BRIDGEVIEW, IL—The Chicago Fire have taken the first steps in leaving SeatGeek Stadium and Bridgeview. The club have reached an agreement with the Village of Bridgeview to amend the stadium lease with the following terms:
- A significant contribution from the Fire toward the development of a multi-sport recreation and entertainment center in Bridgeview and higher annual lease payments to the Village.
- The Fire will also contribute $5 million to the Village to be used to refurbish and expand the existing soccer facilities around SeatGeek Stadium. Also, Bridgeview would receive $60.5 million over the remaining term of the lease, including an upfront payment of $10 million.
- The team will continue its valued partnership with Bridgeview by training at the facility and by operating Chicago Fire Youth development programs there.
In exchange, the Fire can play future home games and conduct team operations “in other Chicagoland sporting venues.” That likely means returning to Soldier Field in (hopefully) the short term. That requires an agreement between the club and the Chicago Park District on a lease there.
“SeatGeek Stadium will now have year-round availability for consistent high-revenue generating entertainment events for years to come,” said Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek. “Additionally, the expanded recreation venue will create even more growth opportunities for the Village. I’m extremely excited about the benefits this agreement will bring to our community and for the future of a sports team that all of us in Bridgeview and the region have come to love.”
“We are grateful to Mayor Landek and the residents of Bridgeview for our partnership,” said Chicago Fire Owner and Chairman Andrew Hauptman. “We’re glad we are able to strengthen our relationship while exposing even more fans to our Club and world-class soccer in a more centrally located Chicago stadium. Today marks the next chapter in the growth of the Club and the opportunity to play for more fans than ever in one of the world’s great cities.”
The Village and the Club are preparing definitive legal agreements to implement the amended stadium lease.
THOUGHTS: The Fire, assuming they can get a deal done to play at Soldier Field, would be the first team to leave a soccer-specific stadium. Soldier Field should be a short-term solution for a team desperate to be relevant within the city. The long-term solution is a soccer-specific stadium within city limits and that has its challenges with new Mayor Lori Lightfoot not as willing to allow grand projects like her predecessor Rahm Emmanuel.
The moves should also placate those north of downtown who have loathed traveling to Bridgeview given the traffic and distance while those in the southern part of the Chicagoland area can still travel to Soldier Field as long as traffic woes like those during the Gold Cup Final are not commonplace.
What becomes of SeatGeek Stadium will be intriguing in the months and years to come. The reasons why Bridgeview has been a flop are another article entirely which will be later this week.
