KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Given the consistent success and attendance out of the men’s and women’s Big 12 Tournaments, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark announced that the conference will extend its contract with Kansas City, Missouri, through 2031.
Along with the extension of the Big 12 Tournament, Yormark also announced that the Big 12 Soccer Championship would also take place in Kansas City. The newly constructed CPKC Stadium will play host to the Big 12 Championship for the next two seasons.
Throughout Yormark’s press conference, he reiterated how important Kansas City was to the conference.
“Kansas City has played a critical role in the history of the Big 12,” Yormark said.
Yormark’s first season as the commissioner of the conference saw him attend the Big 12 Tournament for the first time. From that moment on, Yormark made it his mission to keep the tournament in Kansas City.
Not only was the atmosphere perfect, Yormark could not imagine the tournament being anywhere else but Kansas City.
“It felt like my home away from home,” Yormark said.
Along with the fan devotion and strong acceptance of the new changes, talks of extensions came for the right reasons at the right time, according to Yormark. He said it was an easy decision to keep it in the T-Mobile Center through 2031 and possibly years to come.
Not only was Yormark excited to extend the Big 12’s relationship with Kansas City, the mayor also expressed his love of the conference.
“We look forward to not only having a relationship with the Big 12 for several years to come, but certainly I expect for a lifetime,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said.
Given the new additions to the Big 12, especially with their locations, Kansas City acts as a hub for the conference. Although more schools will have to make longer trips, Yormark made it clear that Kansas City is still the best place for the conference to call home.
“We truly look forward to doubling down here in Kansas City and calling this our home,” Yormark said.
Along with calling Kansas City home for basketball, the Big 12 also made it home for soccer as well.
Yormark announced that the Big 12 Soccer Championship would be moving to Kansas City for the next two years. He reached an agreement with the Kansas City Current to use the CPKC Stadium for the championship.
The Big 12 Soccer Championship will also be the first event that is not a Current game to take place in the stadium.
“CPKC Stadium is more than just the home for the Kansas City Current,” Kansas City Current President Raven Jemison said.
The deal with CPKC Stadium came to fruition due to the success of the Big 12 men’s and women’s Basketball Tournaments.
“Over the years, we’ve demonstrated how Kansas City rallies around basketball for the Big 12 Conference, and I know our fans are going to show up for soccer in an impressive way this fall,” President of the Kansas City Sports Commission Kathy Nelson said in a statement.
Given Yormark’s willingness to do anything he can to benefit the conference, and the constant moves and changes Yormark looks for, there could still be more in the works in the near future.
