Ticket price increases? Tailgating space? Chiefs fans weigh in on Kansas move.

Benjamin Wheeler, The Kansas City Star on Dec 26, 2025

Published in Football

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs fans had mixed emotions during the Christmas Day tailgate before taking on the Denver Broncos.

The Thursday night game was the first following the news that the team would be leaving GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, their home for more than 50 years, for a new domed facility in Kansas.

The Kansas City Star spoke to tailgaters as they grilled and awaited kickoff. While some were excited for the new stadium, other dedicated fans were worried about what it meant for season ticket holders.

Autumn Gregory and her son Layne have been season ticket holders for the past decade, and while they don’t mind the move, they are worried about potential changes to season ticket buying.

“I’m just afraid it’s going to price us out of the season ticket members, and that we won’t get to so many games,” Autumn Gregory said. “We’ve been season ticket members for 10 plus years now, and it’s just sad that we have like, five more years of getting to go to every single game. It’s what we do together.”

Gregory’s concerns were also felt by fellow season ticket holders. Brothers Chris and Todd Trusler have been season ticket holders since the 1990s.

Chris said that as a fan, he didn’t like the move but understood the change from the business side, calling the bundling of the 2024 stadium tax vote with the Kansas City Royals stadium a failure on Jackson County and the state.

“We’re probably going to lose our tickets,” Chris Trusler said. “I don’t know if we can keep them with costs and everything. It’s six years down the road, but still.”

The team’s lease at Arrowhead expires in 2030, with the new stadium expected to be ready for the 2031 NFL season. The Chiefs have played in Arrowhead since it opened in 1972.

Both Trusler brothers are also worried about losing the home-field advantage the Chiefs have at Arrowhead, with the new stadium set to lose roughly 10,000 seats. That’s something Joe Canzonere, who’s been attending games at Arrowhead since he was 12 years old, is also concerned about.

“We’re the loudest stadium for a reason,” Canzonere said.

Canzonere just hopes the new stadium will have as much space as the Kansas Speedway has at the new facility, so people can still tailgate before the games.

Fans who live in Kansas were more excited about the news, happy to have a stadium closer to them. But they also wanted developers to be able to keep the tailgate atmosphere intact at the new facility.

Nicolette Davis, who was attending her first game, said she’s excited for the move due to the stadium being closer to her home.

“We just don’t have anything besides KU basketball, we need something over there,” Davis said. “I really don’t feel strongly about it remaining here, I just hope they’re able to preserve the tailgating aspect because tailgating is the biggest part of it. The friends that we made, the things that we do here, as long as that is preserved and able to make the state line jump, then I’m OK with it.”

The new stadium will be built in Wyandotte County near the Legends outlets and will be surrounded by an entertainment district. A new team headquarters and a practice facility will be built in Olathe.

Kansas resident Jonathan Jones said he thinks it will help Wyandotte County with revenue and is excited about the economic development.

“I understand Arrowhead (Stadium) has been here for a long time, and there’s a lot of memories attached, but that’s kind of the way the NFL is these days,” Jones said.

Kansas plans to fund the development through a supercharged version of its Sales Tax and Revenue, or STAR bonds, program, which is designed to fund regional attractions by paying back developers with future sales tax revenue. The bonds can reportedly fund up to 70% of a new stadium project.

Emma Green, an Emporia, Kan., resident, is thrilled about the move, saying she feels like it’s always been a shared team.

“We have to be OK with sharing,” Green said. “I’m sad to leave Arrowhead. I think a lot of people would’ve been really sad because we love Arrowhead. There’s nothing wrong with Arrowhead. If it’s time for a change, and we have to move, let Kansas have a chance.”

The total cost for the stadium is estimated at roughly $3 billion, which doesn’t include the cost of practice facilities.