Arrowhead Stadium rejig on the table

Article posted by Coliseum, August 8^th, 2022

Image: NFL

The National Football League (NFL) team Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Clark Hunt says the team has not yet completed its study examining the best options for a home base when the Arrowhead Stadium (US) lease expires in January 2031.

‘The Kansas City Star’ stated that however, Hunt has a personal preference: To renovate the Arrowhead Stadium in its current location.

The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference West division.

The 76,416-capacity Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri (US). It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).

Stated Hunt recently, “Renovating the Arrowhead Stadium would be our No. 1 priority. We’re going to evaluate all our options, obviously. We’ve got to figure out what’s best for the franchise, what’s best for the fan base.”

‘The Kansas City Star’ further stated that at this year’s NFL owners meetings in Florida in April, Chiefs president Mark Donovan said the team had considered pitches to build a new stadium in Kansas. Hunt said that would not be the organization’s top choice. The Chiefs are still probably a year or so away from knowing if an Arrowhead renovation would be feasible because the evaluation is ongoing, Hunt said, adding that the deliberate pace is intentional.

Hunt said, “What I’ve learned through the process is it’s not a very simple answer, when you’re trying to make a decision about whether a building can go another 25 or 30 years starting eight years from now. So, we’re being very methodical about it. We want to get to the right answer, because it’s very important.”

Much could change between now and 2031. For example, the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Kansas City Royals are examining a move to downtown KC and out of the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex, where the Arrowhead Stadium also is located. The State of Kansas also recently legalized sports gambling, with 80 percent of the revenue funneled into a special fund the State is using to lure major sports teams. Hunt admits he has an emotional attachment to Arrowhead, talking about how his father and Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt called the stadium his favorite place on earth.

Clark Hunt said, “(The decision process) starts with evaluating Arrowhead, and that’s where we are right now.”

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 420 member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue