Clark Hunt, chairman and chief executive of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, has expressed a preference to renovate GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium amid talk of the team potentially developing a new home.
In March, the Chiefs revealed that they had been approached by developers over the possibility of building a new stadium in the state of Kansas.
The Chiefs have played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri since 1972. The venue has undergone several redevelopment projects and is still regarded as one of the best stadia in the NFL.
With the Chiefs’ lease deal set to expire in 2031, the team is exploring its options and president Mark Donovan said in March that approaches had been made by developers in Kansas. Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, immediately expressed his desire to work with the Chiefs to ensure the team remains in the city.
Hunt has now said that staying at a renovated Arrowhead Stadium would be the team’s “No.1 priority” but insisted all options would be evaluated. “We’ve got to figure out what’s best for the franchise, what’s best for the fan base,” he said, according to the Kansas City Star.
He added: “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.”
The city’s Major League Baseball team, the Royals, is also exploring the possibility of building a new downtown ballpark.
The Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium since it opened in 1973 and the team’s current lease at the venue also expires in 2031. Kauffman Stadium forms part of the Truman Sports Complex, which includes Arrowhead Stadium.
Image: Kj1595/CC BY-SA 4.0/Edited for size
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