The architectural firm Populous was commissioned to renovate the Sporting Kansas City soccer team’s stadium. Figueras seats were chosen for the VIP areas, the Club area and the locker rooms, which were specially customized with the team’s crest and colors based on standard Figueras models.
| Project Name: | Children’s Mercy Park – Sporting Kansas City |
| Year of Development: | 2011 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Location: | Kansas City, KS |
| Installed Seats: | Megaseat 9113, Megaseat 9036 |
| Capacity: | 18.467 |
| Segments: | Stadiums & Arenas |
| Venues: | Stadiums & Arenas |
| Architecture Studio: | Jeffrey Spear, Populous |
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When the owners of Sporting Kansas City decided to reinvent their stadium, they wanted something radically different that would change the notion of soccer stadium design. They commissioned the Populous studio to create a modern, yet intimate stadium, with the largest pitch in the English Premier League.
The personality of a stadium is portrayed clearly by its seating, and in this case each type of seat has very defined characteristics in line with its projected use. Standard Figueras models, specially personalized for Sporting Kansas City, served as the basis for the seating in this stadium’s VIP areas, Club area and changing rooms.
The seats are spacious, hard-wearing, sport the corporate colors and are mostly fitted with a head-rest and cup holder. The specific seating layout at the Sporting Kansas City stadium is as follows:
Lastly, and as a clear example of the specific features the seats can have, is the changing-room. In a semi-circle and facing each player’s box, the Megaseat 9113 has been personalized to rotate and recline, thus enabling players to choose whatever position they prefer at any given time, whether for resting, listening to the coach, or chatting amongst themselves. The rotation is achieved by means of the RT base, which turns 360º. The seat incorporates a USB port for players’ electronic devices such as music players and laptops.
The elegance of the changing-room equipped with this Premium model, as well as the seat’s particular features, without doubt puts the finishing touch to a stadium which, starting with its façade, is a tribute to soccer players and denotes a resolve to put them on an equal footing with players of other more popular sports in the United States, such as baseball and American football.
