How The Kansas City Chiefs Would Be Impacted By The Royals’ New Stadium

The Kansas City Royals took another step toward building a new stadium downtown.

“We are excited to now share that we have several leading locations under close consideration,” Royals owner John Sherman said in a press release, “both in downtown Kansas City and close to it.”

On one hand, the Kansas City Chiefs could use the vacated Kauffman Stadium area to their benefit.

Having their Harry S. Truman Sports Complex neighbor move away would give the Chiefs more acreage to meet the demand for their robust tailgating scene and event space needed to keep up with the (Jerry) Joneses of the NFL.

The wave of the future in the NFL is for teams to have their stadium or practice facility serve as a hub for a larger entertainment district.

Jones was behind his Dallas Cowboys’ The Star District, which is considered the league’s gold standard. The property has a 12,000-seat practice facility also used by high school teams and 19 restaurants, a hotel, a cigar bar, a spa and multiple shops.

There, however, have been rumors that the Chiefs would explore a move from Missouri to Kansas, where Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City has a stadium.

The Chiefs have formed partnerships with BetMGM and DraftKings and the fact that gambling has been legalized in the state of Kansas could give that state an edge, though the Chiefs are optimistic Missouri will eventually follow suit.

“It’s the best thing in terms of bringing gambling out into the light,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said, “having it be legal where it can be regulated.”

Although moving across state lines is only a possibility at this point, it is definite that GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium will host the World Cup in 2026.

And FIFA mandates that each stadium have very specific dimensions and seating. So Arrowhead already will undergo a major construction project to retrofit it.

But if restoring Arrowhead to its original condition requires a major overhaul, it might make more sense to build a completely new stadium.

“We’re going to do what we need to do to make it compliant with World Cup and FIFA rules and we’re going to put it back the way it was,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said. “If in that process, you realize some efficiencies, we’ll take advantage of those.”

Similarly, the Royals determined the necessary renovations at Kauffman Stadium would have exceeded the price tag of developing a new ballpark.

The proposed new ballpark district would be the largest public/private development project in Kansas City history and cost around $2 billion. But the Royals estimated it would result in $2.8 billion in total economic output and create 20,000 jobs.

The Royals are keeping their lease partners, the Chiefs, abreast of any plans.

“We have been in a lot of different discussions with leadership from the Royals and we are doing everything in our power to keep each other informed,” Donovan said. “We have a lease that runs through ’31. If there are ways to change that date, we both have to be involved in that, and that has to impact us both positively.”

While the Truman Sports Complex lease goes through 2031, Arrowhead, which opened in 1972, is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Hunt has a unique connection to it. His father, Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, helped get Arrowhead Stadium built, and Clark practically grew up there. He even used to kick field goals on the field with Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud.

He will consider his attachment to the facility before making any final plans.

“We have so many great memories at Arrowhead. Obviously, it was a special place for my dad. In fact, he mentioned that if he could pick one vacation spot in the world, it would be Arrowhead,” Clark Hunt said. “So, it’s not a decision that we’re going to take lightly and it’s something that will be very tough emotionally.”