The Royals’ planned downtown stadium may be grabbing the spotlight, but one of the biggest pieces of the deal is still taking shape behind the scenes: a youth sports complex, backed by millions in long-term funding, and a push from east side advocates to make sure it lands in Kansas City’s 3rd District.
On Aug. 20, the KCMO City Council approved an ordinance giving the city manager authority to carry out legally binding agreements, including a funding agreement with the Kansas City Royals. The team is aiming for a May 2027 groundbreaking on the new downtown stadium, and part of the city’s negotiations with team owners included an investment in Kansas City youth.
Councilwoman Melissa Patterson-Hazley earlier this year brought together a youth sports task force, and she said the Royals committed to an upfront $5 million investment in youth sports, plus $5 million each year for the next 30 years for a youth sports complex. A site selection process is now underway.
For Sharlonda Riley, vice president of the East 23rd St. PAC Neighborhood Association, the conversation immediately turned to the east side.
"My mind automatically shifted to the 3rd District," Riley said. "We do have a lot of youth in our area. We would love to see something so major be invested in an area where there is a lot of de-investment."
The neighborhood association, founded in 1996 by Riley’s grandmother, Joyce Riley, has been hoping for a youth center in the area for 30 years. One possible site is a large parcel of land across from the Boys and Girls Club on Elmwood, which the group believes should be on investors’ radar.
"If the east side was invested into, I believe it could change a lot for our youth. It could change how they see the world," Riley said.
She said the need is clear in a community that has dealt with the same issues for years.
"When you have an area that’s disenfranchised like our area with all the crime, all the blight, the disinvestment, the lack of education, you’re supposed to invest in that area," Riley said. "That has not been done here. The conversations we are having today are the same conversations I had 15 years ago as a teenager."
The Rileys have spent decades advocating for the neighborhood and the surrounding community, including hosting family fun days and sponsoring football camps with Chiefs players. Now, as architects and planners search for the right location, the association says the answer is already there.
"It’s time to step up and make the right decision to invest where it’s needed the most, and this would be that area," Riley said. "What comes along with that is mentorship, building better relationships, a safe place for our youth to go."
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