Kansas City Chiefs’ return to St. Joe for 2018 training camp now officially official

The Kansas City Chiefs announced they would be returning to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, for 2018 training camp back in January, but the agreement still had to pass a vote by the Missouri Western State University Board of Governors.

The school announced the board formally approved the Chiefs’ return Tuesday.

“We are quite proud of our relationship with the Chiefs,” Missouri Western president Dr. Robert Vartabedian said, via the school’s website. “We’re pleased to welcome them back this summer, and we hope for many years to come.”

“We are pleased that the Missouri Western Board of Governors approved the contract agreement that we reached early in 2018,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan added. “The entire Missouri Western community and the city of St. Joseph have fully embraced Chiefs training camp and have provided our team with tremendous facilities and service for almost a full decade. We are very excited for the upcoming season and know our fans are going to enjoy getting their first glimpse of the 2018 team on the campus of Missouri Western this summer.”

The deal announced in January also includes an option for a one-year extension for 2019. The Chiefs first started holding camp there in 2010, so this is already the ninth year up in St. Joe.

One of those stories that seems to repeat itself every year is how much Chiefs head coach Andy Reid values the camaraderie that is built when the team gets away from their home city and stays in college dormitories. That’s why I fully expect the Chiefs to pick up that 2019 option.