This year, the Kansas City Chiefs are trying to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls. While the Chiefs — and their fans — hope their season ends with an early February victory in New Orleans, the season really starts in St. Joseph, MO.
For the 14th year, Missouri Western University in St. Joseph plays host to the Chiefs training camp, where the players come together for classes, practices, and preparation for the season. The whole team moves into dorms to eat, sleep, and breathe football.
This year, the camp runs July 21 through August 15, with a few days off in between.
Training camp provides a unique opportunity for fans to get up-close views of morning practices and their favorite players, get player autographs, take pictures, and much more.
Here’s a helpful guide to make the best of Chiefs training camp.
Cost
Nearly every practice session is free to attend. There are three exceptions (July 21, July 27, and Aug. 4), but on those days, admission is $5 per person.
Every day, parking costs $5 and needs to be purchased online in advance. A ticket is also required for admission to practice sessions – even if they are free. To reserve tickets and parking, go to Chiefs.com/TrainingCamp.
Things To Do
- Watch the Chiefs practice. You’ll get to see the players up close and in action as team members run drills, learn new plays and compete with each other.
- Get autographs. Each day, designated position groups sign autographs for free. Often many of the other players join in the free autograph sessions, even if it isn’t their required day.
- Activities for kids. On a nearby field, the Chiefs have football challenges where kids can throw passes at targets, kick field goals, tackle a dummy or try to scoop up fumbles. There’s also a rock climbing wall, a giant inflatable Chiefs Kingdom-themed obstacle course, and a bounce house.
- Grab a photo with the Chiefs cheerleaders or KC Wolf. Cameras with lenses smaller than six inches are allowed, and training camp provides plenty of opportunities for photos. But recording Chiefs’ practice is against the rules.
- Get new Chiefs Gear. The pro shop has just about every piece of officially licensed Chiefs memorabilia you can imagine.
How To Get There
Chiefs training camp is held at Missouri Western University. Plug “4525 Downs Dr., St. Joseph, MO” into your GPS, and you’ll see that training camp is about an hour north of Kansas City and around a 3.5-hour drive from Wichita.
Tips For Training Camp
- If there’s a particular player or group of players you want to see, check the schedule. Most practices are dedicated to specific units, i.e. defense, lines, running backs, etc, but there are five full team practices scheduled. .
It gets hot, so bring sunscreen. Look for the misting stations if you need to cool off. - You can bring in one sealed water bottle, but water, soda, snow cones, and the like are available for purchase.
- Practices generally last 1 hour 40 minutes.
- Small bags are allowed, but like at the stadium, if the bag isn’t clear, it may be searched at security, or, more likely, you’ll be turned away and sent back to leave the noncompliant bag in your car.
- Bleacher seating is available, but you may bring a folding camping chair if you like. No coolers or outside food and drink — aside from one bottle of water — are allowed.
Schedule
Practice schedules are subject to change, so it’s advisable for fans to check Chiefs.com/TrainingCamp for up-to-date info on practice times and other event details.
With two exceptions, all practices begin at 9:15 a.m. The practice session on Aug. 12 starts a little later (10:15 a.m.) since the team will be returning from a preseason game. On the last day of training camp, the session begins at 8:15 a.m.
