Preparations are underway on the Missouri Western campus for the Chiefs Training Camp | Sports

Preparations on campus are well underway as the first group of Chiefs players is a week away from reporting to St. Joseph.

Looney said initial preparations for camp have been underway since the Super Bowl closed in February. More noticeable changes have taken place in recent weeks, as Looney said the chief’s staff had been preparing on campus since early July.

“We really want everything to be ready by early next week,” said Looney. “The Chiefs already have their event team out here, and we’ll be preparing for the first arrivals next week, and when it’s open to the public this thing will be ready by the end of July.”

As preparations continue on campus, Looney said one of the more difficult processes is removing Griffon teams from facilities so the chiefs can move in.

Western Associate Athletic Director of Facilities Mike Halloran oversaw the process. He said after going through it year after year they had a pretty good system.

“We go through everything every year,” said Halloran. “Let it all out, the chiefs are moving in, they’re here for a month or so, and then they move out and we move in again, and we’re ready for the fall semester.”

The fan experience was a focus of the preparations for the university. Brett Esely, Senior Associate Athletic Director of Western, was responsible for campus fan logistics for the camp.

One thing that will look different is sitting. Unlike in previous years, Looney said the seats at this year’s camp will almost double, with bleachers on each sideline that are not occupied by the team.

Another big change will be that fans are not allowed to have direct contact with players, i.e. not sign autographs, due to the NFL COVID-19 protocols. Looney said the Chiefs are finding creative ways to keep fans busy despite the protocol.

“Almost all of the COVID logs and the NFL logs are actually on the non-public side,” Looney said. “We want you to come to campus from a fan experience location, visit St. Joseph and just have a wonderful time.”

Esely said parking is something the university put a lot of thought into during the preparations. He said that over the past few years they have worked out a plan to get fans to campus as soon as possible. Esely said he had a message for fans planning to come to camp.

“We have worked tirelessly to come up with a plan that hopefully when you get on campus you can hop on, park and come to camp as soon as possible,” said Esely, “but our message was that you would arrive early so that you can give yourself plenty of time to get in and see your favorite football team. “

With less than two weeks to go to the Missouri Western camp for fans, Looney hopes the university can create a great environment for Chiefs Kingdom.

“Aside from limited capacity games last year, this is really the reopening of engagement with our professional soccer franchise in Kansas City,” said Looney, “so I think it’s wonderful for the community and we can’t wait to see a sea to see. “From Rot visit St. Joseph.”

Quarterbacks and rookies will be the first group of players to report to camp next Friday, July 23rd. Fans will be welcomed to camp for the first time on July 28th.