KS Astras
Kansas City’s Newest Women’s Soccer Team Forced to Relocate
Before their first kick, the Kansas City Astras have been forced out of town and to rebrand to KS Astras.
Kansas City is the Soccer Capital of America. Just ask us, we’ll tell you. Until today it looked like another team was coming to the Kansas City area.
Back in July, the Kansas City Astras were announced as one of the first teams in the newly formed Major Arena Soccer League Women. The MASLW was formed out of last September’s merger between the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) and the MASL. The MASLW crowned their first champion this spring and the KC Astras were set to be an expansion franchise, playing their debut game on the road December 6th.
That all changed with a sudden rebrand to Kansas Astras and an announcement from the team.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances with a local organization, the KC Astras will now be known as the Kansas Astras (KS Astras). For the 2025/26 season, the team has relocated from Lenexa to Urbandale, lowa, and home games will be played at:
SIG SPORTSPLEX 5100 NW 72nd St Urbandale, IA 50322
While we understand this is disappointing for players, coaches, and fans- our journey is just beginning. Thank you for your positivity and patience as we navigate this transition. Together, we will rise above -Ad Astra Per Aspera.”
The team is offering refunds for any ticket sales, if fans cannot make the trip to Des Moines, Iowa. It’s a three-hour drive from the All-American Indoor Sports arena in Lenexa, KS.
Why the Last Second Change?
With games just a couple weeks out and the initial announcement made months ago, why the sudden change? Some hints were given by Team Founder and Owner, Liz Serago in a speech posted on the Astra’s social media.
“We’re being tested right now,” began Serago. “The problem that we are facing is there is an organization that is trying to block us. We have been working on this thing for a whole year. We have check marked all of the boxes until two weeks ago. So, what that means is we have to be outside of a 35-mile radius from a specific facility. And this [facility] happens to be 31 miles.”
Who Forced the Move?
There are three other professional soccer teams in Kansas City. The 31-mile hint points to the Kansas City Comets since Sporting KC and the KC Current are significantly closer to Lenexa than Cable Dahmer arena in Independence, Missouri.
When the KC Soccer Journal reached out to Serago and asked if the Comets were the impediment, she said, “I can neither confirm nor deny the specific organization you’ve mentioned.”
When we contacted the Kansas City Comets, they advised they “do not have any additional information at this time.” Attempts to contact the MASL and MASLW went unreturned at press time.
As of right now, the Kansas Astras will play their home games in Iowa.
There are also two MASL3 teams, Deportivo Shaolin and Kansas City Barilleros, who would seemingly be within that 35-mile distance. Barilleros were set to play in Lenexa as well, but neither team is listed on the MASL3 site anymore in the South division with the Springfield Demize.
The KC Soccer Journal will bring you more on this story when it’s available.
Updates 11/22: The Pitch KC and FOX4KC have more on the Astras story.
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How on brand for the comets to be trying to kill a women’s soccer team in KC.
Why do you think it is on brand for the Comets?
It shocks me that the team which is blocking them chose to wait until right before the season to bring up and force the changes to their location and name. The Astras have been in development for a “whole year” and the blocking team has known about them for quite some time. It seems unethical for any group that cares about soccer to do this to another team. To sit back and wait until the Astras’ season is about to start, before at the last minute pulling the rug out from under them by telling them they have to move their home field and change their name, is nothing short of cruel. The Astras have already accomplished so much:
And those are only the things I am aware of–I’m sure there are more.
The personalized equipment and clothing is now useless and will have to be repurchased with a revised name and logo. Since closer fields are now booked for the 2025-26 season, the team is now forced to relocate all home games to Des Moines, IA; a huge inconvenience in both travel time and travel expenses for the team staff, players and fans.
Also, I am surprised to learn the team blocking the Astras is a men’s team! I don’t understand their desire to undermine a fledging women’s team like this; it seems unnecessarily cruel. If they would have at least brought this up in a timely manner it would have saved the team a lot of time and expense. Even better would be to help a team trying to bring more women’s soccer to Kansas City!
Go Kansas Astros!! You will rise above and survive–in spite of their unnecessary road blocks!