Music festival forces Red Stars out of SeatGeek Stadium, leaving team in ‘unfair’ situation

BRIDGEVIEW, ILLINOIS - JULY 21: A general view of the game between the Chicago Red Stars and the North Carolina Courage that set an attendance record at SeatGeek Stadium on July 21, 2019 in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
By Steph Yang
Jun 12, 2024

The Chicago Red Stars will have to move their September 21 home game against the San Diego Wave due to Riot Fest playing in SeatGeek Stadium from September 20-22. The music festival has historically taken place in Douglass Park and was originally scheduled to play there, but festival organizers announced on Wednesday morning that they would be moving to SeatGeek in Bridgeview. The Red Stars have not yet announced a replacement venue.

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Red Stars president Karen Leetzow publicly expressed disappointment with the decision.

“It is unfair and unfortunate to have our club put in this situation, shining a light on the vast discrepancies in the treatment of women’s professional sports versus men’s professional sports,” she said in an official statement. “We are committed to ensuring our players and fans have a first-rate experience on and off the pitch, and we are working diligently to find a solution that will ensure our September 21st game is a success.”

The Red Stars have been attempting to build up their fanbase this year after an offseason ownership change. Last week, the Red Stars played a one-off game at Wrigley Field that drew an attendance of 35,038, setting a new record for regular season single-game attendance.

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A source briefed on the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told The Athletic that the Red Stars did not receive appropriate notice of the Riot Fest move to SeatGeek Stadium, having been informed approximately two weeks ago.

The Red Stars are now trying to search for an alternate venue, but no stadium in Chicago that suits their needs is currently available. Between last-minute booking, requirements for seating, facilities for players and setup for broadcast, the team is limited in its selection. Soldier Field is already in heavy use by the Chicago Fire and the Bears, while the Cubs are at home at Wrigley Field on the 21st. Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the White Sox, presents all the issues of converting a baseball diamond to a soccer pitch and may not be available, either. The club is also looking into any available legal recourse in terms of enforcing its lease on SeatGeek.

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Per the source, the village of Bridgeview’s position is that as Riot Fest would occur outside the stadium in the parking lots, the stadium is technically still free for use by the Red Stars.

In 2023, Riot Fest drew over 50,000 attendees per day; while a move out to Bridgeview may impact attendance, even a low-five figure attendance surrounding SeatGeek stadium would have a large logistical impact on both fans and players, as the concert stages would be in the parking lots, and the crowd and equipment could interfere with the team’s ability to bring players and staff in and out of the venue in a safe and timely manner. The noise from multiple stages would also be clearly audible inside an open-air venue and might interfere with broadcast.

Should the Red Stars be unable to play the game in a venue suitable for broadcast, or move the game to a different date, the NWSL could possibly incur a broadcast penalty from one of their partners for failing to deliver the required number of Saturday night doubleheaders. The Red Stars-Wave game is currently listed to begin at 8:30 p.m. local time on ION.

The Red Stars would also potentially lose gate revenue and incur penalties from sponsors for failing to fulfill contractual requirements to put sponsor advertising out for a certain number of games if they were forced to cancel or reschedule the game for lack of a venue. If they did find a venue, they would have to pay a premium for the rental fee this close to September 21. The source estimated a possible financial burden into the high six figures or more including emergency rental fee, sponsor penalties, and broadcast penalties.

The Athletic has requested comment from the Village of Bridgeview but has not received a reply at this time.

(Photo: Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

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Steph Yang

Steph Yang is a staff writer for The Athletic covering women’s soccer in the United States. Before joining The Athletic, she was a managing editor at All for XI and Stars & Stripes FC and a staff writer for The Bent Musket, as well as doing freelance work for other soccer sites. She has covered women’s soccer for over seven years and is based out of Boston, Mass.