KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Officials from the National Football League and the Kansas City Sports Commission provided an update Thursday as the city gets ready to host the 2023 NFL Draft next April.
John Barker, senior vice president of global event operations and production at the NFL, spoke to the members of the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council Thursday.
“Kansas City, you are now on the clock,” Barker said. “You are up next.”
Barker was joined by Kansas City Sports Commission President Kathy Nelson.
The pair outlined a preliminary site plan for the draft, which will be focused on Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
The three-day event will feature a main stage in front of Union Station, though the station itself will remain front and center.
“We are unbelievably excited about this,” Barker said. “This one has all the markings of being special.”
In addition to the main stage, organizers are planning a Draft Experience that would be hosted on the giant grassy lawns on both the north and south sides of the Liberty Memorial.
The Draft Experience is set to kickoff at noon on Thursday, April 27, with a red carpet show at 4:15 p.m. The first night of the draft will start at 7 p.m.
Events will continue at noon Friday, April 28, with the Draft Experience. Draft rounds two and three will start at 6 p.m.
The three-day event continues on Saturday, April 29, with the Draft Experience opening at 10 a.m. and rounds 4-7 of the draft starting at 11 a.m.
Barker estimated that crews will need roughly a month to get the site ready for NFL fans across the country.
More information about how Kansas Citians can volunteer and participate in the draft is available on the Sports Commission’s website.
—
