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Chiefs are hiring a research firm to help the club make decisions on its future home
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Chiefs are hiring a research firm to help the club make decisions on its future home

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – As the Kansas City Chiefs continue to explore their options to determine the Chiefs’ future home, the organization has hired outside help to aid in the process.

On Thursday, the Chiefs announced they were 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 bosses approach a decision for their post-2031 home.

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 have renovated Arrowhead Stadium and cleared the way for the Chiefs’ next-door neighbor, the Kansas City Royals, to move downtown.

Now, both teams continue to search for plans and evaluate several options.

“As we continue to explore options and navigate 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 experience on stadium – be it this one. as part of a renovation or new construction,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said in a statement. “The professionals at CSL are leaders in this space and we are excited to have them take on this research in the coming months. The results will better inform us about the ways our season ticket members, fans, partners and suite holders experience game day and allow them to share their thoughts as we look to the future.”

READ MORE: ‘There are rumors out there’: Where do Royals, Chiefs stadium talks stand?

Bosses said CSL scouting sessions would be held in the coming weeks. They will focus on ideas for one of two different potential projects: a renovation of Arrowhead Stadium or a new stadium construction.

“We will combine learnings from more than 10 new and renovated NFL stadium studies over the past decade with direct market testing to provide executives 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 possibly a new practice facility.

“Hopefully by the spring we’ll have some direction,” Hunt said of the stadium’s possibilities on Oct. 16. “I certainly don’t expect to finalize anything by then, but I’d like to know where we’re going.”

Hunt pointed out that the actual deadline is February 2031, when the organization’s lease with the Truman Sports Complex expires. Following the failed vote in April, Kansas lawmakers passed a STAR bond bill with the help of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, clearing a path for either the Chiefs or Royals to move 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: the desire to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.

In April, a stadium architect released renderings of a potential stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.