Bridgeview itself is not the reason for the Fire’s attendance problems, there are many others.
One of the things that has stood out from last Saturday’s 4-2 loss to Seattle Sounders FC was the crowd, or lack of it. The crowd was announced as 10,032, but it looked less than that. One factor on that day was that the match was scheduled around the time many Chicagoans were celebrating the St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown as well as watching the Chicago River being dyed green.
The home opener the previous week had an announced attendance of 11,041. Then, it was cold and rainy that day. However, it was snowing in Colorado and the announced attendance was greater there (12,717) and the home opener for USL Championship side New Mexico United (12,986).
Last season, the first two attendances for the Fire read like this: 14,021 for the home opener against Sporting Kansas City and 13,678 for the match against Portland three weeks later. Both of those matches were 5pm kickoffs. The average attendance last season was 14,806 which was good for 22nd place ahead of a Columbus Crew team who at that time was uncertain of whether or not they would be moving to Austin, Texas. The mark was a 15% drop from the previous season (17,383) which was their best since their inaugural year at Soldier Field in 1998 (17,887).
The reasons for the decline in attendance at what is now SeatGeek Stadium are many and some date far beyond last season’s disastrous year both on and off the pitch.
Section 101 Flap:
Of course, last season saw the club go from the third-best record in 2017 to the fourth-worst in 2018. It also saw a clash between club management and fans over the blanket ban of season ticket holders in Section 101 of SeatGeek Stadium due to what the club said was repeated violations of the club’s fan code of conduct that lasted throughout the second half of the season and led to the atmosphere being dead most home games.
The independent supporters groups and club have made peace shortly before the start of this season and they are back and making noise, but appear to be the only ones.
“The inclusive and authentic nature of our culture starts from the top down.”
That quote was from the infamous editorial in 2013 and many Fire fans who have followed the team for the longest time still feel that is the attitude of the club. In fact, there have been signs that the culture is becoming more exclusive from the Section 101 ban, to the club’s reaction to a protest later that season, even to the Season Kickoff event which was changed from a luncheon in Downtown Chicago to a “Gala” with higher ticket prices on some place on the South Side. Even the ESPN+ deal, while gives the club a rights fee, eliminates a presence on local platforms such as NBC Sports Chicago.
Photo Credit: Amanada Cortese
Overall mismanagement
This has been a lost decade for the Fire. Only two playoff matches—both at home—and neither were a win for the Fire. There have also been two wooden spoon seasons for the Fire as well. The roster being “incomplete” at the start of last season and lack of new impact signings apart from Aleksandar Katai helped contribute to eroding whatever momentum the Fire had after the 2017 season. There has also been a revolving door of players, coaches, and executives throughout the decade as well. Owner Andrew Hauptman has been the one constant and his commitment to the club has routinely been questioned in recent years. Selling a 49% stake to Joe Mansueto had many fans hoping the latter bought at least 2% more of a stake or wish Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts take over the team.
By now, you’ll notice I have not mentioned Bridgeview itself. It has its disadvantages and advantages. I’m biased because I live a few miles from the ground. I spoke with a fan who spoke on the condition of anonymity as what those disadvantages and advantages were.
“The two big disadvantages for the Bridgeview location are the limited public transportation options and the lack of walkable bars and restaurants.”
Indeed, both are true. Only now are they building a Hampton Inn near the stadium and some retail shops in the near future to go with a Pace bus station and a gas station. There is just one restaurant that is kitty-corner to the stadium on 71st and Harlem.
“The advantages are, the proximity to the geographic center of Chicagoland, decent access to the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and Stevenson Expressway (I-55), good access from the western and southern suburbs, good access to the ethnic communities of the southwest and west sides of the city, and good tailgating options.”
I also asked about whether the Fire would be better off with a city in the stadium, especially as many both in the soccer media and social media speak as if it would be a cinch to get out of the lease with the Village of Bridgeview.
“If it’s free, near a highway and walkable from an “L” stop, yes. It would result in a trade-off of fans as there are many suburban fans who would stop going to games or would go to fewer games, but the net effect would likely be more fans overall. The question of course is cost. It’s not going to be free to either build a new stadium or get out of the current lease. The cost / benefit would need to net out, but at a likely cost north of $300M (+/- $100M to get out of the lease and +/- $200M for a new stadium), it is unlikely that the benefit will exceed the cost in the near future. In a perfect world, a new stadium would be near a highway and “L” stop.”
A proposed stadium in the future Lincoln Yards development project on the city’s Near North Side for a future USL franchise part-owned by Ricketts, fell through earlier this year after it proved unpopular with residents. Some had hoped a new team in town, albeit lower division, would (no pun intended) light a spark under the Fire to commit to building a true winner if not give city soccer fans a team to root for closer to home.
Finally, I asked the fan about what the Fire could do differently right now.
“Win, rebuild from the bottom up, build connections to dozens of community groups, hold town halls, engage more with fans, be transparent, and embrace the team’s past.”
There should be no question that the problems regarding the Chicago Fire should be priority number one at Major League Soccer offices. It will take more than a “new stadium solution or a different stadium solution in Chicago” to fix things and get fans back into the stands in Bridgeview. There is no “Carson narrative” with LA Galaxy, no “Sandy narrative” with Real Salt Lake, and no “Frisco narrative” with FC Dallas (especially now with the new National Soccer Hall of Fame). There are more problems with the Fire that make any “Bridgeview narrative” weak and short-sighted.
The Fire need to reinvent itself and soon, especially at a time where soccer is growing just about everywhere in the country except in the third largest market. Either the club management gets wise and make the necessary changes as suggested by the fan in this article (added depth in the back would be nice), or either Joe Mansueto or someone else needs to come in and reinvent this team and reinvigorate a long-suffering fan base. The reasons for the attendance woes of this club go far beyond last season and far beyond the land SeatGeek Stadium is on.
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