The thought of the Kansas City Chiefs leaving iconic Arrowhead Stadium may be a foreign concept to fans, given the facility’s ample parking spaces for tailgating, and well-known noise created by over 70,000 spectators every game, but the franchise’s future may not include Arrowhead, and perhaps, not even the state of Missouri.
In a recent interview with Kevin Clark of TheRinger.com, Chiefs President Mark Donovan admitted that the team has considered new stadium options, including possibilities in the state of Kansas and the suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri. In fact, Donovan said the Chiefs have had discussions with Kansas developers concerning potential stadium options.
While leaving Arrowhead may be a possibility for the franchise, the Chiefs would not leave Kansas City, Missouri without a fight. In response to the story, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted, “Kansas City has proudly hosted the Chiefs since the early 1960s. We look forward to working with the Chiefs, our state of Missouri partners, and local officials to ensure the Chiefs remain home in Kansas City and Missouri for generations to come”.
While technically based in Kansas City, Arrowhead Stadium’s location on the edge of the city limits gave developers the opportunity to build huge parking spaces for both Arrowhead and adjacent Kauffman Stadium, home of the MLB’s Royals. In recent years, numerous NFL teams have moved from the city to the suburbs, with the 49ers moving from San Francisco to Santa Clara, California and the Cowboys moving from Irving, Texas to suburban Arlington. Recent discussions between the Chicago Bears and city of Chicago officials, if unsuccessful, could lead the Bears from Soldier Field to a potential suburban site in Arlington Heights, Illinois sometime in the near future.
The state of Kansas has found success in attracting business, industry, and sports in the past 20 years, particularly in the development of the Legends area at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435 in Kansas City, Kansas. The huge shopping and entertainment destination includes the Kansas Speedway that hosts numerous NASCAR races on a yearly basis, in addition to Children’s Mercy Park, the home of Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City, and a minor league ballpark that hosts the newly-renamed Kansas City Monarchs.
