The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) board of directors on Jan. 26 tentatively agreed to move its headquarters, Hall of Fame and museum to Cheyenne, Wyo., in early 2029, ending a nearly 50-year stay in Colorado Springs.
PRCA said in a news release that the move is contingent on the Wyoming Legislature approving $15 million funding for the project, which will be matched by Cheyenne Leads, a nonprofit economic development organization for Cheyenne and surrounding Laramie County. The association said it will pursue additional public and private funding “to support development of the campus and surrounding district.”
PRCA, the world’s oldest and largest professional rodeo-sanctioning body, employs 85 at its headquarters complex, opened in 1979, near Interstate 25 and Rockrimmon Boulevard in northern Colorado Springs. Paul Woody, PRCA’s chief marketing officer, says the group’s “intent would be to ready the [Colorado Springs] property for sale when it is appropriate.” The group owns five buildings totaling 46,428 square feet on 15 acres.
Woody says Cheyenne Leads approached PRCA leadership in mid-2025 about moving to Cheyenne, and Colorado Springs officials began working with PRCA in early November about “potential private funding, visitor marketing and partnership placement within the LART [the City of Colorado Springs Lodging and Auto Rental Tax] program.” He says “specific dollar amounts” of the package were not discussed.
“When you’ve been somewhere for 50 years, it is a hard decision to leave. Leadership has to make that decision for the longevity and sustainability of the organization.” — Paul Woody, PRCA chief marketing officer
Chamber CEO Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer says the chamber is “disappointed by PRCA’s decision and would love for them to maintain Colorado as their home. We did all we could to make the case to stay in Colorado Springs.” She declined further comment.
The incentives from Wyoming will provide PRCA with a new facility it owns without debt as it does with its current 47-year-old facility in Colorado Springs, but the new property gives the organization room for expansion it doesn’t have locally, Woody says.
Impact on local rodeo events
The move will not affect the PRCA-sanctioned NFR Open at Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, which is under contract to be held at the Norris-Penrose Event Center in southwest Colorado Springs through 2031. Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo spokeswoman Nikki Hall says PRCA’s headquarters location “has no bearing whether the NFR will continue to be sanctioned [by PRCA] and we have a contract to have it at Norris-Penrose.”
“This is a strategic decision that positions PRCA for the future.” — Tom Glause, PRCA CEO
“Wyoming lives and breathes rodeo, and Cheyenne offers authenticity, visibility and alignment with our sport’s values. The opportunity to build a purpose-driven campus that celebrates rodeo’s history while supporting its growth is incredibly exciting,” Glause said in a release issued Jan. 26.
The association cited “a friendly business climate and no state income tax” as factors in selecting Cheyenne, which offered to build the Hall of Fame and an administrative building to host PRCA’s headquarters.
PRCA’s campus will be built on a 35-acre site near the intersection of Interstates 25 and 80 that “is envisioned as the anchor of a new western-themed entertainment, cultural and shopping district, creating a year-round destination for fans, families and visitors from around the world,” the release said. The campus will include the group’s headquarters with “upgraded office space, first-class conference rooms and other amenities,” as well as the Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy.
“Rodeo has been a part of Wyoming since before we were a state. It is in our DNA. I grew up roping a dummy at every PRCA rodeo, first my dad and then myself, competed in,” Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said in the release. “There is no better place on Earth than right here in the Cowboy State for the PRCA to be headquartered. We have the legacy, respect the tradition, and will always honor the cowboy way and Code of the West.”
Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said in a release on Jan. 26 he is “proud of the coalition we formed and the work we did collaboratively to retain the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Despite a generous package of incentives, the PRCA board voted to relocate.” He said the city is “thankful for the years PRCA and its people spent here in Colorado Springs and we are confident for what the future holds.”
The coalition included the Colorado Springs Sports Corp., El Pomar Foundation, Visit Colorado Springs, the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC and the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Foundation, the National Western Stock Show, Bryan Construction and others. City spokesman Jason Strickland says the city “and community were willing to partner with PRCA, through private capital and public sources, to help renovate and promote the Hall of Fame to increase foot traffic and membership.”