Waterfront Wildcats: Northwestern Football To Play At Lakefront Field

EVANSTON, IL — Northwestern University officials announced plans to build a temporary facility on its Evanston campus for its football team to play during the construction of its new stadium and concert venue on Central Avenue.

While most of Northwestern's home football games in 2024 and 2025 will be played at the Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility, which also serves as the home field for the college's lacrosse and soccer teams, university officials said they are still negotiating with other Chicago area venues about hosting during the upcoming season.

Construction on the new facility is expected to begin this summer and remain operational through the 2025 season.

Demolition operations at Ryan Field are continuing, with its $800 million replacement stadium and commercial musical venue expected to be complete in 2026 — although it faces a challenge in the form of a lawsuit from residents.

“We talk all the time about providing the ultimate student-athlete experience, and keeping our team on campus while providing a true home field advantage accomplishes that mission,” said head football coach David Braun.

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“During a period of exciting transition, playing in a venue that brings the Northwestern community together provides a perfect bridge to the new Ryan Field, and I’m so excited about the gameday experience for our program and the entire Wildcat community," said Braun, who earned a Big Ten Coach of the Year award last year after taking over for his terminated predecessor Pat Fitzgerald.

Valerie Romano, the president of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, said local businesses looked forward to keeping money generated on gamedays in the city.

“We are excited about Northwestern’s decision to host a majority of its home football games at a temporary facility on campus,” Romano said in a statement. “The Evanston Chamber of Commerce is fully supportive of this idea, and we look forward to the increased business activity it will bring to downtown Evanston.”

The new field with have "considerably" fewer seats than the 35,000 planned for the new Ryan Field, according to university representatives, who said they have hired the company InProduction to build out the temporary field.

The Dallas, Texas-based firm was responsible for the structures used for the NASCAR viewing area in downtown Chicago last year, where a Nashville audio engineer was fatally electrocuted while setting up near one of the grandstands on Columbus Avenue.

University President Michael Schill said in a statement that building a temporary field was "truly a win for our community" and the best among several options considered for the next two seasons of Wildcat football.

“In addition to creating a wonderful fan experience in the lead-up to the opening of Ryan Field, hosting games on campus will reduce the travel burdens for our student-athletes and fans and will make games much more accessible," Schill said. We also are pleased to keep the economic benefits of football gamedays in Evanston.”

Earlier: Where Will Northwestern Play Home Games During Ryan Field Rebuild?