After more than five decades at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., the Chiefs are expected to cross the border to play at a proposed new stadium in Kansas.
“Today is an extraordinary day in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said Monday. “We are excited to partner with the State of Kansas to bring a world-class stadium to our fans. This project represents another step in our legacy of innovation and our fan-first mentality, which started with my father, Lamar Hunt. The stadium, practice facility, and surrounding development will benefit the entire region, and further elevate Kansas City in the eyes of the country and the world.”
Legislation was approved by lawmakers in Kansas and Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday the stadium construction project would be completed in time for the 2031 NFL season. The joint proposal with the Chiefs begins the process of exiting their home since 1963 in Missouri to head 20 minutes west to Kansas City, Kan., near the site of Kansas Speedway.
The Chiefs are moving their headquarters and practice facility in the plan that features an anticipated $3 billion stadium in Wyandotte County. Team headquarters and a new training facility are planned for Olathe, Kan., in Johnson County with mixed-use developments with “sports, entertainment, dining, shopping, office, hotel, and residential properties.”
“This agreement to bring the Chiefs to Kansas takes our state to the next level. With this new stadium, we’re creating thousands of jobs, bringing in tourists from around the world, attracting young people, and most importantly, we’re continuing to make Kansas the best place in America to raise a family,” Kelly said. “This is a game-changer for Kansas, and it’s a signal to America and the world that our state’s future is very bright.”
A public-private partnership (60% public) funded through sales tax and revenue (STAR) bonds and the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund – both funding mechanisms established specifically for this purpose – assure there will be no new state taxes or adjustments to the state budget, Kelly said. The STAR bonds received full authorization in a Monday bipartisan vote of the Legislative Coordinating Council.
The Kansas City Royals could follow in the footsteps of the Chiefs’ franchise and leave what is essentially a joint compound in Missouri surrounded by a vast parking space. A move was thought to be the most likely resolution for both pro sports franchises because voters in Jackson County decided against retaining a sales tax of 3/8 of a cent to pay for renovations at the Chiefs’ longtime home, Arrowhead Stadium. The same measure in April 2024 would have partially funded a new ballpark for the Royals.
Hunt was clear in 2024 that a “no” vote for a tax requested to fund significant renovations of Arrowhead Stadium likely meant the Chiefs would seek greener pastures. They will still play in the open-air, outdoor setting through 2030. Arrowhead, rebranded in a corporate sponsorship agreement as GEHA Field, is recognized as one of the strongest home-field advantages in the NFL because of the noise level achieved by the crowds in the 76,000-seat stadium.
Plans at the new construction site, call for the Chiefs to utilize a state-of-the-art stadium that can be used year-round and draw major sporting events, such as the Final Four and college football conference championship games.
–Field Level Media
