ROYALS ARE DOING TODAY AND THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE OUR TEAM COVERAGE NOW. KMBC9. S RACHEL RIPP TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT A PROGRAM HELPING STUDENT ATHLETES HONE THEIR SKILLS. HEY, RACHEL. HEY. ABSOLUTELY. YEP. WE’RE BACK OUTSIDE. WE’VE GOT THE FIELD BEHIND US HERE AT THE KAUFFMAN. I’M JOINED WITH DENISE SMITH. SHE IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE URBAN YOUTH ACADEMY. SO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FEELINGS FOR OPENING DAY OR EXCUSE ME, THE HOME OPENER AND JUST HOW SOME OF THESE KIDS ARE EXCITED FOR THAT. THIS IS MY THIRD OPENING DAY, SO LOTS OF ENERGY. OUR KIDDOS ARE EXCITED TO ATTEND GAMES. THIS COULD BE SOME OF THEIR FIRST TIME COMING TO KAUFFMAN ROYALS GAME. SO HOW COOL IS THAT? AND WE CAN PROVIDE TICKETS AT NO COST TO THEM. OKAY, AMAZING. NOW YOU GUYS HAVE A LONG STANDING PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ROYALS. SO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND JUST KIND OF HOW IT BENEFITS YOUR ORGANIZATION. YEAH. IN 2018, THE ROYALS MADE THE INVESTMENT INTO THE URBAN YOUTH ACADEMY. SO WE’RE EXCITED. WE CAN OFFER NO COST PROGRAMING. SO THAT’S WHETHER IT’S OUR TRAINING. IT’S EDUCATION, IT’S FIELD TRIPS. AND WE’RE REALLY BIG IN BEING A COMMUNITY PARTNER. ABSOLUTELY. AND I GUESS THERE ARE SOME UPDATES YOU MENTIONED LIKE THAT YOU GUYS ARE GOING THROUGH. SO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. YES, EIGHT YEARS IN, WE NEED NEW TURF. SO WE STARTED THE PROJECT IN NOVEMBER. SO WE HAVE TWO NEW FIELDS. SO AND THEN WE’LL FINISH THE PROJECT IN THE FALL WITH OUR OTHER TWO FIELDS. SO FOUR TOTAL FIELDS. SO WE’RE EXCITED THE INVESTMENT BEING ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT KIDS HAVE ACCESS AND A SAFE PLACE TO PLAY. OKAY, NOW FOR SOMEONE WHO HASN’T BEEN TO THE URBAN YOUTH ACADEMY, WHAT DO THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT? WELL, WE’RE RIGHT OFF OF 18TH AND VINE AND AGES 5 TO 18. BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL TRAINING. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A GLOVE, WE HAVE GLOVES, BATS, HELMETS, ANYTHING YOU NEED. NO COST. SHOW UP AND YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE KECHI.COM. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AN
Kansas City Royals Urban Youth Academy excited for home opener
Updated: 12:48 PM CDT Mar 30, 2026
The Kansas City Royals Urban Youth Academy is celebrating the Royals’ home opener Monday. The UYA opened its doors in 2018 and has since offered a safe place for kids and teens around Kansas City to learn about and participate in baseball, softball and other programs. Academy leaders praised the Royals for their investment, as the UYA is one of only eight academies like this in the country. The academy offers these athletic, academic and social opportunities to children ages 5-18 at no cost. That also means if a child doesn’t have a bat, glove or other needed materials to play, the UYA can help. “Our kiddos are excited to attend games,” said Donease Smith, executive director of the UYA. “This could be some of their first time coming to Kauffman, a Royals game, so how cool is that? And we can provide tickets at no cost to them.” UYA’s 42,000-square-foot facility, located right off of 18th and Vine, features an MLB-sized turf infield, two full-size baseball fields, one youth baseball and one softball outdoor field, a press box for programming, four batting tunnels, three classrooms, a weight room and an athletic training room. You can learn more about the UYA and how to get involved here.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
The Kansas City Royals Urban Youth Academy is celebrating the Royals’ home opener Monday.
The UYA opened its doors in 2018 and has since offered a safe place for kids and teens around Kansas City to learn about and participate in baseball, softball and other programs. Academy leaders praised the Royals for their investment, as the UYA is one of only eight academies like this in the country.
The academy offers these athletic, academic and social opportunities to children ages 5-18 at no cost. That also means if a child doesn’t have a bat, glove or other needed materials to play, the UYA can help.
“Our kiddos are excited to attend games,” said Donease Smith, executive director of the UYA. “This could be some of their first time coming to Kauffman, a Royals game, so how cool is that? And we can provide tickets at no cost to them.”
UYA’s 42,000-square-foot facility, located right off of 18th and Vine, features an MLB-sized turf infield, two full-size baseball fields, one youth baseball and one softball outdoor field, a press box for programming, four batting tunnels, three classrooms, a weight room and an athletic training room.
You can learn more about the UYA and how to get involved here.