Blue-chip rejig plans for Arrowhead Stadium

Image: Kansas City Chiefs

The National Football League (NFL) team Kansas City Chiefs are planning an $800 million renovation to their digs – the GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri (US) – the third-oldest stadium in the NFL – that would begin after the stadium hosts games for the 2026 World Cup. The renovation would take about four years to complete.

‘ESPN’ stated that the project is contingent on the extension of a tax of three-eighths of a cent by the voters in Jackson County, Missouri, in an April 2^nd ballot measure. That money has been used for upkeep at the Truman Sports Complex of Arrowhead and the neighboring Kauffman Stadium, which the Royals intend to leave for a new downtown ballpark before the current lease expires after the 2030 season.

New York (US)-based the National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.

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

Image: Kansas City Chiefs

Brandon Hamilton, VP, Stadium Operations and Facilities, Kansas City Chiefs, US, is a Member of Coliseum – Global Sports Venue Alliance.

The 76,416-capacity GEHA Field at 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).

The Coliseum Summit US will be held at the GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, from June 5^th-6^th, 2024.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup™, marketed as FIFA World Cup 26™, will be the 23^rd FIFA World Cup™, the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member-associations of FIFA. The tournament will take place from June 11^th-July 19^th, 2026. The United States, Mexico and Canada will be hosting the soccer extravaganza.

Image: Kansas City Chiefs

The Truman Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility in Kansas City, Missouri (US). It hosts two major league sports venues: The GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, hosting the National Football League’s (NFL’s) Kansas City Chiefs and the 37,903-capacity Kauffman Stadium, hosting Major League Baseball’s (MLB’s) Kansas City Royals.

The 37,903-capacity Kauffman Stadium, often called ‘The K’, is a baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the ballpark to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).

Acknowledged Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt, whose family would contribute $300 million toward the overall project, “We would not be willing to sign a lease for another 25 years without the financing to properly renovate and reimagine the stadium. So, the financing puzzle is very important to us to make sure we have enough funds to do everything we’ve outlined.”

‘ESPN’ further stated that the scope of the renovation project, which was revealed on February 28^th during a news conference held at the Arrowhead Stadium, would touch every aspect of the 52-year-old building, from the seating bowl to the luxury amenities to the tailgating scene.

Image: Kansas City Chiefs

There would be a new parking deck built to help provide the players, the VIPs and the other special guests with a better access point. The new pedestrian bridges would help the fans get from parking lots to the stadium. There would be new ribbon boards, the videoboards at each end would triple and quadruple in size and the existing suites around the stadium would be renovated.

The two biggest changes to the stadium itself would come above it and below it.

For the first time since the stadium was built in 1972, the Chiefs are planning to build a 360-degree upper concourse, which would allow the fans to more easily flow around the stadium. It would also create more food stations, restrooms and merchandise areas, and that would alleviate the congestion elsewhere in the stadium.

In the end zones, the Chiefs are planning to excavate under the existing structure to create club spaces similar to those found at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where the NFL team Las Vegas Raiders play and the Chiefs recently won their third Super Bowl in the past five years.

The Super Bowl is the annual league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game.

Maintained Mark Donovan, Chiefs President, “You sit on the field level of the Allegiant Stadium and see that amazing end zone suite they have, and you say: ‘Wow. Too bad we can’t do that.’ We found a way to do that, and not only bring you the best of the newest buildings in the NFL, but put it inside the iconic Arrowhead Stadium.”

Another big change would come outside the stadium, where the Chiefs envision a tailgating plaza built on the site of the Kauffman Stadium. The covered area would provide a gathering space on gameday but also could be used year-round for events. The renovation would take about four years to complete.

The original plan for the Truman Sports Complex called for a rolling roof that could cover the Arrowhead and the Kauffman stadiums, but the structure was never built. The Chiefs revisited the idea of a roof over Arrowhead roughly two decades ago, when it underwent its last major renovation, but the public was skeptical of the project and the idea ultimately was scrapped.

Even though a roof conceivably could help the Kansas City play host to the Super Bowl, Hunt said on February 28^th that it was never seriously considered for this round of renovations – and in fact, the team prefers to play outdoors in the elements – “We certainly feel like it’s a competitive advantage for us.”

