Exploring the first stadium purpose-built for women's football
If a women's football team does not have their own stadium in 10 years' time, they will be at a disadvantage.
These are the words of Chris Long, co-owner of Kansas City Current, who have played at the CPKC Stadium for the past two seasons. This stadium is the world's first purpose-built ground specifically for women's football.
Another new US franchise, Denver Summit, is also constructing its own stadium, with plans to open for the 2028 season.
This raises questions about whether this is the future direction for women's football, including in the UK. Why have American teams chosen this path? How do these new stadiums differ from existing venues? To explore these questions, visited the American Midwest as the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) 2026 season began.
Why are these stadiums being built?
Kansas City has a strong connection to football, known as soccer in the US. FC Kansas City was a founding member of the NWSL in 2012 but ceased operations after the 2017 season. KC Current was established in 2021 through investment by local business leaders Angie and Chris Long, alongside Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The franchise quickly set an ambitious course, including the opening of CPKC Stadium in March 2024. With a capacity of 11,500, it ranks mid-range for average attendance. However, this figure would place them behind only Arsenal's average attendance in the Women's Super League (WSL). Unlike many UK stadiums, games in Kansas City consistently sell out.
"Our job is to create the best home advantage and make sure every seat is filled,"explains KC Current president Raven Jemison.
"That is so our opponents feel it's going to be very hard to play here."
But how does having a bespoke stadium help Kansas City achieve this?
"For so long, we talked about women's sports as nice to have, but now we want to talk about these amazing athletes,"Jemison says.
"Our business perspective is to invest in infrastructure and put a great product on the pitch. Give these world-class athletes a home they deserve."
The CPKC Stadium is the world's first stadium purpose-built for women's football.
Most US teams share facilities with other franchises, often men's teams or venues primarily used for other sports, such as NFL stadium Lumen Field for Seattle Reign. Kansas City is an exception to this trend. Denver Summit president Jen Millet believes owning a stadium makes financial sense.
"A big part of a sustainable business model is controlling revenue streams,"Millet states.
"Women have been tenants and missed out on those things – food, beverage, parking, rentals, retail. It's massively important to operate your own stadium."
Having their own venue has also enhanced KC Current's marketing strategy. Kirsten Ross, president of the official supporters' club The Blue Crew, says this has significantly raised the team's profile.
"[The club] do a really good job of ramping up when the team is playing,"she says.
"Previously, people had no idea FC Kansas City existed. Now you can't walk anywhere without knowing there's a game for KC Current."
Chris Long argues that a bespoke stadium brings out the best in players. Kansas City dominated the 2025 regular season and won the NWSL Shield by 21 points, despite losing in the play-offs.
"It's the feeling of belonging,"he says.
"If you're a tenant, the schedule isn't based on you... you put your stuff in the locker room but have to take it out because it's temporary."
Jemison adds,
"You feel like a visitor in your own home. We didn't want that."
How are these stadiums distinctive?
Denver Summit's new stadium will replace what was once a tyre factory.
Designing a stadium specifically for women's sports offers opportunities to innovate. The 14,500-seat venue in Denver will feature an intentionally open end to create what architectural firm Populous describes as a "blend of architecture, green space and community."
Senior principal at Populous, Sherri Privitera, emphasizes inclusion as a key design principle and highlights several distinctive features.
Regarding tickets, she says,
"We will have flexible seating for people to be communal and areas for children who cannot sit for three hours. It's about making it easy to enjoy the game without hassle."
On changing rooms, she notes,
"Ours will be fully private so the players feel comfortable getting ready."
Regarding facilities, Privitera adds,
"We have more toilets than we are required to and sensory rooms for mothers who are nursing or need to pump."
Kansas City president Jemison echoes these comments, emphasizing integration and ownership at CPKC Stadium.
"We want female athletes and fans in a facility that feels like it is their own, where all feel welcome,"she says.
"It is a community asset."
Despite this community focus, the atmosphere remains intense.
"It's a very loud, intimidating place,"co-owner Long adds.
"It's tight, it's intimate, it's sold out."
What challenges arise?
Everton have averaged 3,522 fans in their seven home games at Goodison Park this season, filling less than 10% of its near-40,000 capacity.
For WSL clubs considering similar moves, challenges are significant. Eleven out of twelve top-flight teams are affiliated with men's operations, with only London City Lionesses fully independent.
This has resulted in some games being played at large stadiums such as Anfield and Villa Park, but most WSL matches take place in smaller shared venues such as Leigh Sports Village for Manchester United or Crawley Town's Broadfield Stadium for Brighton.
Brighton had proposals for a purpose-built stadium approved in October 2023, but owner Tony Bloom could not provide a timeline in autumn 2023.
Even Chelsea's ground, Kingsmeadow, while owned by the club, was originally built for men's team Kingstonian before the Blues took control in 2017.
In the US, the 16 NWSL teams are independent of men's franchises, although this has evolved over time.
"When the league started, the successful teams were those tied to men's clubs as the infrastructure was there,"The Blue Crew's Russell explains.
"But by putting resources behind standalone teams, it has been proved you can be successful."
Kansas City's Jemison agrees, stating,
"There's a misconception that sport is a men's thing, but there's a whole subset of fans who love and have a real affinity for women's sport. They have been neglected for some time – but we're seeing investment now."
Investment is a major issue for WSL sides. Going independent requires substantial finances, and for clubs supported by men's team revenue, separation is a significant step.
In January, the 2025 Deloitte Rich List showed WSL sides are in a healthy revenue position, with eight clubs in the top 15 for women's clubs. This list did not include US data.
Analysis from American publication Forbes last summer indicated Kansas City led in revenue generation with $36 million (£26.6 million). This is slightly higher than European leaders Arsenal (£21.5 million) and Chelsea (£21.3 million), and well above the other six WSL clubs featured on Deloitte's list.
Recent financial accounts for 2024-25 show Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City all mention "reliance" on their parent companies for funding.
Long acknowledges the financial barriers.
"It is very expensive – and when we started up, we approached 40 banks and got 39 noes,"he says.
"You need them to believe. There were plenty of naysayers too, saying we were wasting money and just being negative. That stopped when we opened the stadium!"
What does the future hold?
Returning to the beginning, Kansas City's Chris Long is confident about the future of women's football stadiums.
"I truly believe in 10 years' time, this will be commonplace,"he says.
"It'll be absolutely critical to getting players, retaining them and being financially successful."
While this may seem distant for the WSL, architect Privitera believes the benefits of teams having their own stadiums are clear.
"It makes sense,"she says,
"financially, culturally and from a brand perspective."
