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Why Chiefs are moving from Arrowhead. Where will they go? Explained
The Chiefs weigh relocation from Arrowhead across the state line as Topeka, Kansas, lures the team with a major stadium financing offer
The Kansas City Chiefs are weighing options to leave their historic home at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri and relocate to a new, state-of-the-art stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, AP reported.
The franchise leadership is currently exploring lucrative public-financing incentives and long-term venue opportunities.
The move is not yet official, but a key meeting in Topeka, Kansas, scheduled this week is expected to be pivotal in determining whether Kansas lawmakers approve STAR bonds. The bonds are projected to fund up to 70 per cent of a new stadium project, tipping the scales toward a Kansas relocation.
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Stadium financing and Star bonds proposal
The Chiefs have been engaged in a years-long search for a long-term stadium solution. Their current lease at the Truman Sports Complex in Missouri is set to expire in January 2031.
In 2024, Jackson County voters rejected an earlier plan to use a local sales-tax extension to fund significant Arrowhead improvements and a new Kansas City Royals ballpark.
The rejection made way for the Kansas lawmakers, who then seized the opportunity, authorising STAR bonds to cover up to 70 per cent of the cost of a new domed stadium near The Legends commercial area in Kansas City.
The Kansas Department of Commerce issued a statement saying the state is in active discussions with the Chiefs about building a new stadium and related facilities in Kansas. The department added, “No final agreement has been reached, but this would be a massive economic win for Kansas and benefit Kansans for generations to come.”
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Missouri's counteroffers and continued negotiations
Missouri officials are still chasing a win. The lawmakers in Missouri have authorised a financing package aimed at keeping the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in the state by covering up to 50 per cent of stadium costs.
Reporting by the Sports Business Journal states that the Missouri incentive package would allow teams to issue bonds backed by state tax revenues that would help position the state as a competing bidder to Kansas’s larger STAR bond offer.
