“St. Joe’s Sports Tourism Efforts Return MSHSAA Football Championships to Kansas City”

In St. Joseph, Missouri, the Missouri State High School Activities Association hasn’t held an 11-man football championship in the Kansas City area since 1987.

Notably, Missouri’s Class 6 football title game has never been hosted in the Kansas City region, as it wasn’t established in 1986 when the last big-class title games were played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Following this, the Class 1 champion was determined a year later at William Jewell, but only 8-man state championships have been contested in northwest Missouri since then.

However, this trend will change in 2025, as all seven state championship football games are slated to take place in St. Joseph at Missouri Western’s Spratt Stadium.

“It is exciting for every coach in Kansas City to know that you can be closer to home,” remarked Rockhurst football coach Kelly Donohoe. “I think for all of us that’s a little more motivation, right? It’s kind of in our backyard. ‘Let’s make sure we do everything we can to try to get there.'”

MSHSAA’s six 11-man state championship games will continue at Mizzou’s Memorial Stadium for one more season before transitioning to Spratt Stadium from 2025-28 — and possibly beyond.

“The timing was right to bring the games to St. Joseph, and we hope those games live here for those five years and beyond,” said Brett Esely, executive director for the St. Joseph Sports Commission. “It’s something that we foresee here for a very, very long time.”

The St. Joe Sports Commission, dormant for several decades before its revival in January 2022, underscores the growing importance of sports tourism to the town’s economy. St. Joseph’s niche primarily focuses on hosting high school, small-college, and youth sports events, although it has also hosted Chiefs training camp every summer since 2010 (except 2020).

“We don’t have to be a major vacation capital of the world,” noted Esely. “Certainly, it’s not sunny and 80 degrees here every day, but it doesn’t have to be to be a great host. We focus heavily on hospitality.”

Recent events like the NCAA Division II women’s basketball championships at Civic Arena and the city’s inaugural marathon underscore its growing reputation as a sports destination.

Donohoe is optimistic about Spratt Stadium’s potential as a state-title game venue. With a capacity of approximately 10,000 fans, it provides a more intimate atmosphere compared to larger venues in Columbia or Springfield.

“The problem is, if you put 10,000 to 12,000 people at Columbia or at Springfield, it still doesn’t feel packed,” Donohoe observed. “Now, you take it to Missouri Western, it’s going to feel packed. … It’s just about the atmosphere and the experience for a team and players.”