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December 9, 2024
Northwestern’s football team will play a majority of its games this season at the Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility near Lake Michigan on the University’s Evanston campus, keeping the team close to home as it seeks to build on its bowl-winning 2023 season.
With views of the lake, North Campus and downtown Chicago, the temporary structure Northwestern will build at the Martin athletics facility will provide a stunning backdrop for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, bridging the gap between the old Ryan Field and the new state-of-the-art stadium, scheduled to open in 2026.
Most of the Wildcats’ home football games will be played at the enhanced Martin athletics facility. The University also is continuing discussions with other Chicago-area venues that could host some 2024 games. The full home schedule will be released soon.
Other teams, including the national title-winning lacrosse team and both the women’s and men’s soccer teams, also will play their home games at the Martin athletics facility. Northwestern’s field hockey team will continue to play at nearby Lakeside Field.
President Michael Schill said the University looked at several options for the next two seasons and decided building this temporary facility on campus provided the best option for Northwestern’s student-athletes, for the student experience, for alumni, for season ticket holders and for the campus and Evanston communities.
“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. We also are pleased to keep the economic benefits of football gamedays in Evanston.”
Although the exact configuration is still being designed, the structure will be a temporary enhancement to the existing Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility and part of Chap and Ethel Hutcheson Field. Capacity for the temporary facility will be considerably less than either the old Ryan Field or the new Ryan Field that is under construction. 2023 season ticket holders will get the first opportunity to purchase season tickets at the lakeside venue; there also will be seats reserved for Northwestern students. In the coming weeks, 2023 season ticket holders will receive communications from Northwestern Athletics with more information on the season ticket timeline, seat selection process, seating options and parking.