The Chiefs also considered a mixed-use development around Arrowhead, where there are few restaurants, hotels and entertainment options. But studies found that such an investment would not provide a positive financial return.

Added Donavan, “This is not a location that is not worthy of developing, as harsh as that sounds.”
 

Community Fabric

‘chiefs.com’ quoted Hunt as stating, “For more than five decades, the Arrowhead Stadium has been the home of the Chiefs, and a home for so many of our fans. This is where the generations of Chiefs fans fell in love with the game. History has been written here, legends have been born here and lifelong memories have been made within these walls. The stadium has become part of the fabric of our community. We are excited to share our plans to extend the life of Arrowhead for the future generations of the Chiefs fans.”

The club has consulted with a team of experts from the famed design firm Populous – one of the world’s pre-eminent sports design and architecture firms that is headquartered right here in Kansas City – on best-in-class features and concepts that would elevate an already revered venue and unrivaled fan experience to new heights. The team presented renderings and video of proposed repairs, maintenance, renovations, and enhancements that would maintain the Arrowhead Stadium as the home of the four-time Super Bowl champion Chiefs for decades to come, but would double down on its status as an iconic cultural landmark for the Kansas City and the entire Midwest region, as well as a destination for the sports and entertainment fans from around the world.
 

Renovation concepts include:

• New turf-covered Activation Zone with the tailgate areas and the covered entertainment space built over the current site of the Kauffman Stadium for gameday activations and year-round community opportunities;
• A new Upper Concourse Connection Bridge will create 360-degree wrap-around connectivity for the fans on the upper concourse as well as additional space for new food and beverage points of sale (POS);
• The Upper Concourse Canopy will provide weather protection for all the fans on the upper-level concourse, in addition to the infrared heaters and the overhead fans increasing the year-round comfort;
• The new VIP Stadium Entry Points will lead to all-new spaces inside the stadium and will also decrease the fan traffic and congestion at the existing general admission gates;
• The new Sideline Clubs will be constructed after excavating under the lower-level seating bowl to create new premium experiences for the gamedays and the special events;
• The new Videoboards will be increased in size while keeping their iconic shape to complement the stadium’s unique curved end zones while the new LED Ribbon Boards will also be installed;
• The upgraded TV, Wi-Fi, DAS (distributed antenna system) and the Audio System Technology will be introduced throughout the stadium, enhancing the fan connectivity as well as the clarity and quality of the game presentation in-stadium;
• The new End Zone Clubs and Suites will introduce new viewing and hospitality experiences that are now common in the newer NFL venues;
• The new Concession Stands, Retail Spaces and Restrooms will result in improved access and reduced wait times around the building;
• A new Field Access Tunnel will provide a new field access point for the visiting teams, closer access to the new visiting team areas, as well as faster event turnover for the major concerts and other special events;
• The Full Suite and Club Lounge renovations and updates will deliver the latest in technology, fixtures and furniture for every existing suite;
• The Traditional Concession Stands will be converted to modern Grab-n-Go Markets throughout general concourses, resulting in an anticipated increase in speed of service by 30 to 40 percent and the transaction times will decrease with new point-of-sale (POS) technology systems;
• Three new Pedestrian Bridges will eliminate interruptions to the vehicular traffic flow, resulting in improved safety and event experience;
• Dedicated Rideshare Zone promoting a more seamless rideshare experience for the football games and concerts while reducing congestion;
• A new Parking Deck on the South side of the stadium and Expanded Parking on the North side of the stadium at the current site of the Kauffman Stadium increase the total number of paved parking spots, while the Reoriented Parking Lots improve the pedestrian flow and the tailgating experience; and
• The Lot O RV Parking Lot will be expanded, paved and permanently lit, with permanent restroom facilities being added for the user experience.

 
‘chiefs.com’ quoted Donavan as stating, “Today (February 28^th is a major milestone in a very long and complex process that has taken place behind the scenes for more than two years. It is important to recognize the work of our internal team, as well as the team from Populous, who have worked closely on this project from the time that we started reviewing the core samples of concrete through today’s (February 28^th) announcement. There will continue to be many steps, tweaks and updates as we move forward, but we hope the Chiefs fans are excited and encouraged by the significant progress and investment that has been made and will continue to be made going forward.”

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