Photos by Ben Alkaly, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
Swinney Recreation Center 5030 Holmes Street Kansas City, MO 64110
Year Opened: 1941 Capacity: 1,600
Roo-Roo-Roo(t) for the Home Team
You have to love a team that’s comfortable in its own skin. The Kansas City Chiefs are omnipresent in the City of Fountains, and had a noon home game the day I visited University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) for a 1 p.m. men’s basketball tipoff. Confused as to why the athletic department would want to go head-to-head with the defending NFL champs, it quickly became apparent that the Roos march (punch?) to the beat of their own drummer.
And why shouldn’t they? Opened in 1933 as the University of Kansas City, the local university predates the local NFL team by 27 years. The Kangaroo became its mascot in 1937, a nod to the Kansas City Zoo's acquisition of two baby kangaroos. In 2019 – prior to the school’s sports team moving from the WAC to the Summit League – that name was shortened to Roos (no apostrophe) and the athletics department rebranded to Kansas City Athletics.
The PA announcer at my late December game even leaned into the Roos’ friendly rivalry with other area sportsmen, introducing them as “Kansas City’s tallest team!”
1954 was the first year of men’s basketball in these parts, competing at the NAIA level before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1987. The Roos have hopped around to a number of Kansas City home courts over their six decades, including Municipal Auditorium, Kemper Arena, Hale Arena, and the Independence Events Center before a move back to the on-campus Swinney Recreation Center in 2019-20 as part of the aforementioned brand refresh. Opened in 1941, the venue has undergone numerous renovations and now accommodates up to 1,600 fans.
What fans will immediately notice upon entering Swinney is the yellow court with dramatic blue silhouette of the KC skyline along the south sideline. Looking up, no real estate is wasted as two large videoboards flank the baskets at both ends.
A true multi-purpose facility, under one roof Swinney Recreation Center holds weight rooms, five multipurpose courts (one visible behind the west stands), racquetball and squash courts, three fitness studios, and a 25-yard indoor lap pool. An indoor track “runs” above the court, within touching distance of the top of the east stands.
Food & Beverage 3
The concessions at Swinney are impossible to miss, located on the left wall of the venue’s entry lobby; there are no other entrance points. Menu offerings are fairly robust for an arena of this size, including hot dogs ($6.25), hamburgers ($6.25 or $6.75 with cheese), nachos ($6.25), Dippin’ Dots ($5.25), assorted chips and candy ($3.25 each), and popcorn ($3.75), or an option to upgrade to something called Velvet Crème Popcorn in a variety of flavors ($6).
On the beverage side there’s bottled water ($3.25), Coca-Cola soft drinks and iced tea ($3.50), domestic beers ($6.75), local offerings from Boulevard Beers and Quirk Seltzer ($7.75 each), and red or white wine ($6.25).
Atmosphere 3
You know you’re at a college basketball game the moment you step foot inside Swinney, with floor-to-ceiling window panels separating the lobby from the court just beyond. In front of the glass is where you can find the spirit table – where a friendly staffer was handing out free gameday posters – and a merchandise area featuring several types of Roos-branded scarves, a nod to Kansas City’s recent prowess in college soccer.
The Athletic Department really packs a lot into this relatively small lobby, including a blue wall with “Kansas City Athletics Points of Pride,” a coloring and crafts station for kids, and another with bios of the three head coaches currently prowling the sidelines in men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball.
To get to their seats, fans either head right for the east grandstand or left for the west. A hard left from the west entrance leads you to the restrooms, which are in a unique configuration; the men’s room has two doors, one at each end of a “U” configuration, and since the women’s restroom doors are immediately next to those, I have to assume they form an even wider, surrounding “U.”
Fans moved freely pregame and at halftime, although with just two doors leading to seats, I could see this getting bottlenecked a bit if approaching capacity.
One facility enhancement suggestion is to curtain off the small windows that run above the length of the east bleachers. Being a day game, I found the light pouring in from them to be a distraction while sitting on the west side.
Neighborhood 4
UMKC is located just to the east of Country Club Plaza, designed in the 1920s as the first planned suburban shopping center designed for automobile access. The area certainly feels historic, with European-style apartment buildings interspersed with businesses, fountains, and waterways.
In the Plaza you’ll find a branch of the legendary Jack Stack Barbeque, while other famous names in KC BBQ include Arthur Bryant’s, Gates, and Joe’s. That said, don’t overlook modern, craft barbeque establishments like Q39 or Wolfepack which serve mean cocktails as well as burnt ends.
Just southeast of campus, along Troost Ave., are a couple spots that work well for a pregame bite and beverage: Tiki Taco and Gaels Public House & Sports.
Fans 3
Given its intimate confines, there is no bad seat in Swinney, with the top row being just 12 rows above the court. And despite going head-to-head with the beloved Chiefs, and Roo students being on holiday break, the stands filled in respectably. Only a few red-and-gold shirts with the trademark arrowhead logo and/or faces buried in phones were spotted among the Roo faithful.
The designated Rowdy Roo student section is in the corner of the east stands, but was indistinguishable from other seating areas on my visit due to the university break. The furry KC Roo mascot makes the rounds and tries to hype up the crowd on the court, as do cheer and dance teams.
Access 4
Swinney Recreation Center is located less than 10 minutes south of Kansas City’s downtown core, and about 30 minutes south of MCI airport, which recently opened a gleaming new central terminal. Take I-25 south until it becomes U.S. 71, then exit at Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and hang a left. Another left at Rockhill Road will lead you onto campus. Swinney Recreation Center is atop the hill next to the Student Success Center.
Free parking is available on levels 5 and 6 of the Cherry Street Parking Garage (50th and Cherry Street, just off Rockhill). With my game falling on a Saturday and Roo students on a holiday break, parking was also free in the lot facing the Student Success Center.
Public transportation aficionados should check RideKC or Google Maps, for optimal routes to campus.
Swinney’s ticket booth is just to the left of the entrance doors, and there is no security screening to pass through.
Return on Investment 4
Ticket prices at Swinney Recreation Center are as follows:
Sideline reserved seats: $17
Courtside seats: $50 (includes access to the Boulevard Courtside Club which includes two drink tickets, a pregame buffet and chalk talk with an assistant coach, and halftime snacks, located in an area of tables behind the west bleachers.)
Free Parking in the Cherry Street Garage – with closer options in lots 38 and 4 for $6 – coupled with fairly reasonable ticket and concession prices means a visit to Swinney won’t break the bank.
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Extras 3
Swinney Recreation Center is named after a Kansas City banker who raised $250,000 to build a recreational facility for students.
Flocks of Canadian Geese can be found on campus during the winter, especially near the intersection of Locust and Cherry Streets.
Combine a Roos’ game with a fun, educational experience; the highly-rated National Museum of Toys and Miniatures is located in the southwest corner of the UMKC campus, accessible from Oak Street.
Final Thoughts
Limited to a 1,600-seat arena embedded within a larger recreational facility, the Kansas City Roos certainly “do more with less” when it comes to the gameday basketball experience. From the efficient use of lobby space with respectable concessions to the unique blue and yellow court design with large screens flanking the basket to the VIP experience available for just $50, there’s a definite fan-first approach. After all, the Roos are competing for butts-in-seats with the sports behemoth in town.
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