Northwestern University will build a temporary stadium on its campus in Evanston, Illinois, and will host the majority of its 2024 and 2025 football games there while Ryan Field is rebuilt, the school announced Tuesday.
The university will continue discussions with other stadiums in the Chicago area to host select games in 2024. Locations for these games will be revealed later this spring. “The capacity of the temporary facility will be significantly less than that of the old Ryan Field and the new Ryan Field under construction,” the school said in a statement.
The old Ryan Field had a capacity of 47,130 people, but the new stadium will have a capacity of about 35,000. Design of temporary structures is currently underway.
“We're excited to be able to make this happen. This is truly a win for our community,” said Northwestern President Michael Schill. “In addition to creating a great fan experience for the opening of Ryan Field, hosting the game on campus will reduce the travel burden for student-athletes and fans, making the game more accessible. , we are pleased to maintain the financial benefits of the game of football in Evanston.”
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) April 10, 2024
What does this mean?
This will be difficult for the Big Ten and Northwestern. The Wildcats play four Big Ten opponents at home, all within driving distance of Chicagoland. Ohio State (November 16) and Wisconsin (October 19) are his two leading teams, and fans of those teams regularly take over Ryan Field. Similarly, nearby rivals the University of Illinois (Nov. 30) and Indiana University (Oct. 5) are also scheduled to play at Northwestern.
Playing in a temporary venue with a capacity “significantly less” than the Big Ten's smallest stadium would pose some logistical problems for TV and other schools in the Big Ten. Non-conference games against Eastern Illinois and Duke may provide adequate context, but games against Ohio State, Wisconsin and perhaps Illinois and Indiana aren't quite there to fill the need. Dew. Soldier Field, Wrigley Field, or Guaranteed Rate Field could be available from his mid-October to his mid-November.
In addition, Big Ten schools pool the gate revenue from each game and divide it evenly with a cap of $1 million and a floor of $300,000. Northwestern will likely only pay his minimum fee of $300,000 each time he plays on campus.
(Ryan Field Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
