KU’s Lance Leipold enthused about Thursday’s ‘home’ opener at Children’s Mercy Park
Fourth-year Kansas football coach Lance Leipold has huddled with members of the KU student body this week, ones who have expressed excitement about the Jayhawks’ season-opener against Lindenwood.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. Thursday at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City with a livestream available at Big 12 NOW/ESPN+.
I’ve had a chance …. a couple fraternities have asked me to speak. I’ve got another one today,” Leipold said Monday.
“It sounds like they’ve got some good plans,” he added of plans of attending the first of two home games to be played at the state of the art soccer stadium located 27.5 miles from KU’s David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, which is under construction.
What’s known is 3,200 students have purchased their full allotment of tickets. A KU official told The Star that a sellout crowd of approximately 20,000 is expected, which includes some standing-room-only spots.
A check of secondary market website Seat Geek showed Tuesday night that tickets could be purchased from $39 to $194.
KU has instituted a plan to provide bus service for about 1,000 students — ones eager for the start of a campaign which follows last year’s 9-4 season.
“I think that’s going to be a question across the board — what kind of turnouts there are going to be at these games,” Leipold said. Two KU home games during the 2024 season will be at Children’s Mercy Park and four at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. “Whether it be weather too hot or if if it’s going to rain or if it’s too far, who the opponent is. We can look at a lot of different things.”
He’s hoping fans use their tickets Thursday and Sept. 13 for another sellout against UNLV and also gobble up remaining tickets for games at Arrowhead: TCU (Sept. 28), Houston (Oct. 19), Iowa State (Nov. 9) and Colorado (Nov. 23).
“There’s a guy, Brian Hanni (voice of the Jayhawks), he always kind of says, ‘One of the most anticipated seasons in a long time.’ If that is true, I think our fans will show up to see this group play. I sure hope they do. No matter what it is I think it’ll be a heck of an environment,” Leipold stated.
The Jayhawks were able to practice at the home of Sporting Kansas City on Aug. 2. Leipold likes the fact the fans are quite close to the action.
“I think in the setup of the stadium and the way it is acoustically, I think it will have the feel that there will be twice as many fans that are actually there by just the way it’s set up,” Leipold said.
“In a roundabout way our bowl game in a baseball stadium (victory over UNLV last December at Chase Field in Phoenix), locker room size, walking from where we get out (of buses) … I think those things may help us adjust quicker than maybe we would have before.”
Leipold also hopes the Jayhawks can reach a new audience in KC.
“I’m excited about it for a lot of different reasons,” Leipold said. “... I do hope it makes it more convenient for more people to come out and check us out. Maybe we gain some new fans or ones that have just watched maybe on TV or listened on radio.”
The Jayhawks will also have a short trip, staying at a KC-area hotel the night before their home games.
The game marks the return of redshirt-junior quarterback Jalon Daniels, who played in just three games a year ago because of injury. A Heisman Trophy candidate when healthy, he figures to hear a loud ovation during introductions.
“There’s definitely going to be an atmosphere. I feel Kansas Jayhawks fans are going to be able to show up, make some noise,” Daniels said.
Redshirt-freshman quarterback Cole Ballard said KU’s practice in Children’s Mercy Park was eye-opening.
“Being able to practice there and feel the vibe what it’s going to be ... it’s a smaller venue obviously,” Ballard said. “We’ll be able to pack it out. It’s going to be really cool.”
Freshman QB Isaiah Marshall said Children’s Mercy Park is “a great field. The stands are perfect. It’s very packed in there. When the fans come it’s gonna be amazing, really loud.”
The fans will be close to the playing surface, more like Allen Fieldhouse than David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
“I was trying to think of some places we’ve been that had people that close, (like) the Oklahoma schools that are right on top of you,” Leipold said. “I think hopefully this will be our opportunity to take advantage of something like that because as we know the old David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium had the track around it so many years.”
Children’s Mercy Park last was host site for a football game in 2017 for the NCAA Div. II title contest.
“We can’t make it a negative in any way, no excuses,” Leipold said of this year’s home games being in KC. “I do think for these first two games, getting things started, I think it very much could be a positive. We just need people to show up, have a good time and help us create that home-field advantage.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 6:30 AM with the headline "KU’s Lance Leipold enthused about Thursday’s ‘home’ opener at Children’s Mercy Park."
