TOPEKA, Kansas — The Kansas City Chiefs are moving to Kansas with a deal to use more than a billion dollars in taxpayer funding to help build a domed stadium, entertainment district, new team headquarters and a training facility, Kansas officials announced Monday.
The announcement followed a closed-door meeting by legislative leaders who then voted unanimously to issue STAR bonds to finance the project.
“Today, we are announcing an agreement to bring our beloved Kansas City Chiefs right here to Kansas,” said Gov. Laura Kelly, speaking at a crowded event at the Docking State Office Building, next door to the Statehouse. “For the rest of the nation, I say take heed. Kansas is not a flyover state. We are a touchdown state.”
“In my seven years as governor, I’ve had the privilege of making some really big announcements, but none bigger than this. It’s truly historic,” she added.
Kelly said the agreement between Kansas and the Chiefs protects Kansas taxpayers.
“The state portion is coming from revenue generated by the stadium, entertainment venues, STAR bonds and lottery funds,” she said. “Not with new taxes.”
The $3.3 billion project includes a stadium and entertainment district located near the Legends district in Wyandotte County and a new Chiefs headquarters and training facility in Olathe, said Clark Hunt, chairman and CEO of the Chiefs.
“The stadium we estimate will be approximately $3 billion,” Hunt said. “The practice facility will be approximately $300 million and then we have committed to do a mixed-use district that will have at least $700 million invested both in Olathe and Wyandotte County, and it could go up from there.”
The split between public monies and private investment dollars will be 60-40, he said, with private monies covering 40% of the $3.3 billion bill.
Kelly said the stadium will generate 20,000 jobs and more than $4 billion in economic impact during construction.
The deal has been years in the making, transcending truces between Kansas and Missouri leaders to end the economic border war between the states. Kelly said to reporters following the event that the deal has nothing to do with the border war.
“This is a sports team versus a corporation,” she said. “It’s very different.”
Design is expected to take two years, and construction could take three with a planned opening in the fall of 2031. Lt. Gov. David Toland, who is also the Kansas commerce secretary, said planning will begin “probably tomorrow.”
Hunt said the decision to leave Missouri and Arrowhead stadium was not an easy one. It came down to needing to make a decision, he said, as building a new stadium will take five years and the Chiefs are approaching the five-year mark on their lease of Arrowhead.
“We had a great dialogue with Missouri, all the way through the end of last week,” he said. “Frankly, not everything was resolved that needed to be resolved. The big difference is we were working with one party here, the state of Kansas, and in Missouri, we were working with the governor’s office, the county and also the city.”
“We all have a bunch of really great memories at Arrowhead, but this decision is really about the future,” he added. “We’re going to be investing in a stadium that can last for multiple generations of Chiefs fans.”
In a survey completed last year, Hunt said, fans made it clear that they wanted a loud stadium and a “really great” tailgating experience. Both those elements will be part of the design plan for the new stadium, he said.
Experts doubt the benefits of using public subsidies for stadium deals.
“Every deal is different,” Toland told Kansas Reflector, “but this one we’ve done an extensive economic impact study that shows this is a huge net positive for the state of Kansas.”
The deal relies on the state’s Sales Tax and Revenue Bond program, also known as STAR bonds, to lure the multibillion dollar football team 20 miles away from its current home at Arrowhead Stadium. Toland called the deal “the largest economic win in Kansas history.”
The incentive package offers the Chiefs unprecedented support, covering up to 70% of the stadium’s cost by redirecting the sales tax revenue from the new stadium and surrounding areas to pay off construction debt.
Last month, the Chiefs advertised a request for domed stadium design proposals located near the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. A domed stadium would allow the team to host a Super Bowl.
The Legislative Coordinating Council, which consists of Republican and Democratic legislative leaders, booted a standing-room-only crowd out about three minutes into its Monday meeting and returned in less than 30 minutes to vote on the STAR bonds deal. They didn’t discuss the plan in an open meeting or with reporters.
Chiefs and Royals representatives encouraged Kansas legislators in 2024 to expand tax incentives to sweeten a move across state lines. Despite those incentives, which were passed during a special session that summer and signed into law shortly thereafter, neither the Chiefs nor the Royals had promised to build in Kansas. Until now.
Chiefs flags lined the street Monday leading into the Docking State Office Building, and a lone Topekan sat outside to show his support of bringing the team to Kansas.
Steve Bushnell said he has made the trip to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, many times. He was excited at the idea of moving the team to the Sunflower State.
“It’s certainly a little bit bittersweet with the nostalgia of Royals stadium, Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium,” he said.
But, he said, when he heard Chiefs leaders were going to be in Topeka for the news conference with the governor, he “jumped at” the opportunity to be part of this “historic event.”
Inside, red and yellow balloon pillars welcomed an estimated 400 guests, according to a spokesperson for the governor.
The Chiefs join a growing list of professional sports teams that have clinched expensive new stadium deals. The Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans both will play in new stadiums beginning in 2026.
Hunt said the 2031 football season will bring change.
“But some things won’t change,” he said. “Our fans will still be the loudest in the NFL. Our games will still be the best place in the world to tailgate. Our players and coaches will be ready to compete for championships because on the field or off the field, we’re big dreamers, and we’re ready for the next chapter.”
