Chiefs Training Camp: The economic impact on St. Joseph
Ryan Eslinger
ST JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Since 2010, the Kansas City Chiefs have called Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph home for their yearly training camp.
Chiefs fans from all over the world come to St. Joseph to watch their favorite team practice before the season kicks off.
For the last decade, the Chiefs have been dominant. Nine straight division titles in the AFC West, seven consecutive AFC Championship appearances and four Super Bowl appearances, with three being wins.
While Chiefs Training Camp is free to attend, it’s considered one of the most impactful events from an economic standpoint in St. Joseph. More visitors coming in means more business, which means more money to be made.
One business that’s looking forward to the camp is St. Joseph’s Rally House location. With a surplus of Chiefs gear for fans, Rally House Manager Jordan Newberry expects the store to be packed for another year of training camp.
“We get a lot of out-of-state traffic, especially from Nebraska or Iowa. So we see it pretty heavily when they’re starting to come in for camp,” Newberry said. “Then, as soon as it starts picking up like the week before, it’s insane.”
Newberry said fan favorite items are expected to be flying off the shelves, and when the time comes, the store will be prepared.
“We have been stocking up on a lot of signables, mini helmets and pictures so that the team can sign them. We have also stocked up on a lot of jerseys as well. We have an overabundance this year for sure,” Newberry said.
Newberry also said, one item is for sure to make its way into households this year.
“Mini Helmets always fly off the shelves, I don’t know what it is,” said Newberry. “Kids love them, parents love them, they collect them. That’s the one thing we try and stock up on.”
Apart from the merchandise side of Training Camp, other local businesses also see an increase in traffic and a bigger economic impact.
The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Natalie Hawn, said local businesses love the extra traffic.
“It’s fun for the business community to get the extra hustle and bustle of not only the fans but also the chance that they might see a player,” Hawn said.
The Director of Communications and Marketing at the St Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), Christian Mengle, mentions that restaurants are impacted the most in St. Joseph.
“Particularly for the restaurants, there is probably no other industry that benefits more from the visitor industry,” Mengle said.
This year, Training Camp has only one practice a day compared to the two practices a day in previous years. Because of the cut in practices, St. Joseph is not seeing much economic impact.
“We’re not seeing as much economic impact as we could if it was a practice later in the day or if there was a second practice,” Mengle said. “It’s hard to track sometimes, the economic impact specifically of free events.”
While the economic impact has decreased over the years, it doesn’t mean visitors aren’t still coming to St. Joseph.
Last year, the Chiefs estimated that over 80,000 fans claimed tickets to attend Chiefs Training Camp, proving there’s no shortage of fans.
As far as where economic improvements lie, it’s keeping fans in St. Joseph for longer periods of time.
“Just the average general day, we still get quite a few people from Kansas City that can still make it home in time for lunch, and so they are not spending as much as they could,” Mengle said.
While the focus is primarily on football, Chiefs Training Camp goes far beyond the field, as it has become one of the biggest events that is held in St. Joseph.
However, the drive for keeping Training Camp in St. Joseph isn’t just about the economic impact. It’s about showcasing the pride of the Kansas City faithful and is a chance to feel connected to one of the NFL’s best franchises.
“It’s a great way for us to show some community pride for our hometown football team,” Hawn said. “It’s not just Kansas City’s team, it’s our team too.”