September 4 – The Chicago Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) are on the move.
For the 2026 NWSL season, the club will swap the much-maligned and out-of-the-way SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview for the sweeping backdrop of Lake Michigan, calling Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium their new home.
The new venue is spectacular and has been expanded to 12,000 seats for Northwestern football, offering something SeatGeek Stadium never could: an iconic location, accessibility, and the club hopes, a sense of belonging. As Stars president Karen Leetzow put it: “It’s beautiful, it’s intimate, right-sized for women’s soccer, the most iconic location you could imagine on Lake Michigan.”
The Stars will open their new digs with this Sunday’s Wintrust Lakefront Faceoff against Orlando Pride. The club has even funded a brand-new turf installation.
Since 2016, SeatGeek has been a grind for fans to get to despite being only 30 miles from downtown. Factor in Chicago’s notorious traffic and that journey falls into the 90-minute category. Without train access, it’s long been a stumbling block for a fanbase that skews heavily toward young girls and their families.
In Evanston, the Stars will finally be plugged into Chicago’s public transit network and positioned to draw crowds in the 8,000–10,000 range, right around the NWSL average.
“It’s transformational,” Leetzow said. “We’re moving a mere 30 miles but approximately two hours of traffic.”
There are commercial considerations at play as well. For the first time, the Stars will share in revenue from parking, sponsorship, and premium seating, while gaining more control over food and beverages.
Owner Laura Ricketts and her group know that long-term success depends on building a permanent, purpose-built home.
“Our long-term goal is to build a stadium of our own,” Leetzow said. “That’s what women’s sports needs—to have control over their destiny.”