Spratt Memorial Stadium, also known as Craig Field at Spratt Stadium, is a 7,500 seat stadium in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...

, United States, on the campus of

Missouri Western State University Missouri Western State University (MWSU or MoWest) is a public university in St. Joseph, Missouri. As of 2023, it enrolled 3,815 students. History Missouri Western State University was founded in 1915 as St. Joseph Junior College and held cours ...

. In 2010, it became the summer training camp for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

History

Spratt opened in 1979. Previously Missouri Western played at municipal owned Noyes Field by Central High School. It is named for Elliot Spratt, an executive with Hillyard, Inc. whose family has donated money for numerous buildings on the campus. Missouri Western opened stadium with a 44-0 victory over

Dana College Dana College was a private college in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre (607,000 m2) campus is approximately 26 miles (40 km) northwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley. It closed in 2010. T ...

. Initial cost was $850,000 Lights were added in 1985. In 2006 its grass turf was replaced by

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...

manufactured by

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

-based ProGrass Synthetic Turf Systems The stadium initially could seat 6,000 but was expanded in 2009 to accommodate 7,500. There is grass seating on an adjoining hill. The biggest crowds are for the Northwest Missouri-Missouri Western football rivalry including 10,129 in 2009 and 9,207 in 2007 From 1998 to 2007 the stadium hosted the Missouri 8-Man High School Football Championship, taking over from longtime host Bearcat Stadium. The games were then moved to the

Edward Jones Dome The Dome at America's Center is a multi-purpose stadium used for concerts, major conventions, and sporting events in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Previously known as the Trans World Dome from 1995 to 2001 and the Edward Jones Dom ...

in St. Louis with the 11-man championships. The 8-Man championships are currently played at the University of Missouri along with the 11-man finals, but all MSHSAA championship games will be held at MWSU starting in 2025. In 2018 the

Bill Snyder William D. Snyder (born October 7, 1939) is an American retired college football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University from 1989 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2018. Snyder initially retired fro ...

Pavilion was dedicated at the west end of the playing field, in honor of the St. Joseph native and former

Kansas State football The Kansas State Wildcats football program (variously K-State or KSU) is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Divisio ...

coach.

Kansas City Chiefs Training Center

In 2009 Missouri Western signed a contract for the Kansas City Chiefs to move to the stadium from

River Falls, Wisconsin River Falls is a city in Pierce and St. Croix counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is located mostly within the town of River Falls, and adjacent to the town of Kinnickinnic in St. Croix County. River Falls is the most populous city ...

, in 2010. A $10.5 million facility was built just west of the stadium between it and

I-29 I29 may refer to: * Interstate 29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota ...

on a former softball field. It includes a full-size indoor football field, a locker room, weight room, training room, coaches’ offices, meeting rooms and a lecture hall. It is designed by St. Joseph architect Jeff Ellison of Ellison-Auxier Architects. The Chiefs occupy it three weeks each year and the Griffons access it the rest of the year.

References

{{Missouri college football venues College football venues in Missouri Missouri Western Griffons football Buildings and structures in St. Joseph, Missouri Tourist attractions in Buchanan County, Missouri 1979 establishments in Missouri Sports venues completed in 1979