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Red Stars denounce ‘unfair’ SeatGeek Stadium scheduling conflict

Posted on by angelo
Red Stars denounce ