Kansas City Current, U.S. Soccer’s Soccer Forward Foundation Celebrates Activation at Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy

KANSAS CITY (Oct. 28, 2025) — The Kansas City Current and U.S. Soccer’s Soccer Forward Foundation celebrated a multifaceted community activation at Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy (KCGPA) Monday afternoon. United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) players Emma Sears and Kennedy Wesley, USWNT and Kansas City Current player Ally Sentnor and Olympic gold medalist Staci Wilson, a USWNT alum, joined the festivities to lead an inspiring day of soccer, health and empowerment.

The event at KCGPA featured interactive stations focused on the holistic well-being of over 100 fifth through eighth grade KCGPA students. The students also helped pack hundreds of hygiene kits in collaboration with Giving the Basics, a Kansas City-based nonprofit that provides personal care products to those in need. Participants received giveaways tied to the theme of the event, including sports bras and menstrual health products.

“Partnering with Soccer Forward for this community activation at Kansas City Girls Prep was a powerful way to highlight the power of sport for all,” said Ben Aken, Vice President of Community Relations for the Kansas City Current. “With the USWNT making its first visit to CPKC Stadium, we wanted to ensure local students had the chance to engage with these elite athletes and showcase KC Current’s newest mini-pitch in Kansas City.”

KCGPA is the site of the Kansas City Current’s fourth mini-pitch in the Kansas City Metro and was formally unveiled Aug. 6. The Current’s mini-pitches further the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Safe Places to Play Program, which aims to create 1,000 mini-pitches across the country by 2026. Over 800 mini-pitches have already been built nationally, providing children with safe, accessible places to play in their own neighborhoods.

Monday’s event featured small-sided soccer games led by Kansas City Current representatives and a feminine hygiene education session with Giving the Basics. Representatives from U.S. Soccer’s Research and Innovation Group, who work directly with the USWNT, and Soccer Forward collaborated to lead sessions on women and girls’ health and soccer-based educational activities.

“When girls have access to the game, they gain more than just soccer skills; They gain confidence, belonging, and belief in what’s possible,” said Lex Chalat, Executive Director of the Soccer Forward Foundation. “Partnerships like this one with the Kansas City Current and Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy show how we can use soccer to empower the next generation and help every girl feel strong, seen, and supported on and off the field.”

The event coincided with the USWNT’s stop in Kansas City ahead of the team’s historic first match at CPKC Stadium, the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team. The USWNT faces New Zealand Wednesday night at 7 p.m. CT. The match will broadcast on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max in English, on Universo and Peacock in Spanish and on the radio on Westwood One Sports and FDP Spanish Radio.

Limited tickets for Wednesday’s match are available for purchase HERE.  Photos from the event can be found HERE.