Northwestern football revealed on Wednesday that it would host most of its home football games next season at its lakefront soccer and lacrosse facility while the new Ryan Field is built on location of the previous stadium, per Chris Vannini of The Athletic.
The Wildcats will play the majority of their matches at the Lanny and Sharon Martin Athletics Facility near Lake Michigan on the Evanston campus. This decision keeps them in familiar territory as they look to build on their success from last year's bowl victory.
Overlooking Lake Michigan, North Campus, and the Chicago skyline, the temporary venue at the Martin athletics facility promises a picturesque setting for Northwestern football games in 2024 and 2025. This structure serves as a transition from the old Ryan Field to the anticipated new stadium set to debut in 2026.
While the specific capacity has yet to be finalized, it's expected to be significantly lower than both the old Ryan Field and the upcoming new stadium.
Northwestern Football funny fan takes
Fans took to Twitter, sharing their reaction to the stadium plans.
The temporary structure: https://t.co/xeZDYciJgs pic.twitter.com/h6x0aAFQDr
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) April 11, 2024
Gus Johnson: AND OUT OF THE DEPTHS OF LAKE MICHIGAN……HERE COME THE VISITING WOLVERINES OF MICHIGAN, HA HA! https://t.co/x2vQr5haGz pic.twitter.com/saqcdVhJvN
— 2StripesCPD (@2StripesCPD) April 10, 2024
Another said “USC traveling 2000 miles to play a conference game in front of a couple thousand fans sitting in lawn chairs is objectively hilarious.”
One had a funny take on the development “BRB, pulling up to Northwestern games via pirate ship.”
What's next for the Wildcats?
Next season, Northwestern's football team has several home games lined up. These include nonconference matchups against Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 31, Duke on Sept. 7, and Eastern Illinois on Sept. 14. In Big Ten action, the Wildcats are set to host Indiana on Oct. 5, Wisconsin on Oct. 19, Ohio State on Nov. 16, and Illinois on Nov. 30.
Northwestern's home football games will primarily take place at the upgraded Martin athletics facility, with ongoing discussions about potential venues in the Chicago area hosting some games in 2024. The complete home schedule will be announced shortly.
The Martin athletics facility will host home games not only for Northwestern football but also for Northwestern's national title-winning lacrosse team, and both the women’s and men’s soccer teams. Meanwhile, the field hockey team will continue playing at Lakeside Field nearby.
President Michael Schill explained that after considering various options, Northwestern concluded that constructing a temporary facility on campus would offer the best solution for Northwestern’s student-athletes, alumni, season ticket holders, and the campus and Evanston communities, ensuring a positive experience for all involved, via Eliza Larson of Northwestern Now.
“I am thrilled that we could make this happen. It’s truly a win for our community,” Schill said.
“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 continued. “We also are pleased to keep the economic benefits of football gamedays in Evanston.”
Developments continue for Northwestern
The specific layout of the temporary structure is still under development, but it will serve as a temporary upgrade to the current Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility, integrated with Chap and Ethel Hutcheson Field.
The university is significantly boosting its financial support to Evanston, committing to pay over $150 million each year for the next ten years, which is a substantial increase from the previous annual contribution of $100 million.
Northwestern will likely pay the minimum gate revenue contribution of $300,000 for each game played on campus, as per the Big Ten's policy of pooling gate revenues and distributing them equally among member schools, with a cap of $1 million.
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