:
Welcome to Banking on KC. I'm your host, Kelly Scanlon. With us on this episode is Allison Howard, the President of KC Current, Kansas City's professional women's soccer team. Welcome, Allison.
Allison Howard:
Thank you so much, Kelly.
Kelly Scanlon:
Allison, congratulations on an amazing season. Here you are, fresh off the championship game. It was just an incredible season. And all of this was also coming on the heels of your appointment as president just a few months or so ago. So you have had quite the ride already.
Allison Howard:
Yes, I certainly have. And while I certainly wish I could take an iota of credit about the success on the team, that definitely goes to Cammy and Coach and all of the players and the rest of the technical staff downstairs. But it has been just amazing. As you said, I just started here this summer, moved here from Los Angeles. It really has been a very smooth transition. I'm married, I have two boys, one in the fifth grade, one in the seventh grade, and Kansas City just opened up its arms to me and my family, and it's been really, really good so far.
Kelly Scanlon:
Nothing you said there surprises me, it's just part of that Kansas City and Midwest hospitality. And I'm really glad to hear that you have gotten off to a great start, you and your family both. And speaking of starts, the season got off to a rocky start, a losing record at a tie game I think. But then you go on a 13-game winning run. What do you think sparked all that?
Allison Howard:
I think there's a couple of things. One, if you really want to dive into some of the specifics, the season took us for a bit of a loop, the start of the season, because our roster was very different than what we had expected it to be. So that's really where the credit goes again to our GM, Cammy, and our Coach, Matt Potter and the rest of the technical staff for being able to make adjustments really quick with every game and get us into a much better situation that obviously we got all the way to the championship game just about 10 days ago.
And the thing that isn't as talked about, or maybe doesn't get as much credit, is the training center. We moved in here in June. And I was here along with our owners, Angie and Chris, to show it to the players before we opened it up to the public. And Brittany, another one of our co-owners couldn't make it.
But I distinctly remember Angie and I were kind of in the back corner waiting for them to come in, and just loved seeing their expressions. I mean, there were tears, there were jokes, there was laughter, there was hugs, there was everything that you can imagine. And it's because these players were finally getting what they have deserved their whole life. And oftentimes, what is absolutely expected in male sports, in high school, in college, certainly in professional. And so it was just incredibly rewarding to see the looks on their faces.
I think them getting in here, seeing the commitment that ownership was making to them because we believe that they deserved it, we believed in them, was the extra motivation that literally gave them something every day, every week. And it allowed us, it's kind of like the 12th player I think, on the field.
Kelly Scanlon:
Yeah, it's a great way of putting it. But that investment, as you say, that was that spark that lifted them up, as you said, got them to the championship game. That was a huge feat in itself. Nobody expected that at all going into the start of the season, and everyone would've loved to have taken the championship. But you still made history. I mean, you came in there as the first number five seed to make it to the title match. And that turnaround and the training facility that you just described and helping to spark that turnaround, that's just incredible.
Allison Howard:
I think it's exactly what you said. I mean, we would've loved to win, because by the way, we had a great celebration planned. But to be honest, I was there, I got to DC on Thursday. And walking around seeing so much teal that had taken over in DC, getting text messages from people that were on flights from Kansas City to Chicago. And they weren't even coming to the game. And they're like, "Half of my plane is wearing teal, Allison."
And then walking around DC and seeing the Teal Town takeover, in DC, right? And I felt like before we even kicked off, we already won. And if you're here in Kansas City, you saw Union Station, you saw all of downtown, you saw all of the flags all over the city, you saw the lights. I mean, we sold out Union Station. We had to tell people, "If you didn't reserve a spot, unfortunately, we can't take you." There was that many people that wanted to be a part and be together with other Current fans and just cheer this team on. And it was just incredibly special.
And our time is coming for sure. We plan to raise many, many championships for this city, but we were just thrilled with how far we came in really a very short amount of time.
Kelly Scanlon:
Absolutely. I mean, the city is bleeding teal now, not just in the colors that they wear, but in the enthusiasm for the team. And as you say, that's not going to go any place but up. So congratulations on such a wonderful season.
Getting to the playoffs and then to the championship game obviously brought a lot of attention to the team. You just described some of that. Really put a spotlight on them. And it probably attracted a lot of people who really hadn't been paying a lot of attention prior to that. Even if they were, they still might not know how professional women's soccer came to Kansas City, who was involved, what were the circumstances. So can you just provide a little bit of that history or that chronological progression?
Allison Howard:
Yeah, absolutely. And I think your listeners will really be interested in it because it just talks about the heart and soul that's behind this city, or that's behind this club, which is Kansas City. So Angie and Chris Long, long-term residents here. Angie grew up here, went to school, was born here. And they were in France in 2019 for the Women's World Cup. And they were watching the games. And they A, were just electrified by the ridiculous amount of fans and crowds that were cheering during the Women's World Cup.
But the other thing is the big screens and the broadcasters kept panning back to Power and Light. So of all of the places in the entire country, the broadcasters kept going back to Power and Light because the fans were so rabid and they couldn't get enough, and they were cheering and they were joyful and they were having the best time. And so that being just big, true Kansas Citians, Angie and Chris looked at each other and said, "We got to figure out a way how to do this. We got to bring this to Kansas City."
