KU football could play at Arrowhead Stadium next year
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Kansas Jayhawks football program is considering a move to the east — at least, for the 2024 season.
University of Kansas leadership and the Kansas City Chiefs front office confirm for FOX4 the two camps are discussing moving games to Arrowhead Stadium while construction continues at Booth Memorial Stadium.
That work is part of a $448 million renovation. The project is nowhere close to being finished.
Any games on campus at KU in 2024 would be limited to a capacity of around 25,000 in the parts of the stadium that are still intact. For now, heavy equipment and workers in hard hats are more common than football players and coaches.
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It’s a source of concern for downtown Lawrence business owners, which draw fan traffic to Massachusetts Street stores and bars from less than a mile away from the stadium.
Managers at popular sportswear store Jock’s Nitch say a Saturday during football season is 10 times more profitable than an average weekend day.
“We understand it’s something that has to be done. Would we rather have all our games here? Yes, but if it’s in the middle of construction, and it’s a mess, it’s not going to be best for our fan base,” Ryan Owens, store manager at Jock’s Nitch, said.
Restaurants lament the possibility of losing football fans for a year, too. Brandon Graham, one of the owners at Jefferson’s on Mass Street, said his restaurant might do twice as much business when the Jayhawks play at home.
“We’ll still have people watching the game, but undoubtedly, there will be an impact with the foot traffic from out of town, and quite frankly, for the whole weekend. Al of downtown benefits from that,” Graham said.
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Jock’s Nitch owners say they may look for a way to get involved, and do business close to Arrowhead for the 2024 season.
KU officials still want to play ball at Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. They could make a decision within the next month.
