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Come 2031, the Kansas City Chiefs will still play their home games in Kansas City – but it will be on the Kansas side of the city.
The Chiefs have signed off on Kansas’ proposal to allow for sales tax and revenue (STAR) bonds to be issued to cover up to 70% of the cost of a $3 billion domed stadium on the Kansas side of Kansas City.
The choice for Chiefs President Mark Donovan and the Hunt family ownership group was between a new stadium capable of hosting Super Bowls, Final Fours, and College Football Playoff events, or embarking on a $1 billion renovation of the Chiefs’ current home in Missouri, Arrowhead Stadium.
In the end, staying in Missouri made less financial sense for a Chiefs team that has played in five of the last six Super Bowls, winning three of them.
Location of new stadium still undetermined
Donovan said the new stadium’s location isn’t officially determined yet, but it’s likely to be near the Kansas Speedway.
The racetrack has a Hollywood Casino onsite, and is close to two existing stadiums: Legends Field, home of the American Association of Professional Baseball’s Kansas City Monarchs, and Children’s Mercy Park, home of Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City.
Arrowhead Stadium opened in 1972. It seats 76,416 and underwent a $375 million renovation in 2010.
A sad day for some Chiefs fans
Following the announcement, Kansas City, MO, Mayor Quinton Lucas talked about his childhood with the AP, reflecting the somber mood some Chiefs fans are feeling.
“Years ago as a kid, my family was homeless for a while and we lived in a motel not too far from the stadium. I knew we struggled, but I believed nothing was cooler than living within a stones’ throw of what I thought then and today is the greatest stadium in football.
“Like a lot of parents in Chiefs Kingdom, my single mother scraped some money together to get me to Arrowhead for my first game – 300-level upper deck for a 30-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills in 1993. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Lucas admitted that the proposal city and state officials had been working on to compete with the Kansas offer was not enough to keep the Chiefs in Missouri.
“We understand our very fair but very responsible financial offer of taxpayer support was surpassed by an even more robust public financing package in Kansas. The Chiefs have a business to run and today made a business decision. We wish them well.”
Back to crossing the border
Before Missouri sports betting became legal on Dec. 1, Chiefs fans in Missouri were accustomed to trekking to Kansas to make bets on their favorite team, as Kansas legalized sports wagering several years ago.
This week’s announcement means that Missouri-based fans will, starting in 2031, again have to travel across the border, this time to see their Chiefs play live.
It also means that Missouri won’t have an NFL team playing in the state for the first time since 1960, when the St. Louis Cardinals moved from Chicago. The Cardinals then were moved to Tempe, AZ, in 1988.
The St. Louis Rams, who played in the Gateway City from 1995 to 2015, returned to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, and now play in the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium.
