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 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 Chiefs intend to build their new stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, near the Kansas Speedway and a retail and entertainment district known as The Legends. The area is also home to Children’s Mercy Park, the home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City.
The team will build a new practice facility, too, in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, Kansas.
According to the Chiefs, the new domed stadium could put Kansas City in the running for future Super Bowls, Final Fours, and other year-round events on the world stage. The Chiefs say the vision will “rival that of any sports-anchored development anywhere in the country.”
Wyandotte County is already home to Kansas City’s professional men’s soccer team, Sporting Kansas City, and because of this deal, the area could see an influx of new metro sports fans in the coming years.
The Royals were not discussed by Kansas lawmakers Monday, but momentum appears to be building behind their own move across the state line. An affiliate of the club already has purchased the mortgage on a tract of land in Overland Park, Kansas.