Chiefs to Unveil Unique Youth Football Field at Team Practice Facility in the Fall of 2008

Apr 19, 2008, 9:03:38 AM

The Kansas City Chiefs have announced that they will break ground this summer on a youth football field to be located at the team’s newly renovated practice facility. Erected in the shadows of Arrowhead Stadium, this project will provide area youth football teams with a field unlike any other in the Metro Area. This new Sprinturf youth football field will also become just the second of its kind located at an NFL team’s official training facility. Between the state-of-the-art Sprinturf playing surface and field’s location, it will enable all youth to dream big and feel as though they are a part of the Chiefs themselves.

“The Kansas City Chiefs sincerely believe that youth athletics and specifically youth football are essential to the healthy growth and development of young student-athletes,” said Chiefs President Carl Peterson. “Youth sports provide an opportunity for our future athletes and leaders from all backgrounds that enrich both this city and county. In the coming years, we will continue to work hard to promote and expand youth sports, especially football, in Kansas City.”

The outdoor field will rest adjacent to the team’s two practice fields. However, the youth field will have features that will enhance the experience of both the participants and the spectators. The facility will eventually include a scoreboard, bleachers, and restrooms that will be accessible in the Chiefs new, expanding indoor practice facility.

It is anticipated that the field will be completed in time to host metro-area youth football activities this fall. More than 10,000 youth football players may be slated to participate on this field in its first year of operation. Youth organizations already committed to utilize the field include Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, Heart of America Pop Warner, Kansas City Pop Warner, the Kansas City Missouri School District, and the Police Athletic League.

Sprinturf is the Official Turf Supplier of the Kansas City Chiefs. “We are honored to have formed a partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs organization and look forward to working with them in the future. This relationship is a great example of our continued support and commitment to the sport of football,” noted Stanley H. Greene, president and CEO of Sprinturf.

With the addition of this field, the Chiefs organization has now donated nearly $1.5 million for metro-area field refurbishments and/or construction in the past decade. Needless to say, the promotion of safe playing environments that afford more children the ability to participate in youth football is a focus of the team. Other groups receiving grants thanks to the Chiefs include: Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, Central High School, 12th Street Heritage, Northland, Derrick Thomas Academy, Bishop Ward High School, and Hickman Mills C-1 School District.

The Chiefs efforts to promote and expand youth football are at the forefront of the organization’s focus to improve youth sports and academics in Kansas City. In addition to youth-field enhancements, the organization is involved with the Play it Smart, ATLAS & ATHENA, and Junior Player Development programs, just to name a few. As a result of their unparalleled commitment to the development of youth football in the Kansas City area, the Chiefs received the Pop Warner-AFC Team of the Year Award in 2005.

-THE CHIEFS WAY, JOIN OUR TEAM-