Well, it seems official: the Kansas City Royals intend to build a new downtown stadium to replace Kauffman Stadium when their lease expires in 2030. This news has seemingly been a long time coming, and now it appears that the team is getting ready to make it a reality.
The location of the new stadium hasn’t been determined, but by all accounts it seems that it will be somewhere close to downtown.
Here at the Stadium Insiders, we’ve always been fans of Kauffman Stadium. Even though it’s location in the middle of nowhere off of an interstate was never appealing, the stadium itself had plenty to offer, including the amazing fountains in centerfield. It also boasts a great Royals Hall of Fame, an amazing crown-shaped jumbotron, and a bunch of other things that we love. So in a lot of ways we’ll be sad to see the team walk away. Having said all of that, most of those things will undoubtedly be included in the new stadium, and the addition of putting it close to downtown will probably make this one of the best experiences in baseball. In the 21st century, a baseball stadium not attached to an urban center feels like a waste: with 81 games each year, a baseball stadium is truly an anchor that can support the energy of a city. When we imagine a new ballpark within shouting distance of the Power & Light District, or some of KC’s other downtown attractions, there’s no way that we can’t be excited about it.
Of course what that means to you is that you would seem to have about seven years to enjoy the current stadium, so if you haven’t been to Kauffman, now may be the time to start making those plans. Check out our our Insider Guide to Kauffman Stadium.
