Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) first.

1938		W. Winchell On Broadway 19 Dec. [synd. col.] ‘This Is New York’ was bulging with talent on its kick-off program.
1975		14 Feb. diary in I. Malloy Southie Won’t Go (1986) 78: NAACP President Atkins was the kick-off speaker at the general convocation.

2. basic, essential.

2010

K. Richards Life 236: Chicago blues, that was where we took everything that we knew, that was out kickoff point.