As the Kansas City Royals entertain the idea of moving to a downtown stadium, the Chiefs are looking into options for a stadium in Kansas state.
The Royals’ Kauffman Stadium and the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium live side-by-side in Missouri at Truman Sports Complex. The pair have leases until 2031.
“We are deciding what’s the future of the stadium,” Chiefs’ part owner, chairman, and CEO Clark Hunt said during the NFL’s meetings last week.
Hunt, along with team president Mark Donovan, said that the team could be out of Arrowhead — its home since 1972 — in less than a decade.
- Donovan said the team has invested roughly $500,000 in a study to understand its best financial option — renovating, moving, or building right beside Arrowhead (if the Royals do move). In 2010, the team completed a $375 million renovation.
- Sports Business Journal reported that Donovan “mentioned almost in passing” that he frequently receives inquiries from developers for stadiums in Kansas.
Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted, “We look forward to working with the Chiefs, our state Missouri partners, and local officials to ensure the Chiefs remain home in Kansas City and Missouri for generations to come.”
Competition Around Souped-Up Stadiums
Whether the Chiefs renovate or build new, they’ll want to compete with the new multipurpose — and multibillion-dollar — facilities that have been built of late.
Home to the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, SoFi Stadium opened in California in 2020, the same year Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, opened in Nevada.
