KC Chiefs President Details Plans for Arrowhead Stadium Future

The Chiefs' plan for the future of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium appears to be coming into focus, with several hurdles still to be cleared.

Apr 26, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; An aerial view of Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Chiefs, first opened in August 1972. Now more than 50 years old, Arrowhead appears poised for another refresh — or a relocation.

In the midst of months of conversation and speculation regarding the Kansas City Royals' plans to move away from the shared Truman Sports Complex, the Chiefs have also narrowed down their options for the future, according to team president Mark Donovan in a press conference at Missouri Western State University to kick off Chiefs training camp in St. Joseph, Mo.

Apr 26, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general overall aerial view of Arrowhead Stadium (bottom) and Kauffman Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Asked about the Royals' plans and how it will impact the Chiefs' future home, Donovan said the team has a trio of paths they could take

“I want to be consistent and reiterate something that [Chiefs chairman and CEO] Clark [Hunt] said last time he spoke on this; if everything plays out the way we think it’s going to play out, our preference is to upgrade and renovate the stadium and make GEHA Field at Arrowhead even better," Donovan said on Friday. "We’ve gone through the process and made some progress there. There are still three viable options on the table and we’ve got to do the due diligence on: renovate/upgrade, build new on-site, or build new somewhere else. All three of those options are still part of our dialogue."

In March 2022, Donovan made waves by suggesting the Chiefs would consider a move from Missouri to Kansas, on the other side of the state line from their current KCMO home. Donovan did not specifically address a potential move to Kansas on Friday, but the team appears to be keeping their options open regarding renovation vs. relocation. Donovan noted that the half-century-old Arrowhead is still sturdy, but would require substantial renovations in years to come if they were to stay at Arrowhead.

"We’ve learned a lot in this process," Donovan said. "The good news is we think the building itself is actually, structurally, pretty sound, which gives us the opportunity [to renovate]. Having said that, we’ve learned that it’s going to take a significant annual investment to keep that building structurally sound. And the other thing we’ve learned on the good and the bad is, just like any project, there’s certain days where you get that phone call; it’s like, 'Hey, we just found this. Might be an issue.' And we’re talking about core samples of cement that was poured in 1970, those issues could be significant and they could factor into the decision."