The service and sacrifice of military members and their families will be honored Saturday when Sporting Kansas City is host to the second annual Sporting Salutes at Children’s Mercy Park.
Held in partnership with Kansas and Missouri military units, Sporting Salutes is a comprehensive military appreciation night recognizing the sacrifices of service personnel and their families across all branches of the United States Armed Forces. The event will run in conjunction with Saturday’s home match against Minnesota United FC at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available via SeatGeek.com.
With approximately 140,000 military veterans living in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Sporting Salutes will give Sporting KC and its supporters the opportunity to express gratitude to those who have served the country.
The first 10,000 fans to arrive at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday will receive a camouflage-colored bandana, and all in attendance are invited to wear camo in support of military service members and their families.
After entering through the stadium gates under camouflage netting, fans will have the opportunity to explore military vehicles from the Kansas National Guard. Supporters will also be able to visit SportingStyle locations to purchase a variety of camo merchandise, including the limited-edition camo training tee and the scarf of the match. The Sporting Salutes camo training tee is available now for matchday preorder at SportingStyle.com.
Military-themed videoboard graphics will be on display inside Children’s Mercy Park before and during the match, with camo corner flags, captain’s armbands and jersey lettering extending the theme onto the field.
Sporting KC players will participate during warmups by wearing camo training tops featuring the names of 18 local World War II veterans. These veterans are but a small fraction of the millions of men and women that served during the trying war years from 1941-1945.
Eleven of the World War II veterans will be in attendance at Children’s Mercy Park and formally honored on the field during a pre-match ceremony, with each of their names shown separately on a pregame training tee worn by the 11 players in Sporting KC’s starting lineup. Sporting KC partnered with Patriotfeatures.org, which identified and brought the veterans to the club.
Saturday’s National Anthem will be performed by a military veteran, accompanied by a stadium flyover featuring five aircrafts from Whiteman Air Force Base.
In addition, the Victory Suite at Children’s Mercy Park will host Col. Roger Donlon – the first Medal of Honor recipient for the Vietnam War – as well as the Gold Star Family of First Lt. Ben Colgan, who died during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 at the age of 30. Colgan’s wife and three daughters are among the thousands of Gold Star Families who have lost an immediate family member serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Sporting KC also will serve as host for commanders and representatives from military bases across Kansas and Missouri, including Whiteman Air Force Base, Ft. Riley, Ft. Leavenworth, the Kansas National Guard and the Missouri National Guard.
– Story from Sporting KC