Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt often said his favorite place in the world was GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri. That’s not stopping the team from moving across state lines.
During a Monday news conference, Hunt’s son, Chiefs owner Clark, confirmed the team plans to move to Kansas after its lease at Arrowhead ends in January 2031.
“Today is an extraordinary day in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs,” Clark Hunt said. “This project represents another step in our legacy of innovation and our fan-first mentality, which started with my father, Lamar Hunt.”
But Clark Hunt is breaking a promise to fans with his plans. He previously insisted he wanted to keep the Chiefs at Arrowhead, where they’ve played since 1972.
How Clark Hunt is breaking his promise
“Nothing’s changed from our perspective,” Clark Hunt said in December 2023, via Tod Palmer of KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Mo. “We’re still focused on Arrowhead. We believe it’s one of the best stadiums in the National Football League. And we hope to make it our home for another 25 years.”
Now, it’s set to be home for just five more years if everything goes to plan, and it appears it will.
According to Dave Skretta and John Hanna of the Associated Press, Kansas’ top lawmakers voted unanimously at the state Capitol to allow STAR bonds (sales Tax and revenue bonds) to cover 70% of the cost of a stadium and the accompanying mixed-use district. The bonds will be repaid using state sales and liquor tax revenues generated in the area.
The Chiefs plan to construct their new stadium near the Kansas Speedway and a retail and entertainment district known as The Legends. That location is also home to Children’s Mercy Park, where MLS club Sporting Kansas City plays.
It’s not the same as moving from Missouri to Dallas, Texas, where the Chiefs played as the Texans from 1960-62, but the team could’ve found a way to stay at Arrowhead.
In April 2024, voters in Jackson County, Mo., rejected a 40-year sales tax that would’ve funded the construction of a new Kansas City Royals ballpark and renovations to Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs pledged $300M for an $800M project. But the proposal would’ve impacted more than 700,000 people, including business owners.
Instead of developing a new plan that could’ve cost taxpayers less money, the team found what it considered a better deal.
Clark Hunt said he has big dreams for the new stadium, which he certainly hopes could one day host a Super Bowl. But why not continue to pursue that goal at the place his father cherished?