KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After several years, Roos basketball will return to downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City played at Municipal Auditorium full-time from the 2013-14 season through the 2018-19 season.
Since then, the team has played at the Swinney Center at the Volker Campus.
But with new coaching staffs and a direct connection from campus to downtown via KC Streetcar, the Roos are poised to return to the heart of downtown.
"Municipal Auditorium is one of the great civic treasures of Kansas City, and bringing Roos basketball back home is great for our city," KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a news release. "The Kansas City Streetcar gives students, faculty, and fans a direct link between campus and the Auditorium, deepening the bond between our university and the heart of Kansas City."
The Art Deco-style auditorium opened in 1935 and is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
Planned enhancements to the space will “elevate the fan experience” for the hometown team’s “triumphant return to Municipal.”
"This is a game-changer for our program," said men’s basketball head coach Mark Turgeon. "Playing in a historic downtown location, in front of a city that is rallying behind us, raises the bar for everything we do, recruiting, culture, performance. Kansas City is ready to embrace this team, and we are ready to deliver."
While the men’s team will play all home games downtown, the women’s team will split home games between Municipal and Swinney Center.
UMKC first played in Municipal Auditorium on Nov. 30, 1987, against Rice University.
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