Chiefs hire research firm to help decide future home
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - As the Kansas City Chiefs continue exploring their options to determine the future home of the Chiefs, the organization has hired outside help to assist with the process.
On Thursday, the Chiefs announced they are hiring CSL International, a third-party research firm specializing in sports and entertainment venues. CSL will conduct market research through surveys, interviews and focus groups of key stakeholders as the Chiefs approach a decision for their home beyond 2031.
That’s when the organization’s lease with the Truman Sports Complex expires. In April, Jackson County voters decisively rejected a sales tax extension that would’ve renovated Arrowhead Stadium and paved the way for the Chiefs’ next-door neighbor Kansas City Royals to move downtown.
Now, both teams continue to search for plans and evaluate several options.
“As we continue exploring options and zoning in on the decision that will be best for the organization and our fans in the long-term, the next step in the process is to gather stakeholder input on various aspects of the stadium experience -- whether that’s as part of a renovation or a new build,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said in a release. “The professionals at CSL are leaders in this space and we are thrilled they will be handling this research over the coming months. The results will better inform us of the ways in which our season ticket members, fans, partners and suite holders experience gameday and allow them to share their thoughts as we look toward the future.”
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The Chiefs said CSL’s research sessions will be conducted over the coming weeks. They’ll focus on ideas for one of two different potential projects: a renovation of Arrowhead Stadium or a newly built stadium.
“We will combine learnings from more than 10 new and renovated NFL stadium studies over the past decade with direct in-market testing to provide the Chiefs with clear, concise and actionable data that is grounded in market realities,” said CSL President Ben Wrigley.
In October, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said the team was gathering information from both sides of the state line to create options for a new stadium and potentially a new training facility.
“We are hopeful that by the spring we’ll have some direction,” Hunt said of the stadium possibilities on Oct. 16. “I certainly don’t expect to have anything finalized by that point, but I’d like to know the direction that we’re headed.”
Hunt emphasized the real deadline is February 2031, when the organization’s lease with the Truman Sports Complex expires. Following the failed vote in April, legislators in Kansas passed a STAR bonds bill with the help of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, opening a pathway for either the Chiefs or Royals moving to the Sunflower State.
Last week after winning the election, Missouri Governor-elect Mike Kehoe said he and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas agreed on at least one thing: wanting to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.
In April, a stadium architect released renderings of a potential stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.
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