Chiefs set six-month deadline to decide future of Arrowhead Stadium

The Chiefs have set a deadline of six months from now to decide on a plan for the future of Arrowhead Stadium, whether that means renovating their iconic home or building an entirely new stadium in Kansas or Missouri.

After a joint ballot initiative with the Royals to help fund facilities by extending a sales tax was rejected by voters in Jackson County, Missouri, earlier this year, the teams agreed to move forward with separate plans. Now, they are waiting for the leaders in both states that comprise the Kansas City metro to put forward their best pitches.

Legislators in Kansas approved a plan last month that would finance up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums for pro sports franchises with an eye on luring the Chiefs across the state line. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson responded a week later by saying he expects his state to put together an aid plan by the end of the year to keep the teams on its side of the metro.

"This is a generational decision. This is going to impact the future of this franchise for generations," Chiefs president Mark Donovan said Friday, the day that veterans reported to training camp at Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Missouri.

"We have to get this right," Donovan said. "We are going to do the due-diligence. We are going to take our time and do it right. But there is a reality to the timing. You can only take so much time to get it right. And that window is starting to close."

The Chiefs and Royals have played for more than five decades at the Truman Sports Complex, where a lease agreement calls for the use of a sales tax for their upkeep. And while Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium remain beloved by fans, the reality is both are becoming outdated, and it's unclear how long they would last even