Northwestern will play the majority of its home football games next season at its lakefront soccer and lacrosse facility while a new Ryan Field is constructed on the site of the old stadium, the school announced Wednesday.
Northwestern plans to install a temporary structure at the soccer and lacrosse field that will remain in place through the 2025 season. The school said the capacity is still to be determined, though it will be considerably lower than at the old Ryan Field and the new stadium.
The football team has nonconference home games next season against Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 31, Duke on Sept. 7 and Eastern Illinois on Sept. 14. In Big Ten play, the Wildcats are scheduled to host Indiana (Oct. 5), Wisconsin (Oct. 19), Ohio State (Nov. 16) and Illinois (Nov. 30).
Northwestern is in discussions with other Chicago-area stadiums to host games. The Wildcats have played at Wrigley Field three times since 2010, including a loss to Iowa last year on a last-second field goal.
“I am thrilled that we could make this happen,” Northwestern president Michael Schill said. “It’s truly a win for our community. 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.”
The new Ryan Field is part of a $480 million donation from the family of Patrick and Shirley Ryan that was the largest in school history. Some of that money is also funding academic ventures.
The school has said the stadium would seat 35,000, down more than 12,000 from the current Ryan Field, and feature a canopy designed to keep noise and light focused on the field. It would include cutting-edge technology and scoreboards, as well as concessions with food from local restaurants, and would achieve Gold LEED certification.
