Northwestern still hasn’t said where it will play its home football games this year.
“At the end of the day, the boxes that need to be checked are: Is it involving our campus community? Is it involving our students? Is it involving our long-term season-ticket holders?” David Braun, who went 8-5 as the interim coach last year before landing the full-time gig, said Wednesday. “Is it creating a momentum and an environment that people are excited to be a part of as we move toward this new Ryan Field?”
Ryan Field, the Wildcats’ home for almost 100 years, is being demolished to make way for a new stadium set to open in 2026.
It’s hard to find any one place in Chicago that checks the school’s boxes. The Wildcats figure to solve their problem piecemeal. They could play some games at SeatGeek Stadium, the Bridgeview soccer park about 40 miles from Evanston, or Wrigley Field, where NU has played three times since 2010. Major League Baseball stadiums likely would allow the Wildcats to play only in November. At Soldier Field, they have to get in line behind two tenants: the Bears and Fire.
The Wildcats have even studied building a temporary structure — think a golf grandstand — on campus near its football practice facility. Braun called that idea “awesome,” but it’s unclear how realistic it is for 2024.
The Wildcats are scheduled to host Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 31, Duke on Sept. 7 and Eastern Illinois on Sept. 14. The Fire play Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on Aug. 31, but the Wildcats could petition to move their season opener to Sunday, Sept. 1.
Northwestern is the home team against Indiana on Oct. 5, Wisconsin on Oct. 19, Ohio State on Nov. 16 and Illinois on Nov. 30. The school reportedly has discussed playing Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Uncertainty about their home stadium has clouded the ability of opponents to book nearby hotels for their traveling parties.
While the Big Ten has input on stadium choices from a broadcast and operations perspective, conference spokesman Scott Markley said “the decision where those games occurs is up to the institution.”
NU is working on it.
Still.
“I don’t envy anyone who’s involved in this project of figuring out where we’re going to be,” said Braun, who spoke at the school’s pro day for quarterback Ben Bryant, wide receiver Cam Johnson and linebacker Bryce Gallagher. “What I can say is, regardless of where that venue’s at, I have to do a great job of making sure our team’s ready.”
