When Kansas agreed to relinquish a home football game in Lawrence in order to play in the Union Jack Classic in London against Arizona State, athletic director Travis Goff asserted that the move would be “financially beneficial” for the university.
Just how beneficial in terms of dollars and cents became clear on Monday, when the Journal-World obtained through a Kansas Open Records Act request the contract between KU Athletics and the Union Jack Classic that governs the Jayhawks’ participation in the event.
The Union Jack Classic will pay KU $2.7 million in exchange for taking part in the game at Wembley Stadium, according to the contract. It will also cover numerous costs for KU’s travel party, including charter flights to and from London, hotel accommodations, transportation to and from Union Jack Classic events, meals, security, equipment storage, laundry and more.
The game between the Jayhawks and Sun Devils, set for Sept. 19 in London, will be the first power-conference football game ever played in the United Kingdom. KU’s participation, and ensuing payout, is not totally without precedent, however. Kansas State gave up a home game in order to play Iowa State in Ireland last season and received a sum of $2.25 million, as reported by The Manhattan Mercury.
Goff has emphasized that 2026 is the ideal year for KU to give up a home game to play in London, because the Jayhawks will still be able to host six games in Lawrence this year — they would have had seven otherwise — and because of the reduced capacity implemented at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium for 2026 due to ongoing construction on the stadium’s east side. (Scott Draper, who oversees Big 12 football, recently cited this as a reason why Kansas was chosen for the game in the first place.) So the $2.7 million figure is expected to be particularly striking in comparison to what KU would have garnered from a reduced-capacity home game in Lawrence.
KU will have in fact already received $1.2 million from that sum, per the terms of the contract, which offered $200,000 at its signing (it is dated Jan. 9) and $1 million on March 1. The remaining $1.5 million is set for Sept. 1, less than three weeks before the game.
Beyond paying for KU’s expenses in close proximity to the game, the Union Jack Classic is also contracted to facilitate and pay for KU visits prior to the event, including an “operational and promotional visit of Institution’s head football coach, Director of Athletics, Chancellor … and Institution selected student athletes for mutually agreed promotional activities.” KU coach Lance Leipold has previously stated in an interview with British media that he will visit London in late April, around April 23. That will likely be shortly following the conclusion of KU’s spring practice.
KU has several promotional obligations under the terms of the deal, including to distribute an electronic event brochure accompanied by a letter from Leipold to season-ticket holders and to use its websites, social media accounts and other sporting events to advertise the Union Jack Classic (which it has already been doing). KU must also “encourage” Leipold to tout the event on his own social media; on X, he recently reposted a social media post that defensive tackle Blake Herold made on March 10.
A KU Athletics spokesperson noted that some players may receive name, image and likeness opportunities related to the Union Jack Classic.
If either party, KU or the promoter, chooses to back out of the event (for reasons other than extraordinary circumstances — the contract contains a “force majeure” clause), it must pay the other $2.25 million.
Some details of the game have yet to be disclosed and are not included in the contract. For example, Draper recently said that the conference is drawing close to determining the network that will air the game and the time at which it will take place.
The television window for this game may be particularly significant because unlike past international games such as last year’s Ireland game, it is not taking place during the so-called “week zero” prior to when the season starts for most teams, when it would be the center of attention. Instead, it is part of Week 3 of the season amid what Draper called “a pretty heavy week of football games.”
