The Northwestern Wildcats are renovating Ryan Field, their home football stadium, with the upgraded, state-of-the-art stadium expected to be ready for the 2026 season.
With the Wildcats homeless for two seasons, they needed to find a temporary venue to call home. In the past, when their field was unavailable for whatever reason, they looked at playing at Soldier Field, where the Chicago Bears play. Northwestern officials also toyed with making a makeshift field at the Chicago Cubs or Chicago White Sox stadiums, as they have in the past, but those didn’t feel realistic. The Wildcats reached out to Lambeau Field, the home of the Green Bay Packers, but some shareholders on Northwestern’s side didn’t support the idea of playing home games in Wisconsin.
It was eventually determined that the university would build a temporary stadium for football, soccer and lacrosse on its Evanston campus. Expectations weren’t high, but once the stadium was unveiled, fans were stunned at the views of the bordering Lake Michigan.
Here’s everything to know about Northwestern’s temporary football venue for the 2024 season, including the new capacity and more details about Ryan Field’s renovation.
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Northwestern football stadium capacity
Northwestern’s Lanny and Sharon Martin Athletic Facility has a max capacity of 12,023 in 2024, with the potential to add more later in the season, according to the university. That’s a far cry from the 47,130-seat capacity of Ryan Field, Northwestern’s former football stadium.
The Wildcats’ temporary home was originally designed to host soccer and lacrosse events. The decision was made to upgrade the facility into a makeshift stadium, adding more seats and converting it into a space that could support football. Due to the lake’s location, most of the seating at the upgraded stadium overlooks the endzone. However, the stadium still features nearly double the premium seating of the old Ryan Field.
Northwestern played its first game at the temporary location last week, and it looked amazing.
Views 😍
The @NUFBFamily temporary stadium on the lake is such a vibe 🏈🌊 pic.twitter.com/akloLwDCOF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 31, 2024
Why is Northwestern playing in a temporary stadium?
Northwestern is committed to returning its football team to contention in the Big Ten. With that comes upgraded facilities to try and entice recruits in a competitive conference and location. Ryan Field was outdated, and calls for an upgrade have become increasingly frequent. The Wildcats are still looking at other options around Chicago for one-off games, but their temporary location is up and running.
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How much will the new Ryan Field cost to build?
The original Ryan Field was built in 1926 and cost $ 2.6 million. It was expanded in 1949 and 1952 before undergoing a $ 20 million renovation in 1996. The new Ryan Field will cost $ 800 million in renovation.
When will the new Ryan Field open?
The old Ryan Field was officially demolished on June 3, 2024. Some stadium renovation projects are completed within a year, but this upgrade project is expected to take some time. Northwestern anticipates the new Ryan Field opening ahead of the 2026 college football season.
Is the Northwestern Wildcats football team good?
The Wildcats parted with longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald following a 1-11 season in 2022. He had been the head coach since 2006 and amassed a 110-101 record. David Braun took over in 2023 and led the team to an 8-5 record and a victory in the Las Vegas Bowl over Utah. Northwestern began the 2024 season 1-0 after a 13-6 win over Miami (OH). The Big Ten expanded to 18 teams this season, and another winning season would be an excellent result for Braun in his second year.
