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KANSAS CITY – The Royals have started exploring options for a baseball stadium in downtown Kansas City, CEO / Chairman John Sherman revealed on Tuesday.
One of those options is downtown instead of Jackson County, where Kauffman Stadium is currently located in the Truman Sports Complex. The Royals share a parking lot with GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Kansas City Chiefs play.
“We are running an internal process to help us assess our options for where we play,” said Sherman. “One of those options is playing baseball downtown. We’re starting to get more feedback from the community. We look forward to more. But wherever we play, it will meet those criteria. And he has to do big things for Kansas City.
Kauffman Stadium opened as the Royals Stadium in 1973. Prior to that, the Royals debuted as an expansion franchise in 69 and played their first four seasons at the Municipal Stadium near downtown.
This idea of a downtown stadium is nothing new, and it has been assumed since Sherman and his group of investors bought the team in 2019 that they would explore the idea – but it will take time. The Royals’ current lease at Kauffman Stadium ends in 2031.
“From the day we acquired the franchise, believe me, we’ve had a revolving door with people bringing us a lot of ideas, some of which are long overdue,” Sherman said. “And we spent our time listening. We also thought about the future of where we play. I would just like to tell you that we are well placed here at the Truman Sports Complex. Our lease expires at the end of the decade. But we need to start thinking about our plans for a stadium over the next five to ten years. “
Sherman listed several criteria he keeps in mind when discussing a new stadium and location.
“Wherever we play, the criteria will be that the process will have a meaningful impact on the community, real and measurable,” Sherman said. “The result will be economic growth and economic activity that will benefit this region, also in real and measurable ways. And I think about the quality of life. … I think the other criterion is that we need to have a positive impact on the quality of life of our citizens in Kansas City, with a particular focus on the under-represented parts of our community.
Sherman said he expects taxpayers to be involved in funding a new stadium. In 2006, Jackson County voters approved a 0.375% sales tax for improvements to both stages of the complex. As part of the renovations, the Royals and Chiefs have extended their leases until 2031.
“It was a public-private partnership between the Jackson County taxpayers and the Royals for us and certainly the Chiefs for their part,” Sherman said. “I predict it would be a public-private partnership again. How it’s structured, I think that’s part of what we’ll find out in our process.
The ongoing discussions and decisions will lead to a long process, but making it public is an important step. And the one Sherman wouldn’t take if he didn’t think it might lead to a change.
“Frankly, it’s hard not to make this public,” Sherman said. “I get asked that question literally everywhere I go, even more so than when Bobby Witt Jr. joins the Major League team.
“We want to be transparent about how we think about it, start this discussion and start getting feedback from different groups in the community, what they think about the concept and… if we can do it. [the criteria] work, and math works, that’s certainly a possibility for the future.
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