KCRag Forum

Hasn't one of the owners expressed some sort if interest in downtown too? Maybe not for the stadium but he said it's growing and a great place to be or something like that

AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:46 pm Hasn't one of the owners expressed some sort if interest in downtown too? Maybe not for the stadium but he said it's growing and a great place to be or something like that

Yea, I think it’s the owner/president

AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:46 pm Hasn't one of the owners expressed some sort if interest in downtown too? Maybe not for the stadium but he said it's growing and a great place to be or something like that

Part of the ownership group started a company downtown years ago. It's called Fan360. They own the building and the parking lot next to it. The lot has been rumored to be the site of a new building going back 5+ years

flyingember wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 8:24 am

AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:46 pm Hasn't one of the owners expressed some sort if interest in downtown too? Maybe not for the stadium but he said it's growing and a great place to be or something like that

Part of the ownership group started a company downtown years ago. It's called Fan360. They own the building and the parking lot next to it. The lot has been rumored to be the site of a new building going back 5+ years

Heineman is the CEO of Sporting and co-founder of Fan 360.

The development isn’t just rumored, they told reporters that they had plans drawn up for it. I believe Heineman is also the one who has talked about the potential for a downtown stadium.

normalthings wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 8:48 am
Heineman is the CEO of Sporting and co-founder of Fan 360.

He's not associated with Fan 360 anymore, doesn't show up on the website.
https://www.fanthreesixty.com/about

But another Sporting name does

flyingember wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 9:04 am

normalthings wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 8:48 am
Heineman is the CEO of Sporting and co-founder of Fan 360.

He's not associated with Fan 360 anymore, doesn't show up on the website.
https://www.fanthreesixty.com/about

But another Sporting name does

I don’t think that changes what I said. Heineman and others from Sporting founded Fam 360.

Isnt Heineman also behind the new Plaza hotel?

The ownership group of SKC is called On Goal LLC- though now they just go by Sporting club. Not Fan360. Fan360 is a spinoff in stadium experience tech company founded by Illig. It is obviously closely associated with SKC. Heineman may own some of it, but not really relevant.

https://www.thepitchkc.com/asim-pasha-o ... tech-firm/

Heineman and Pasha formed it with a goal of each having 20% stakes and OnGoal with a 60% stake.

being private it's not clear who owns how much today

Seems kinda insane they'd found a company based on stadium experience and then build their own one out in the middle of nowhere kinda.

AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 1:05 pm Seems kinda insane they'd found a company based on stadium experience and then build their own one out in the middle of nowhere kinda.

The stadium came first. Their work with Cisco on the stadium resulted in the company.

shinatoo wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 1:51 pm

AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 1:05 pm Seems kinda insane they'd found a company based on stadium experience and then build their own one out in the middle of nowhere kinda.

The stadium came first. Their work with Cisco on the stadium resulted in the company.

Timeline adds up

They bought the team Aug 31, 2006.
They got the public financing to build a stadium in 2007
They moved to the baseball stadium in the legends in 2008
The current stadium opened partway into the 2011 season.

FanThreeSixty was founded ~2012.

Out of all the stadiums to move downtown, Sporting is the biggest no-brainer. I'm not even a soccer fan, but statistically speaking MLS fans are almost all young people. It is just ripe for somewhere downtown, and when you think about the demographics of who watches MLS, it really makes no sense for the fans for it to be in suburbia.

From what I'm hearing, this one might be a race. I don't know if DT can really support three franchises (NBA, SKC, MLB). One of these will be left out and getting an NBA relocation seems to be the cities first priority. So, the other two need to make some big moves to get a spot DT. My prediction is that the Chiefs help push for the Royals to be the winner. The Royals moving would give them sole control of TSC and give them standing to get additional money for their stadium as well.

Would it surprise anyone if SKC ended up at bannister? What about NKC with a streetcar extension?

beautyfromashes wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:40 pm From what I'm hearing, this one might be a race. I don't know if DT can really support three franchises (NBA, SKC, MLB). One of these will be left out and getting an NBA relocation seems to be the cities first priority. So, the other two need to make some big moves to get a spot DT. My prediction is that the Chiefs help push for the Royals to be the winner. The Royals would give them sole control of TSC and give them standing to get additional money for their stadium as well.

If this is true, wow what an endorsement for downtown. This still wasn’t even the case 10years ago.

beautyfromashes wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:40 pm From what I'm hearing, this one might be a race. I don't know if DT can really support three franchises (NBA, SKC, MLB). One of these will be left out and getting an NBA relocation seems to be the cities first priority. So, the other two need to make some big moves to get a spot DT. My prediction is that the Chiefs help push for the Royals to be the winner. The Royals would give them sole control of TSC and give them standing to get additional money for their stadium as well.

heard this from a pretty connected/powerful contact this week:


Within 5 years, there will be a professional team playing downtown or with a stadium well under construction.

beautyfromashes wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:40 pm From what I'm hearing, this one might be a race. I don't know if DT can really support three franchises (NBA, SKC, MLB). One of these will be left out and getting an NBA relocation seems to be the cities first priority. So, the other two need to make some big moves to get a spot DT. My prediction is that the Chiefs help push for the Royals to be the winner. The Royals would give them sole control of TSC and give them standing to get additional money for their stadium as well.

