It’s a good time to be a Kansas City sports fan: Sporting KC won their third trophy in four seasons just a few months ago, the Royals are MLB's World Series champions, and the Chiefs are coming off their first playoff victory in 22 years.
In short, the sports scene in KC is blowing up, and Sporting are looking to tap into that fervor with a new business venture in the city’s Power & Light District. They call it an “entertainment concept,” but most of us might know it as a sports bar.
Announced on Tuesday, No Other Pub – a play on KC supporters heralded “No Other Club” chant – aims to further enmesh the team’s presence in one of the city’s favorite gathering places for sports fans.
Targeted squarely at the millennial sports fan (look no further than free Wi-Fi and smartphone chargers), No Other Pub will include a social lounge offering a wide selection of local craft beers, a gaming parlor, and – of course – a large sports bar that will include a 10-foot-by-15-foot video wall.
The new bar will screen all Sporting KC home and away matches and serve as the new home for watch parties hosted by Sporting fans. For those supporters looking forward to a day at the stadium, the club will offer discounts and other exclusive benefits during SKC matches and serve as a transportation hub before and after matches at Chidren’s Mercy Park.
The Power & Light District is a shopping and entertainment district near the heart of Kansas City that has served as a favored destination for sports fans, who have packed it in to witness Sporting and MLB’s Kansas City Royals make their memorable championship runs, as well as World Cup watch parties for the 2010 and 2014 tournaments.
“Our club has celebrated many special moments at Power & Light in recent years, including the announcement of the rebrand in 2010,” said Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman, in a team statement. "On that day, we stated our desire for Sporting Kansas City to become a true cultural brand for our fans. The opening of No Other Pub is a natural extension for us. We are excited to create more memorable experiences at P&L and expand our brand to more people in a new environment."
While the concept of a soccer bar isn't exactly new, the team-owned bar concept is much rarer, though one notable example is The Rowdies Den, a bar opened at the beginning of 2015 by the NASL's Tampa Bay Rowdies to help serve their teams' fans, especially on away days. However you feel about the idea, Sporting KC have made a strong play in the perpetual quest to win millennial hearts and minds.
