The Chicago Bears have called Soldier Field home since the 1971 NFL season. However, if the team has its way, the relationship between team and stadium will end sooner rather than later.
Bears team president Ted Phillips spoke at a public town hall about the team's plans to move to Arlington Park. A former Bears All-Pro has supported the move out of Soldier Field in the past.
“We don’t have a Plan B,” Phillips said. “We will not be discussing any other alternative sites, including renovations of Soldier Field.”
The desire to move from their longtime home also received support from team chairman George McCaskey. “In each of those situations, the building had been designed and built primarily for other events or another team,” McCaskey said regarding the team’s current and past home fields. “This is our 100-year opportunity to design it for us.”
“I would compare it to a homeowner that rents for year after year after year,” the Bears team chairman added. “I mean, there are advantages to that– but there are some significant disadvantages to that also.”
The Bears have yet to actually design their Soldier Field alternative. The team did present rough ideas to Arlington Park residents on Friday, however.
The Bears signed an agreement of purchase for the site of the former Arlington International Racecourse last year. Some estimations say the new stadium project could cost upwards of $5 billion. It could also take 10 years or more to complete.
The Bears have called Soldier Field home since 1971. Major League Soccer franchise Chicago Fire FC also calls the stadium home. They began using the stadium in 1985 but left in 2005 for Toyota Park. The Fire returned to Soldier Field in 2020.
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