3 thoughts on this

1. Please God be the Royals who get that spot downtown

2. This upward pressure you're speaking of to get a team downtown is just the kind of demand we need to make this happen

3. I'm skeptical downtown wouldn't be able to support them all. NBA & MLB play in opposite seasons, and SKC plays at home like once every other week. I don't see the problem.

AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:15 pm 3. I'm skeptical downtown wouldn't be able to support them all. NBA & MLB play in opposite seasons, and SKC plays at home like once every other week. I don't see the problem.

I think it'd just be a huge pressure on our system. Imagine a concert at T-Mobile with games at SKC and Royals at the same time. That's not counting other events (conventions, First Friday, etc.). You would be overdemanding the supply.

normalthings wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:00 pm

beautyfromashes wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:40 pm From what I'm hearing, this one might be a race. I don't know if DT can really support three franchises (NBA, SKC, MLB). One of these will be left out and getting an NBA relocation seems to be the cities first priority. So, the other two need to make some big moves to get a spot DT. My prediction is that the Chiefs help push for the Royals to be the winner. The Royals would give them sole control of TSC and give them standing to get additional money for their stadium as well.

heard this from a pretty connected/powerful contact this week:


Within 5 years, there will be a professional team playing downtown or with a stadium well under construction.

I would be very surprised if Sporting was the one that came to Downtown.
-Newest stadium (and a pretty great one to be honest, despite the location the Legends isn't bad-just far)
-Still sells out no problem despite the distance
-US National Training Center just built a few years ago right next door (https://www.compassmineralsnpc.com/)
- Sporting owns and operates the park, not leased like the other teams.
- Heavily subsidized by UG ($180M + in TIF and Star bonds), and owners on the hook for that $30M penalty unless they can get the Cerner situation figured out when they sell Continuous Campus. I don't know every detail and am not sure if/when any other penalties or clawbacks expire.
https://www.kansas.com/news/article1020982.html
- KCMO leaders already not particularly good with development subsidies, especially after being burned on the Waddell & Reed deal. Unrelated but probably not a ton of appetite for a $180M+ subsidy that it may take to lure Sporting downtown if they wanted one comparable to what they got from UG.

From a team ownership perspective, I just don't think the math adds up.

I don't think the Chiefs would ever move downtown. Having a dome stadium really wouldn't improve the football experience much, since they play in more weather conditions & fewer games. Tail gating culture is real, the stadium can be super loud & disruptive with 80,000 fans. That number of people couldn't be supported by our road or transit network.

On the New Orleans Pelicans. I read some of the posts above, and hell I could see it happening. Especially more likely than an expansion team. I agree Vegas and Seattle will get the next round. But in the 2030s, I could definitely see Pelicans moving to KC, and obviously they would play in T-Mobile. Still a long shot though.

I would say the Royals are by far my favorites to make it downtown. Right sized stadium, new ownership group wanting to increase the club's value - one way is to get taxpayers to help subsidize a new stadium. There is also a big economic incentives to increase lagging attendance and re-invigorate a somewhat lagging franchiese post-2014/2015 World Series teams. Royals to downtown, East Village, funded by TIF & renewed stadium sales tax, remodel Arrowhead & new "Fan Experience Village" or whatever where the K is now. I would also love a streetcar down Linwood/31st. The development potential on the East Side is so real, have a terminous at TSC then future expanion on Rock Island RR.

beautyfromashes wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:26 pm

AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:15 pm 3. I'm skeptical downtown wouldn't be able to support them all. NBA & MLB play in opposite seasons, and SKC plays at home like once every other week. I don't see the problem.

I think it'd just be a huge pressure on our system. Imagine a concert at T-Mobile with games at SKC and Royals at the same time. That's not counting other events (conventions, First Friday, etc.). You would be overdemanding the supply.

Not even close to pressure is likely.

Kauffman Holds 37,900
T-Mobile Center holds 19000.
Soccer is 18500

Downtown has 110,000 workers. The three sports teams will have more carpooling. Assume 2.5 people per spot as many couples, families, frined groups go to sporting events.

So peak downtown use would be 5-6pm with 100,000+ cars
all three places with an event at once would be ~30,000 cars

It's more a matter of physical space for stadiums than if downtown could handle three teams at once, even replacing sporting with the chiefs.