The Chiefs have released the first renderings of their planned $3 billion future home across state lines in the other Kansas City.
‘Today we are excited to show Chiefs Kingdom a first look at our new home,’ owner Clark Hunt said in a team statement accompanying the renderings of the 70,000-seat domed stadium. ‘From the beginning, our goal has been to build something that improved the gameday experience for every single fan. This new stadium will do just that.
‘It’s spectacular,’ he continued. ‘It honors the rich legacy of this franchise while setting a bold course for the future of Chiefs Kingdom.
‘While we’re still finalizing many of the details, there are a few things we know for sure: it will hold 70,000 fans, it will still be the best place in the world to tailgate, and the whole building will be built for noise.’
Like many of the NFL’s newest domed stadiums, the renderings show a massive structure encased largely in glass. And similar to Calgary’s 20,000-seat Saddledome, where the NHL’s Flames have played for 43 years, the roof of the Chiefs’ new home is designed to sag a bit in the middle while flaring upwards at either end of the stadium.
As one critic noted, ‘the roof is shaped like a Pringle’ potato chip.
The Chiefs have released the first renderings of their planned $3 billion future home
The planned domed stadium will be built across state lines in Kansas City, Kansas
Others were concerned about the glass.
‘The glass roof is a terrible idea,’ read one post. ‘The whole project is too small with not enough suites or seats.’
But many, many more remained devoted to the Chiefs’ current home, where the team will continue to play through the 2030 season.
‘Only money hungry owners would leave the best football stadium in the NFL and move it to another state so they could have a dome and make more money for themselves,’ one critic wrote on X.
‘Football should not be played inside,’ another added. ‘Retractable roof. Open for football. Closed for Taylor Swift concerts.’
Of course, Swift’s husband Travis Kelce is 36 and unlikely to still be playing for Kansas City when the stadium opens in 2031.
Interestingly, the Chiefs’ renderings included what appeared to be the image of Navy veteran and world-renowned singer Generald Wilson performing the national anthem on the scoreboard.
‘You made the rendering!’ one fan wrote on X alongside Wilson’s handle.
TheChiefs’ renderings included what appeared to be the image of Navy veteran and world-renowned singer Generald Wilson performing the anthem on the scoreboard (upper right, left)
One fan likened the shape of the planned stadium’s roof to a Pringles potato chip
The proposed stadium bears a slight resemblance to Calgary’s 20,000-seat Saddledome
The Chiefs announced in late December that they would be moving away from Arrowhead Stadium, their long-time home in Kansas City, Missouri.
That move came after lawmakers in bordering Kansas approved more than $2.4 billion in bonds to cover about 60 percent of the costs of the new dome, a team practice facility and a retail district. The MLS’ Sporting Kansas City as well as a minor league baseball team will also have facilities on the site, which is near the Kansas Speedway racetrack.
The team is working with firms MANICA and HNTB on the project, which the Chiefs hope will put them in the running to host future Super Bowls and other events.
‘We plan on bidding for Final Fours, College Football Playoff Games, bowl games and, of course, the Super Bowl,’ Hunt said in April. ‘It will coincide with the construction of several other NFL buildings, so we will have competition, but I will make sure that Kansas City and the Chiefs put their best foot forward in that process.’
