Shaded Seats at Sporting Park

Sporting Park (formerly Children’s Mercy Park) is a state-of-the-art soccer stadium and home to Sporting Kansas City. KC summers are typically hot and humid, making the choice of seating a significant consideration for soccer fans. Sporting KC supporters can use this guide and the stadium’s seating chart to identify the best shaded seats at Sporting Park.

Where are the seats in the shade and sun at Sporting Park?

Typically, shaded seats at Sporting Park are situated:

• West Goal Line: Shade in the afternoon and evening
• Norwest Corner: Shaded on the sideline specifically in the NW corner

Conversely, seats in the sun are predominantly found:

• East Goal Line: Sun soaked behind the east goal
• Southeast Corner: Sunny on the sideline specifically in the SE corner

Games at Sporting Park usually kick off in the evening, but mid-day and early afternoon matches are mixed into the schedule too. Kansas City’s professional venues are some of the hottest stadiums in their respective leagues. Soccer fans in particular should be aware of where to find shade and sun when they attend a match.

Sporting Park Orientation to the Sun

The stadium’s northeast-to-southwest orientation means the sun spends most of the day above the west goal line and behind the northwest side of the stadium. The graphic below shows the approximate location of the sun throughout the day on July 1st.

See an interactive seating chart for the next event at Sporting Park

Seats in the Sun and Shade at Afternoon Sporting Park Matches

Sporting Park boasts a rectangular design with seating that encircles the field on three sides, plus an additional supporters section behind the east goal line. Like other soccer-specific stadiums, its canopy roof provides some cover to seats below, but the sun’s hourly position ultimately dictates which seats are shaded.

For 1:00 PM games, the most shaded option is behind the south goal line in sections 116-121, where the roof offers direct cover. Note that for very early games, seats closer to the pitch may start sunny but will quickly become shaded during the match. On the sideline, sections 107-113 will receive shade earliest. Corner sections 114-115 and 122-125 should also be shaded, given the stadium’s orientation relative to the sun.

The sunniest seats are behind the east goal line in the supporters section S4-S9. Fans looking to experience the match from here should bring sun protection, as they will be exposed to the sun for most, if not all, of the match. Sideline sections 130-134 will also be sunny, though rows at the very back may receive some shade from the roof above.

Looking northeast you can see that by late-afternoon sections on the east sideline (where the SPORTING seats are located) are in the sun while those on the west sideline are already shaded.
dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock Photo

Seats in the Sun and Shade at Evening Sporting Park Matches

By early evening, the entire northwest sideline and the south goal line of the stadium will be shaded. Sections 101-121 are optimal for those looking to avoid the sun. Conversely, the supporters section S1-S9 and sideline sections 130-134 will be directly in the sun’s path until dusk.

Ready to get your Sporting KC tickets?

Use the individual game links or click or tap here to see an upcoming list of games at Sporting Park.