By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The city of St. Joseph and Missouri Western State University will soon know for sure what the Kansas City Chiefs’ plan is for training camp.
The NFL has given the green light for all 32 teams to travel to their training camp sites this summer. Fans will also be allowed to watch as long as state and local protocols are followed.
Training camp has been at Missouri Western’s campus since 2010. It was held in Kansas City's practice facility last summer due to COVID-19.
Missouri Western athletic director Josh Looney says the school's relationship with the Chiefs has always been positive, and he looks forward to hearing their plans about training camp soon.
"Obviously at Missouri Western, we feel very confident in our ability to host a camp this year and meet protocol," Looney told the Post in an interview. "We continue to work with the Chiefs and we're not in a position to share any dates or confirm things, and so it's still a bit of a waiting game."
The Chiefs are contracted to hold training camp in St. Joseph through 2024. A full training camp schedule is expected to be announced in the next week or two.
"We'll follow the NFL's lead and adapt and we feel like we're in a good position to follow whatever protocols are necessary regarding training camp in 2021," Looney said.
Training camp has always brought hundreds of fans from Kansas City and beyond to St. Joseph, giving local restaurants, hotels and businesses a nice boost.
Looney says Kansas City's recent run of five straight division titles, back-to-back conference titles and a 2020 Super Bowl win has fueled the excitement, especially during the 2019 camp.
"We had a record camp and it was an unbelievable atmosphere," Looney recalled. "A sea of red throughout the community. We had a rally downtown to welcome the team to camp. Then, they go and win the Super Bowl. Then, in 2020 it was canceled and we were expecting another record camp, so I think there's pent up demand."
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