News of move comes days after setting the NWSL Attendance Record.
On Saturday night, the Chicago Red Stars broke the NWSL attendance record with 35,038 fans packing Wrigley Field. On Wednesday morning, the club learned they would be booted from SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL the weekend of September 20th in favor of Riot Fest taking over the grounds.
“It’s unfair, and unfortunate to have our club put in this situation, shining a light on the vast discrepancies in the treatment of women’s professional sports versus men’s professional sports. We are committed to ensuring our players and fans have a first-rate experience on and off the pitch, and we are working diligently to find a solution that will ensure our September 21st game is a success.” President Karen Leetzow of the Chicago Red Stars said in a statement.
According to the Red Stars lease agreement, the Village of Bridgeview has the right to host concurrent events at the Bridgeview facility. In a statement released by the Village of Bridgeview on Thursday morning, the Village said “Over the past decade, virtually all professional teams that played at the stadium, including the Fire, the Hounds, and the Red Stars themselves — have moved games or worked successfully with the village to hold concurrent events without issue.
“The Red Stars were informed of the possibility of the need to move their September 21st match due to Riot Fest in April 2024. As soon as discussions with Riot Fest were completed. the Red Stars were provided with written notice of the VIllage’s exercise of its right under its agreement with the Red Stars. In that notice, the Village stated that it and the Stadium Manager would work ‘in good faith’ to address questions or concerns the Red Stars might have as the concurrent event. The Red Stars failed to respond.”
Red Stars President Karen Leetzow has a different recollection of the events leading up to this moment.
While there have been multiple events on hand at once during Red Stars games, it’s unclear whether the Village of Bridgeview has hosted a multi-stage music festival at the same time as a Chicago Fire or Hounds match. The festival atmosphere would likely interfere with game day operations. Increased traffic and road congestion can delay players and fans’ arrival to the stadium. Music and noise from the venue’s multiple stages could interfere with gameplay, drowning out referee whistles. It’s not unreasonable to question if both events can happen concurrently.
The conflict with the Village of Bridgeview may not bode well for December 2025, when the Red Stars are set to finish their lease with SeatGeek Stadium.
New stadium funding was one of the Red Stars three key tenets of the Wrigley match, according to Leetzow. SeatGeek stadium sits 15 miles away from downtown Chicago, and lacks public transit accessibility. Saturday night’s attendance showed what was possible when the Red Stars are within reach of a CTA stop.
Gal Pal Sports has reached out to the City of Bridgeview and the Bridgeview Stadium Manager for comment.