Key Takeaways
- Around 120 players ages 8 to 10 across eight teams will play through Aug. 29 at no cost to families, according to The Kansas City Star.
- CVS Health is the presenting partner, with U.S. Soccer, the Kansas State Youth Soccer Association, the state of Missouri and United Way of Greater Kansas City also supporting.
- Uniforms, shin guards and new Nike cleats are provided free, replacing the piecemeal fees one parent described as $20 and $60 charges stacking up.
- Coaches receive stipends and teens as young as 14 can get certified as referees, funded in part by an NWSL grant.
The Kansas City Current opened its No-Cost, No-Barrier Soccer League on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the 9th & Van Brunt Athletic Fields Park in Kansas City’s historic Northeast neighborhoods. The National Women’s Soccer League club is covering the full cost of participation for roughly 120 players ages 8 to 10, spread across eight teams, with the season running through Aug. 29, The Kansas City Star reported.
Players arrived to Current-branded uniforms, shin guards and new Nike cleats, all supplied by the league at no charge.
CVS Health and U.S. Soccer Anchor the Funding
The league is presented by CVS Health, which leads the partner group alongside U.S. Soccer. Additional support comes from the Kansas State Youth Soccer Association, the state of Missouri and local charities including United Way of Greater Kansas City, per the report.
That partner stack is what makes the price point possible. Rather than charging registration and equipment fees, the Current is routing corporate, federation, state and philanthropic dollars into a single free program with a defined roster size and a defined calendar.
The eight teams draw from community organizations already operating in the neighborhood, including Estrella De Oro, Guadalupe Centers and Mattie Rhodes Center. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Missouri Senator Barbara Washington, Current co-founders Angie and Chris Long, and NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman all spoke at the opening ceremony.
How Much Does Youth Soccer Actually Cost Families?
The Star’s reporting puts a number on the barrier the program is designed to remove. Daniel Hernandez, a Kansas City, Kansas, parent whose 9-year-old daughter Ruby plays, described the fee structure at her previous club as a series of small charges that added up: $20 here, $20 there, $40 somewhere else, and $60 for a uniform.
“So this is a huge difference, actually,” Hernandez told The Star.
For families with more than one player, the math compounds. Kendra Guerrero has two younger children, 5-year-old Raúl and 9-year-old Ximena, following an older brother into the sport.
Why the Current Picked the Northeast
The club selected the neighborhood after consulting local youth soccer organizations about where the need was greatest, and the answer kept pointing to the 9th and Van Brunt turf fields, which reopened roughly one year ago following a $3 million renovation.
“There’s a ton of youth soccer organizations probably where we could have partnered with, but this just wouldn’t seem special because so much investment had been put into this area,” Ben Aken, the Current’s vice president of community relations, told The Star. “This neighborhood probably doesn’t get as much attention as it needs.”
The program also puts money into the adults and teenagers around the game. Coaches, typically volunteers in leagues like this one, receive a stipend. A referee program certifies teens as young as 14, with the goal that neighborhood teens earn early paychecks officiating matches. Berman, who spent 13 years at the NHL as deputy general counsel and vice president of community development, helped secure a grant supporting that referee program.
Aken said soccer is the entry point, and the club intends to use its charity partners to connect families with additional resources, with school-focused partnerships planned next.
Berman’s Ask: Get the Rest of the NWSL to Copy It
The commissioner used the ceremony to frame the league as a template rather than a one-off. She said she hopes NWSL clubs replicate the no-cost model, arguing it feeds the American talent pipeline while doing community work that outlasts any single season.
“We know that investing in communities is what will leave a legacy that lasts far beyond any of us in our lifetimes,” Berman said.
Missouri Senator Barbara Washington traced the idea back to a 2022 meeting with DePrice Taylor, the Current’s executive director of community relations, about free soccer access on Kansas City’s Eastside. Her reference point at the time was the St. Louis Blues and their free youth hockey try-it events. Four years later, 120 kids are on the turf at Van Brunt, and the first test of whether the model travels comes when the season ends on Aug. 29.
Source: The Kansas City Star, PJ Green, July 11, 2026, https://www.kansascity.com/sports/soccer/kc-current/article316445458.html
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The Kansas City Current launched a no-cost youth soccer league for 120 kids, backed by CVS Health and U.S. Soccer. Here is how the model works.
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