Royals evaluate stadium options, downtown ballpark possible

KANSAS CITY, MO. (AP) » With a decade left on their lease at Kauffman Stadium, the Kansas City Royals are evaluating their options and owner John Sherman said Tuesday one of those could be a new downtown ballpark.

The Royals are tied to the 53-year-old stadium, named after founder Ewing Kauffman, until 2031 under terms of a public-private partnership 15 years ago that helped to fund $250 million in renovations to the quaint but aging ballpark on the outskirts of town.

But the club must make a decision in the next couple of years to press on with more renovations at Truman Sports Complex, which is also home to Arrowhead Stadium and the Kansas City Chiefs, or look elsewhere. The design and construction for a new stadium typically takes up to five years, and securing the necessary funding can sometimes take just as long.

“I get asked this question all the time about where we’re going to play in the future,” said Sherman, who bought the club from David Glass for $1 billion in November 2019. “Since the day we acquired the franchise, trust me, we’ve had a revolving door of people bringing us lots of ideas, some that have been on the shelf for a long time.

“We’ve spent our time listening but we’ve also thought of the future of where we play,” Sherman added. “We’re in a good spot here in Truman Sports Complex but we need to start thinking about our plans for a stadium.”

There was a major push in the early 2000s for a new downtown ballpark, near where city officials managed to build T-Mobile Arena, the home of the Big 12 Conference basketball tournament and other events. That has since served as the cornerstone for the Power & Light District, a robust area of bars and restaurants, and has helped to revitalize downtown Kansas City.