Sporting Kansas City Youth Soccer is excited to announce the addition of Sporting City West, a new Academy Affiliate and competitive youth soccer club that will primarily serve players and families in West Olathe, Lenexa, Shawnee and surrounding communities in Kansas City, Kansas.
“I couldn’t be more elated to officially announce the addition of Sporting City West to the Sporting Club Network and Academy Affiliate program,” said Dan Popik, Sporting KC Vice President of Youth Business Development. “This is an exciting project and a special opportunity for Sporting KC to create a club in a fantastic and growing soccer area of the metro from the ground up.”
Sporting City West will debut during the 2021-2022 season, featuring boys and girls teams at the U-8 (2014) through U-12 (2010) levels. The competitive club will expand its age group offerings each season moving forward. Tryouts for the 2021-2022 season will be held June 8-9, 2021.
“We are launching Sporting City West with younger age groups because in the first year of the club’s existence, we want to create a foundation to build upon,” said Popik, a former director at North Carolina FC Youth, the largest youth to pro club in the country. “The expectation is to instill the club culture and to set high standards in player development, coaching education, club management and member services.”
Sporting City West will be a professionally managed club focusing on a player development model that inspires each player to reach their full potential both on and off the field.
“I’m looking forward to working with the technical staff for Sporting City West,” said Nathan Hunt, Sporting KC Director of Coaching, Academy Affiliates. “Being able to assist and guide the club in building a player first environment from scratch will be a rewarding opportunity for us here at Sporting Kansas City. On behalf of the Academy Affiliate program, I welcome Sporting City West to the family of clubs.”
Sporting City West will be committed to providing all players with knowledgeable and certified team coaches at all levels. The club will seek to hire coaches who are committed to their own personal development as leaders and educators.
“We will be announcing our full-time Director of Coaching (DOC) later this week, which will demonstrate our commitment to being a club that prioritizes player development and coaching education," Popik said. "This individual is a U.S. Soccer A License coach with over 20 years of experience as a DOC, Executive Director, and most recently as an MLS Next Academy Director. Additionally, this individual is currently a U.S. Soccer Youth National Team scout and a staff member for the U.S. Soccer National Coaching Education program.”
In addition to the on-field component, there will be a great emphasis at Sporting City West to offer its members the highest level of organization, customer service and professionalism. Along with announcing the club’s Director of Coaching at the end of the week, Sporting City West will also announce its full-time club administrator.
“Sporting City West future families will feel valued and experience a professional environment off the field that consistently keeps its members informed, educated and updated on club and team news,” Popik said.
Sporting City West will train at the state-of-the-art Compass Minerals Sporting Fields in Kansas City, Kansas, and Garmin Olathe Soccer Complex in Olathe, Kansas. All teams will compete in the Heartland Soccer League, and the U-12 (2010) boys team will have the opportunity to play in the Sporting Development League, a no-cost competitive league consisting of Academy Affiliate clubs from across the region as well as the Sporting KC Academy. To learn more about the Sporting Development League, click here.
The addition of Sporting City West builds on the recent success of the Sporting Recreation League at Compass Minerals Sporting Fields and Garmin Olathe Soccer Complex. The Sporting Recreation League will be the official recreation league for Sporting City West. To learn more about the Sporting Recreation League, click here.
Sporting City West continues the expansion of the Sporting Kansas City Academy Affiliate program in an effort to collectively provide more resources and support toward growing the game and supporting player and coach development in the region.
In the coming weeks, Sporting City West will announce its full-time club leadership, coaching staff, tryout schedule and additional information. New content will be published regularly on the club’s website at www.sportingcw.com, where current information is now available. For more, please email admin@sportingcw.com or access the links below.
- Interested coaches: click here
- Interested players: click here
- Join the mailing list: click here
Additionally, families can follow Sporting City West’s new social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
- Twitter: @sportingcw
- Instagram: @sportingcitywest
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sportingcw
