Dozens of students in Kansas City will get the chance to watch the World Cup from the stadium stands after receiving free tickets to some upcoming matches.
Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw announced Wednesday that Airbnb is giving 75 World Cup tickets to Kansas City Public Schools and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kansas City for students and their coaches to attend the matches.
Parks-Shaw said it's exciting that the globe is celebrating the World Cup in Kansas City, but it also has to be meaningful for the city’s neighborhoods, businesses and young people.
“I hope that what it does for you is show you the importance of hard work and dedication, and the love of the sport and the game, because that commitment will help guide you to who knows, we might have another Lionel Messi in the midst right here,” Parks-Shaw said.
Jonathan Buckner, a public policy manager for Airbnb, said hosting the World Cup is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for cities, and the business wanted to make sure everybody in Kansas City wins.
In April, Airbnb announced it would pitch in $100,000 to the city’s Open Doors! program to help fill vacant storefronts with local entrepreneurs ahead of the tournament. The investments are part of Airbnb’s $5 million Host City Impact Program.
Buckner said the World Cup is an economic opportunity, but it’s even more so a “human event.”
“We wanted to make sure that they had the opportunity to see what was happening at Kansas City Stadium, and see and experience everything that is going on, not just hear about it,” Buckner said.
A KCPS spokesperson said the district distributed 30 tickets to soccer coaches and student athletes from Northeast High, Central High, East High, Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts and Lincoln College Preparatory Academy.
Some students will attend Saturday’s match between Ecuador and Curaçao, and others will attend the June 27 match between Algeria and Austria.
Senior Aron Quinones-Arambula, who plays soccer for Lincoln Prep, said finding out from his coach that he’s going to the World Cup was an “out-of-world experience.” He said he’s played the sport since he was just 5 years old.
“You watch it growing up as a kid and you think it's so out of reach,” Quinones-Arambula said.
“You think you're never going to ever be in a position to go watch that type of game, and now that I'm getting to go, it just… it doesn't feel real.”
Rick Hawkins, Northeast High School’s head soccer coach, will attend one of the matches and take a couple of student athletes with him. He hopes his students are able to soak in all of the different cultures visiting Kansas City and what he calls a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Hawkins said his players are committed to the sport and would play every day if they could, but he thinks seeing a match up close will be a big motivator.
“Soccer is a sport that brings all worlds together to have fun, and so for them, I think the biggest thing is for them to actually see it in real life,” Hawkins said. “Right in their backyards, in the home of KC, and we'll use that as motivation as we go into our season.”
Dr. Jennifer Collier, the district’s superintendent, said East High School won the state championship in soccer just a few years ago. Now, she said several district teams are strong contenders for the state championship for the upcoming year.
Collier said the World Cup is an opportunity for students to experience different global cultures and be inspired by the high levels of competition among teams. But she said the free tickets also mean more to students beyond attending a match.
“These experiences remind our students that they belong on big stages, and whether that's on the field, in the classroom, in life, they are truly worthy,” Collier said.
