In 2031, Kansas City will have to bid goodbye to the team that brought the city so much glory. The Chiefs will be moving to their new stadium in Kansas, for which preparations are already underway. The iconic Arrowhead, home of the Chiefs for more than 50 years, would be left behind.
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Instead of the city moving on with demolishing the much-loved building, there are plans to put the Arrowhead to another use after the Chiefs leave.
“County leaders have unveiled plans for a new ‘Truman Sports & Innovation District,'” Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports reported. “In which the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium would be retained and renovated, and still used for events such as concerts, college football, soccer, and rugby.”
“Arrowhead has history, identity, and value,” Jackson County executive Phil LeVota said. “We shouldn’t wait until facilities are empty and hundreds of acres are sitting underused to start asking what comes next. The time to start that conversation is now.”
The Buffalo Bills moved into their new Highmark Stadium this year, leaving behind the old one. That building is being demolished, razing down the heaps of memories made on the field. Seeing that happen to the Arrowhead was definitely going to be a tough one for Chiefs fans.
Per the Kansas City Star, the Arrowhead could be used for FIFA Women’s World Cup matches in 2031, college football games, and concerts. The stadium will host the Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Miami (Ohio) next year.
The plan will be phased out. The first phase will focus on Arrowhead’s long-term use and opportunities to keep it active year-round. The second phase would focus on redeveloping the Kauffman Stadium site and seeking private investment. Then, the strategy will focus on an entertainment district with office space and housing.
Arrowhead has seen the Chiefs become who they are today. It has seen the team fight for their four Super Bowls, and players becoming legends.
In November 1981 against the Houston Oilers, rookie Joe Delaney set the franchise’s rushing yards record for a single game, torching the field with his 193 yards. This is the field that has seen Lenny the Cool, Joe Cool Montana, and now, Patrick Mahomes.
The Arrowhead also got to host FIFA World Cup matches this summer, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of the late Lamar Hunt, the Chiefs’ founder.
“There is some pain on leaving Arrowhead, and I’ll be at the top of that list,” Clark Hunt said last year.
However, the team will not name their new stadium in Kansas’ Wyandotte County as Arrowhead. It will stay back in Missouri, marking the end of a glorious chapter, and the beginning of an exciting one.
The Chiefs want the new stadium to hold the essence of Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead defined the legacy of the Chiefs. While Chiefs president Mark Donovan said that the iconic name will likely stay in Missouri, the Chiefs aren’t forgetting the atmosphere and the tailgate facilities the stadium provided.
And this is why the Chiefs have kept the look of the new stadium, which is worth $3 billion, similar to Arrowhead. This will, however, be a domed stadium, with a roof made up of translucent ETFE panels.
The Chiefs have brought in expertise in audio to further enhance the crowd roaring, which is a part of the legacy. Even though the capacity of the new stadium will be 70,000 (less than Arrowhead’s), the Chiefs are trying to maintain the atmosphere of what it is like to attend a Kansas City Chiefs game.
Donovan said in September that seeing the positive response from the fans to the new stadium’s renderings was “one of the most satisfying things” for the franchise.
However, the new stadium still does not have a name. Donovan told The Athletic that they are “way early in the process,” but “will pretty strongly commit that we will have something that will enhance the fans’ experience.”