The Kansas City Chiefs‘ owner, Clark Hunt, has finally decided to leave Arrowhead Stadium and relocate to a new site in Kansas once the current lease expires in 2030. The news has stirred many fans in the Chiefs Kingdom, including Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas, who is heartbroken.

“Although our conversations with the team extended to as recently as late last week, we understand our very fair, but very responsible financial offer of taxpayer support was surpassed thus far by an even more robust public financing package in Kansas,” Lucas said about the move. “We are professionals and understand the Chiefs have a business to run, and today made a business decision.

“Today is a loss for the Arrowhead tradition that so many of us in the Chiefs Kingdom hold dear. At the new location, folks will make new memories. But for those of us who remember the painful days like three missed field goals as a playoff one-seed and the joyous ones like hoisting the Lamar Hunt Trophy for that first time inside Arrowhead Stadium in 2020, years growing up and growing old in the Arrowhead parking lot and the outdoor stands that in the elements is one of the few places in our community where we came together breaking through divides of age, hometowns, race, income, and politics, this will be a tough adjustment. I wanted my two young sons and your children and your grandchildren to get to experience the same.”

He talked about how he was homeless growing up and would stay in a motel near the Arrowhead Stadium. His mother had saved up money to send Lucas to his very first game at the stadium back in 1993.

Regardless, in his speech, he also recalled the things that didn’t go right during the early negotiations and wished the team well. That said, he added that Kansas City would still remain an option if the new deal between the Chiefs and Kansas did not conclude.

Lucas also thanked the Jackson County executive Phil LeVota and Governor Mike Kehoe for helping him throughout the discussions.

However, this relocation is a shocker to the culture and traditions of Kansas City, as the Chiefs have been its major sports franchise, along with the Kansas City Royals, for decades.

Though the franchise has not moved yet, it is only a matter of time now. Plus, discussions about their possible relocation had been going on for a long time.

The location of the new stadium in Kansas is yet to be decided, but reports suggest that it is to be built somewhere in Wyandotte County, Kan., and the projected opening date will be in 2031. A specific site has not been selected yet, but a location near the existing Kansas Speedway is a possibility.

Clark Hunt announces the big move

The team owner was involved in lengthy negotiations with both sides. Lucas and his team proposed a $1.5 billion fund in public support, but it was no match for Kansas’ offer to allow for STAR bonds to be issued to cover up to 70% of the cost of the stadium and accompanying mixed-use district. And so, a decision was made.

“The location of Chiefs games will change,” Hunt said on Monday. “But some things won’t change. Our fans will still be the loudest in the NFL, our games will still be the best place in the world to tailgate, and our players and coaches will be ready to compete for championships, because on the field or off the field, we are big dreamers, and we’re ready for the next chapter.”

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The news has been great for the Kansas governor, Laura Kelly.

Clark Hunt’s initial plan was to renovate Arrowhead, and he sought $800 million from Missouri lawmakers. But Jackson County voters were against the local sales tax extension. It shaped up Hunt’s vision to go for a new facility with a retractable roof that would make the stadium usable for the entire year.

Hunt has said that he expects the Chiefs Kingdom to keep supporting them. As the relocation approaches, one can only expect more emotional stories to come out.