Chiefs will leave Arrowhead and build new stadium in Kansas

The state of Missouri is losing its third NFL franchise and the second in the past decade, and the decision by the Chiefs on Monday to depart their longtime home at Arrowhead Stadium for a new domed facility in Kansas may hurt the most.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced Monday they will leave their longtime home at Arrowhead Stadium for a new, domed stadium that will be built across the Kansas-Missouri state line and be ready for the start of the 2031 season.

The Chiefs intend their $3 billion stadium project to be built in Kansas City, Kansas, near the Kansas Speedway and a retail district known as The Legends. The area is home to Children’s Mercy Park, the home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City, and Legends Field, the home of the Kansas City Monarchs minor league baseball team.

The Chiefs also plan to build a $300 million practice facility in the Kansas City-metro suburb of Olathe, Kansas.

The announcement came shortly after a council of Kansas lawmakers voted unanimously inside a packed room at the state Capitol to allow for STAR bonds to be issued to cover up to 70% of the cost of the stadium and accompanying mixed-use district.

The bonds will be paid off with state sales and liquor tax revenues generated in a defined area around it.

“The location of Chiefs games will change,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said after the meeting, “but some things won’t change. Our fans will still be the loudest in the NFL, our games will still be the best place in the world to tailgate, and our players and coaches will be ready to compete for championships, because on the field or off the field, we are big dreamers, and we’re ready for the next chapter.”

While the final location for the stadium has not been decided, Chiefs president Mark Donovan said it would seat about 65,000, or about 10,000 fewer fans than Arrowhead Stadium. That follows a trend across professional sports of building stadiums and arenas that have fewer overall seats but more amenities, luxury seating and premium spaces.

The move by the Chiefs is a massive blow to Missouri lawmakers and Gov. Mike Kehoe, who had been working on their own funding package to prevent a third NFL franchise and the second in a decade from leaving their borders; the Rams left St. Louis for Los Angeles in part due to their inability to secure funding to help replace The Dome at America’s Center.

“Today’s announcement is truly historic. Actually, it’s a little surreal,” Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said. “Today’s announcement will touch the lives of Kansans for generations to come. Today’s announcement is a total game-changer for our state.

“We have always been Chiefs fans,” Kelly said. “Now we are Chiefs family.”

Kansas Lt. Gov. David Toland, the state’s commerce secretary, said it had committed to issuing $2.4 billion in bonds to cover 60% of the project’s roughly $4 billion cost. State officials also foresee more than 20,000 new construction jobs to be created.



(AP Photo Reed Hoffman)