MLB team release statement confirming decision to relocate from 54-year home into new $2bn downtown ballpark

The Kansas City Royals are finally set to bring baseball downtown.

A ‘world class’ ballpark, surrounding mixed-use development and re-imagined team headquarters will built after a years-long search for Kauffman Stadium’s replacement.

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The project, announced by the Royals and Hallmark Cards Wednesday, will come at a cost of nearly $2billion.

Kansas City Royals announce new stadium site

It will see the team move from Truman Sports Complex, a site they have shared with the Kansas City Chiefs for decades, to Crown Center.

The new ballpark will be built just south of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, while the Chiefs are moving across state lines.

“Our founder Ewing Kauffman wanted the Royals to be Kansas City’s forever, and he wanted the team to benefit his hometown as much as possible,” Royals CEO and Chairman John Sherman said, announcing the decision.

“Joining Hallmark with this project achieves both and extends the Hall family’s critical legacy of helping Kansas City grow.”

According to a release shared on the MLB website, the total project would be funded primarily by the Royals and other private investors.

It will also be supplemented by public funding from the City of Kansas City, and Missouri’s Show-Me Sports Investment Act.

“Today’s announcement reinforces that the State of Missouri is not just where the Kansas City Royals play but where they belong,” Governor Mike Kehoe said.

“This decision by the Royals to invest in our state is more than just a commitment to Kansas City, it is a commitment to communities and fans across Missouri.

“I appreciate the partnership of the Royals organization, Hallmark and state and local leaders in working together to make this project a reality.”

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More to follow…