The Chicago Red Stars are being forced to relocate for their Sept. 21 match against the San Diego Wave because of a music festival that is coming to town.
Riot Fest, an annual event that features punk rock music, will run from Sept. 20-22 and occupy SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill., the home of the Red Stars. Chicago will now have to find a new venue in order to host their match against San Diego.
“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 sports,” Red Stars president Karen Leetzow said in a statement. “We are committed to ensuring our players and fans have a first-rate experience on and off pitch, and we are working diligently to find a solution that will ensure our Sept. 21 game is a success.”
Chicago is coming off a 2-1 loss to Bay FC on Saturday, a match that was held at Wrigley Field. The Red Stars set a NWSL attendance record, welcoming 35,038 fans to the historic ballpark of the Chicago Cubs.
Laura Ricketts, the new majority owner of the Red Stars, is co-owner of the Cubs.
Ricketts is actively searching for a new home stadium for the Red Stars, as she doesn’t believe SeatGeek will be good for the team in the long run.
“We knew right from the beginning — like, rewind back almost a year and a half ago when we started considering acquiring the Red Stars — we knew that the current (stadium) situation was not the ultimate long-term solution,” Ricketts told ESPN. “And really, the key to unlocking the door for this organization would be to solve that.”
The Red Stars are 5-6-1 with 16 points on the season, leaving them in sixth place in the 14-team NWSL.
–Field Level Media
