Dr. Tiffany Ofili Porter

On March 16, 2024, history will be made.

The KC Current Women’s Soccer Team will be unveiling one of the first stadiums built specifically for a women’s sports team and kicking off their season in the CPKC Stadium.

And during Women’s History Month at that.

This is amazing, but it particularly means a lot to me for a few reasons:

• my husband is a part of the team that worked tirelessly to help make it happen

• I’m a huge proponent of women sport
• being a girl mom makes it extra special to know the next generation will be inspired from it.

Even though I wasn’t a soccer player and have retired from sport myself, there are 3 key lessons we can learn from the creation of the KC soccer team and the building of their history making stadium:

1) It pays to be a visionary

Imagine waking up one day, buying a sports team, building it up from scratch, then taking it a step further and building a state of the art stadium specifically for women.

That’s what Chris and Angie Long did. They had a vision, made a commitment, and now we all get to enjoy amazing soccer in a world class facility. It truly is remarkable, being able to witness such greatness.

Although we may not all be able to purchase soccer teams, we can learn from Chris and Angie being pioneers and having the courage to take a leap of faith.

Being a trailblazer allows you to carve out new paths, innovate, and inspire others. We all have the ability to do this within our own lives, and I love seeing visionaries doing it on the grand scale as role models to follow.

By blazing trails, you have the opportunity to shape industries, create change, and leave a lasting impact on society. Imagine how different the world would be if every single person took bold leaps of faith.

Key lesson: never feel like your circle of influence is too small, and never doubt the impact you can make on other people’s lives.

2) There is a huge market for women’s sports

Do not believe the lie that women’s sports is dead or that investing in it is a waste of time. There is a huge market for women’s sport, and it only seems to be getting bigger.

Living in Kansas City and witnessing firsthand the excitement of the fans watching a live KC Current game really helped me to put things in perspective.

People. LOVE. Women’s. Soccer.

And the buzz is huge ahead of tomorrow’s opening game. For example, this woman in the parking garage elevator bonded with me today over the fact that we both have teal colored nail polish ahead of the game in honor of the Current’s signature team color.

Game tickets are sold out, and morale is high in support of the team, and this is a testament to the fact that women’s sport is thriving.

Thanks to title 9 prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities, we are in a place where there’s been an uptick in participation, interest, fan base, and support for women’s sport.

And I’m here for it!

Women’s sport, was, is, and will continue to be a key part of the sporting conversation. 

So what can we learn from this? Women are strong, valuable, and worthy. And we deserve seats at the proverbial table, whether that be in sport, in c suites, as business partners, or anywhere in between.

3) It’s gratifying to witness the growth of something from ground zero

When my husband and our family moved to Kansas City, everything was geared towards making opening day in the new facility a reality. He is a part of the team that worked tirelessly to ensure the first match in the first women’s stadium is a succes, and it’s gratifying to be able to see the fruits of the team’s labor. And this gratification extends to me as his wife because I am also invested in the success of the KC Current by virtue of my husband.

Jeff took the job with the KC Current to help find corporate partners, and he made a promise to uplift the mission of the team. And now, after months of hard work alongside his amazing team of colleagues, we all get to witness history in the making. It’s such a cool feeling.

I know it may be slightly different, but it feels a bit like when we were athletes, would train for months for one short race, and then look back to find great joy in the journey along the way.

A lesson here is to remember that there is satisfaction in working towards a common goal and in seeing the progress of a project from start until finish. There’s also something to be said about appreciating the people working behind the scenes to put on a great event/show because it’s often a lot harder than it looks.

I have been able to enjoy sport as an athlete, as a fan, and now as someone who sees the ins and outs of sport from an administrative perspective through the work my husband does. My admiration for women’s sports has grown tremendously, and I’m locked in with my support for the KC Current.

I respect trailblazers, women’s sport is thriving, and I feel privileged to be able to witness history on March 16th, 2024 with the Kansas City Current Women’s Soccer Team!

If you’re interested in watching the KC Current Women’s Soccer Team in action you can tune into ABC, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ on 3/16/2024 at 12pm CST as they take on the Portland Thorns.

Let’s go!


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Here’s more about the KC Current soccer team:

https://www.kansascitycurrent.com/club