City of St. Joseph embraces Chiefs Training Camp

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KMIZ)

St. Joseph has established itself as a second home to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Missouri Western State University (MWSU) has welcomed the team to the city for the last 15 years, hosting Chiefs Training Camp on its campus.

It's a unique experience. Unlike most NFL franchises, who host their training camps at their team facilities, the Chiefs travel outside of Kansas City and stay on a college campus for 17 practices. In fact, the team actually moves into the dorm rooms at the university.

The Chiefs embrace the experience, and the city of St. Joseph ensures that the team feels welcome. The St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau has been giving out 'Welcome Chiefs' signs for the last five years, a gesture that the community has enjoyed. The organization has witnessed a strong community turnout each year since the event started.

"It's always been a big community initiative for us," Christian Mengel, the Director of Communications at the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau, said. "They've always been free... the year is not on them, so every year, we can put out more, and so, eventually, the town is kind of flooded with them."

Since the Chiefs started holding training camp at MWSU in 2010, the St. Joseph community has taken plenty of pride in hosting the four-time Super Bowl champion franchise.

"We get to be their second home, and say that no other city in the world has hosted the Chiefs more than St. Joseph, outside of Kansas City," Mengel said. "We're really thankful to be the community that's gotten to embrace this team that, honestly, just has the world's attention right now."

The Chiefs and Missouri Western State University agreed to a multi-year contract extension last month, keeping the team's training camp in St. Joseph for the forseeable future.