And the reality is they were bringing it back because there was a team in Kansas City, as many people know. It moved to Utah and it was in Utah in 2019. And the Longs came back to the United States, started to make connections with the league, in just voicing what they wanted to do, some of their visions. And then about a year later, an opportunity came up where that Utah team was available to be moved.
And so it was just the synergies, the sun and the moon and the stars were all aligned. That was December of 2020. In fact, we're coming up. And this is the other thing, we're not even two years in this market.
Kelly Scanlon:
No, you're not. So young and already you've got a championship game under your belt. Yeah.
Allison Howard:
We are such babies when it comes to the rest of the sporting teams that are here in the city. And the team officially came here December 6th and three months later we were playing and just kind of putting everything together as fast as we can. I wasn't here at the time, but everybody was just working really, really hard that was a part of the club at the time, to make sure that literally a soccer ball was going to be able to be kicked on time for the season to open.
There was a lot of learnings that year. And if you know Angie and Chris, you know they work very quick. They are very smart and they are very purposeful. And they just started going very quick into motion with opening up this training center as well as putting the plans into motion for the first soccer stadium of its kind, purpose-built for women, which will be the anchor tenant there. But there will be another 40, 50 different events. And it's the first stadium of its kind in the world. There's not a more perfect market to do it in than Kansas City.
Kelly Scanlon:
Why do you say that? Why do you say Kansas City is the best place this could have been built?
Allison Howard:
Well, because I think that there's a couple of things. One, we have the most rabid sports fans. And Kansas City is a city with people that have a bit of a chip on their shoulder in the best way possible. And even in me moving here, I grew up in the Midwest, in Michigan, my husband's from Chicago, but we lived in LA for over 20 years. And Kansas City can and has been referenced as the flyover state. Some people I have found think that's fine because I don't want you to move here. I want to keep Kansas City, Kansas City. And then other people are like, "Oh yeah, let me show you why it should come and visit."
And then you come here and you realize the food is amazing, and the cost of living is amazing, and the ease. You can get anywhere in Kansas City 20, 25 minutes. And that is huge. What it allows is people to do so much more than just their job. They can really get invested in their communities. And that's been one thing that has really blown me away in getting to know so many people in the city is how invested they are, how many different boards they sit on, how many different community projects they're volunteering on, how involved they are in their kids' school. It's just thing upon thing upon thing. And you can do it because you're not stuck in a car for two hours a day.
Kelly Scanlon:
Right. You have more time for it. I want to go back to the stadium itself. As you mentioned, there's many wonderful reasons why Kansas City is a perfect place for this purpose-built stadium for North American women's professional soccer. Talk to us more about what it's going to look like, how it's going to be used other than for the games. It's going to be a real central part of the community on an ongoing basis. So tell us about some of that.
Allison Howard:
So you hit the nail on the head. Whenever I talk about the stadium, one of the first things that I love mentioning is this truly is a stadium for the community. So you can count on about 20 NWSL events on an annual basis. But we are going to have concerts. We are going to work ahead of, obviously we are also proud to be having the World Cup come in 2026, but FIFA wants to have other competitions, U20 U17. We are going to work with the NCAA to bring all sorts of every sporting event that could happen, men's and women's, can take place. That's another great thing about a soccer field is it can have lacrosse, it can have field hockey, it can even have American football, and rugby, all sorts of these great sports. And we want to host all those there. High school state championships. I mean, at 11,500, an outdoor stadium, it really is fitting a sweet spot for this city.
And that's just the things that are happening on the pitch of course. I mean, if you come to our games, you see littles to grandparents. And we see all sorts of being able to where people want to sit in accordance to what they can afford. So we have a section where for under $20 a ticket, you can be a season ticket member. Or if you want a suite, which is a six-figure annual commitment, we only have four left, by the way, so they have been very successful, you can come and have a very bespoke food and beverage experience with us for those games. And everything in between. We have this very unique bunker suite space that is just beautiful. And your ticket for that includes all top end food and beverage. Megan and Colby Garrelts are going to be curating the food. We could not be more excited to have them from Rye, of course. We're working with Levy Concessions on just what the food experience is going to be.
And we want to host and open up the suites or the Bunker Club for Lunch and Learns with the city, job fairs, health and wellness expos. We want 5Ks and fundraisers to start from the stadium because you're right, it is going to be the start of a redeveloped area. And of course the stadium is the first anchor point, but we have a whole entertainment district that's going to be built. And that is super exciting to us as well. There's already a hotel under construction, but there's going to be commercial space and retail space and bars and restaurants. And the street car extension is going to end just a couple of short blocks away from us in 2025. And making it really easy to get there is also a really, really big thing that we're focused on too.
Kelly Scanlon:
So the stadium will be right there, right at the center of all this. You'll be a convener on multiple levels, a gathering place, as you said, for people of all ages, and for multiple types of uses. And once you're there, the experience you just described sounds phenomenal. But let's talk now about the fact that this is the first, very first purpose-built stadium for North American women's professional soccer. What do you think that a stadium like this is going to do to raise the significance of women's professional soccer?
