When the FIFA World Cup leaves Kansas City this summer, the renovated futsal courts unveiled by the Unified Government Parks & Recreation Department this weekend will stay. That, officials said Saturday, is the point.

Parks & Rec combined Kids to Park Day at Welborn Park with the unveiling, the centerpiece of a Sporting Kansas City partnership that adds FIFA World Cup 2026 branding to 19 futsal courts across 10 KCK parks. Commissioner Andrew Davis, whose 8th District includes Welborn, framed the upgrades as an investment meant to outlast the summer’s events.

“This is about the World Cup, but for us, it’s more than just the World Cup,” Davis said. “There are questions of what happens after the event. And the answer that we have for our residents is that we have better parks, we have better amenities, we have better infrastructure. That we’re not just doing this for one event, we’re doing this to improve our community.”

The futsal court joins a string of recent upgrades to the park. Davis pointed to a new trail and a new dog park already in place, plus an in-progress playground.

A legacy project

Parks and Recreation Director Angel Ferrara, joined by department staff and UG officials in matching teal “Kick It in KCK” shirts, picked up Davis’s framing when she closed the formal program.

Ferrara called the branded courts “a really cool legacy project for our youth in the community to enjoy, not just for the summer, but for years to come.”

Earlier, Ferrara had opened the ceremony on the same note.

“I do want to thank Sporting KC for their continued support of our youth programs and our community, and their contribution to reinvesting in these spaces, especially ahead of this summer when we’re going to be hosting the World Cup,” Ferrara said.

Ferrara noted that Mayor Christal Watson and Commissioner Melissa Bynum (At-Large 1st) were unable to attend. Commissioner Jermaine Howard (District 1) attended the ceremony.

Out of the house, into the park

County Administrator David Johnston called Welborn one of his favorite parks in the system because of its rolling-hill topography. The day’s purpose, he said, was “to get kids of all ages out of their house, off of their phones, and get active in all our public places.”

He pointed to a generational shift in American sport that has reshaped how the county invests in recreational spaces.

“In my age when I was growing up, the most popular sport in the United States was Little League baseball,” Johnston said. “Soccer is America’s most popular sport and communities have had to evolve to support that evolution in sport interest.”

Johnston credited Sporting KC, which plays at Sporting Park in KCK, as the kind of corporate partner that makes facilities like the renovated court possible.

Soccer for everyone

Chioma Atanmo, senior director for community impact with Sporting Kansas City, struck the same long-term note.

“Today is more than just about renovated futsal courts,” Atanmo said. “It’s a reminder that soccer is for everyone.”

Atanmo, who grew up playing soccer on the West Coast, turned to the format itself.

“Futsal is a unique sport because it’s in a confined space,” Atanmo said. “It allows the soccer ball to move really quickly, and it allows soccer players to develop their skills in a very unique way.”

She called the upcoming tournament “a historic moment” and “a once in a lifetime event,” and said she hopes the courts inspire the next generation of athletes and leaders in KCK.

A tourism boost

Alan Carr, executive director of Visit KCK, focused on the tourism angle. His office’s “Kick It in KCK” campaign aims to attract World Cup visitors throughout the summer.

“I think these courts are a great new addition to the amenities that our parks offer,” Carr said.

Kids to Park Day

At the other end of the park, families, kids, and dogs celebrated the day and its warm mid-May weather with games, inflatables, inflatable, soccer skills activities, and a scavenger hunt.

Futsal court upgrades all around town

The branded courts will appear at Bethany Park, Clopper Park, Highland Park, J.C. Harmon High School, John Garland Park, Shawnee Park, St. Margaret’s Park, Welborn Park, Westheight Park, and Wyandotte High School.

The Parks department has scheduled additional World Cup-themed programming throughout the spring and summer, including Paint in the Park, Soccer Nerf Wars, My Soccer Uniform workshops, the Shoebox Stadium Challenge, Movies in the Park, and Christmas in July. A full event schedule is at wycokck.org/wycoparks.