Sporting Kansas City Revitalizes LED Displays with Daktronics Technology

Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City to feature new main video board, ribbon boards and corner display

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Feb. 28, 2024 – When fans visit Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, to watch Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City, they will be welcomed by new LED technology designed, manufactured and installed by Daktronics (NASDAQ-DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota. The installation will take place this fall and include a rare aspect to the main display – the upper edge angles to match the stadium’s architecture and one end of the main display featuring a sideboard to deliver additional content to fans.

These new displays, which include the main video centerpiece, are the highlight of the system that has undergone significant Daktronics updates in recent years. A new pitch perimeter display was introduced in 2019, followed by an auxiliary videoboard in 2021 and new LED club displays in 2022.

“An exceptional guest experience is the leading pillar of our enterprise,” said Dan Lolli, Sporting Kansas City Chief Operating Officer. “Our continued partnership with Daktronics will provide our fans with best-in-class video displays, enhancing the atmosphere for all events in the building. We’re excited to unveil these new elements to our fans in 2024 and continue soccer’s incredible momentum in the U.S. and especially in Kansas City.”

LED Display Details

The main video board will measure nearly 35 feet high at its highest point on the right side and angles down to 20 feet tall on the left side of the 126-foot-wide display, providing a massive digital canvas to inform and entertain Sporting KC fans and attendees at other special events. On the right side of the main board, a sideboard will match the height at 35 feet and will be approximately 5 feet wide.

Providing a similar viewing experience as the main board, a lower corner board will also be installed prior to the season. This board will measure approximately 14.5 feet high by 24 feet wide and can show supplemental content to the main display, appealing to audiences on the opposite side of the field so that every fan has a quality view of the content being shown.

These boards will feature a 10-millimeter pixel spacing to deliver crisp, clear imagery with wide angle visibility for spectators throughout the stadium, including those sitting on each side of the main board. 

“Continually improving the experience for soccer fans in and around Kansas City, Daktronics is beyond thrilled to announce these latest and most significant additions to Children’s Mercy Park,” said Tony Mulder, Daktronics regional sales manager. “We have been extremely fortunate to bring our technology to such an amazing facility and to continue to partner with Sporting KC on installations that consistently set the standard in soccer-specific stadiums.”

Conceptual Image

The main board and corner board are capable of variable content zoning, allowing each to show one large image or multiple zones of digital content. This includes live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics, animations and sponsorship messages.

Immersing the fans with digital content, a ribbon board will be installed along the seating fascia of the stadium measuring roughly 5 feet high by 317 feet wide and featuring 10-millimeter pixel spacing. It provides the opportunity to show additional statistics and graphics while also allowing for sponsor recognition during events.

Daktronics has grown with the sports industry from the company’s beginnings in 1968. Today, the company has integrated LED super systems in more than 50% of all professional sports facilities in the United States and Canada. For more information on what Daktronics can provide, visit www.daktronics.com/professionalsports.

About Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Kansas City is owned by Sporting Club, an entity comprised of local business and community leaders. Sporting prides itself on a commitment and vision to provide high-performance experiences. Sporting Club purchased the team from the Hunt Sports Group in 2006, and under its direction has launched Swope Soccer Village, Children's Mercy Park, Compass Minerals Sporting Fields, Compass Minerals National Performance Center and Central Bank Sporting Complex while investing in the Sporting KC Academy and Sporting Kansas City II for developing local youth into homegrown talent. A charter member of Major League Soccer, Sporting are two-time MLS Cup champions (2000, 2013) and four-time winners of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017).