Allison Howard:
Yeah, I think it has a huge significance, to be honest. I mean, the support that has really rallied and completely snowballed behind women's sports in that momentum. We are on just some tremendous headwinds right now where we are able to really get people to understand why they need to invest and how they can invest. There's so many different ways to support. I mean, of course we're out in the marketplace right now talking naming rights partners and founding partners. You are telling the story of why you're doing this. And to see her, to be her, and so showcasing these women in ways that we don't even think twice about it when it comes to men's sports. And kind of breaking that barrier down and holding men's sports to the same accountability as women's sports. And the conversations have just gotten a lot easier now.
So it's really, really important because I think what we're doing is we're raising the bar in all of sports, not just women's sports, but we're giving women's sports a big platform of where and how to look.
Kelly Scanlon:
I want to go back to you, Allison. You mentioned you grew up in the Midwest, in Michigan. Your husband lived in Chicago, grew up there. And then you both lived in LA for 20 years. So when you got this offer after being with the Los Angeles Lakers, after being involved with Special Olympics and in other ways with women in sports, what made you say maybe it's time to go back? What attracted you to come back here?
Allison Howard:
Well, I think there was a couple of things. One, without question, it's this project, and it's Angie and Chris and Brittany and their dedication to doing all of the right things for the right reasons. So in sports, there definitely can be a tendency to just look at revenue as the number one focus, and that's not what we're doing here. We are building a player-first club. And that was very important to me to be able to really align with some owners that just got it. And I will tell you, for first time owners, Angie, Chris, and Brittany act like they have been born into this. They really understand. They really want to do things for the right reasons, and that was really important.
Kelly Scanlon:
You talk about things moving fast. Two years is all it took, and you're in the championship game. You mentioned how Angie and Chris and Brittany just use all their energy and focus on getting a soccer ball out there, as you said, just so they could be able to kick it for the first game. And just so much has been packed into these first two short years. Where does the team go from here? What do you see coming up in the next year, the next five years?
Allison Howard:
Well, I think there's a couple of things. One, gosh, you're right, the time has gone by so fast. I feel like I've been here 37 seconds and then I feel like I've been here like five years at the same time. Because again, the city is just so welcoming. But we have a lot of work to do, Kelly. We have a lot of work to do. We want to make sure that we're doing things right. What's our marketing strategy over the next three months of making sure that people that don't know about us do know about us? Because what we do know is if we get you to a game, it's not going to be your last game. Our facts, our data all show us that. In fact, we get you to a first game, it's a higher percentage than not that we're going to convert you to a season ticket member even after one game. That is how inviting and enticing and exciting our games are.
And then of course, you do want to be a season ticket member now for 2023 because it's going to put you in a better position to secure tickets for 2024 when we are in the stadium. And we will be sold out of that stadium. And it does seat 11,500. We can have plans to increase that in the future, which I think that's going to be what we run into, but it's not going to be right away. We want to be able to make sure that we show all of the world that this can be successful. And I think that that starts with having sellouts with every single game and having a really robust community plan where the community really does feel like the stadium is theirs, where our community really does feel like Kansas City Current is supporting them.
Kelly Scanlon:
You've talked about a lot of different things that are going on at the stadium, in the stadium. You've given us a really good argument for why people should be following the team, their performance has actually done that, and why we should come out to see them in person. So if people want more information about what's coming up, about what's going on, what's the best way to follow the team?
Allison Howard:
Our website is kccurrentstadium.com, and that is a really good way to stay in touch with us and we can stay in touch with you. And then as well as our social media handles. I got to give a lot of credit. Our social media is just the best, absolutely, and without question, in the league, but really in all of sports. We do a really good job. We have a lot of fun. And that's KC Current.
Those are really great ways to also just get a taste of who we are and what we represent and the fun that we have and who our players are, and a really good taste of what you can expect to get in the spring when hopefully everybody comes to our games at Children's Mercy Park for the last year before we move into our stadium in 2024.
Kelly Scanlon:
Allison, thank you so much. Thank you to the Longs, to Brittany Mahomes, and all that you are doing to not just raise the profile of women's professional soccer, which is hugely important, but also to use the KC Current brand for good in the community. Thank you so much for all your work in that regard. We really appreciate having you on today.
Allison Howard:
Thanks so much, Kelly.
Joe Close:
This is Joe Close, President of Country Club Bank. Thank you to Allison Howard for being our guest on this episode of Banking on KC. Congratulations to the entire KC Current organization on such an amazing year. During their short existence, they've made it to the NWSL's Championship game. And in yet another first for Kansas City, they broke ground on the first purpose-built stadium for North American women's professional soccer. Allison notes, "It will truly be a stadium for the community where people throughout the region can convene not just for soccer games, but also for other sporting events, Lunch and Learns, job fairs, health and wellness expose, and fundraisers, just to name a few."
As a family-owned Kansas City Bank that values community, we're excited to see KC Current using their brand to foster engagement and to strengthen the community. Thanks for tuning in this week. We're banking on you, Kansas City. Country Club Bank, member FDIC.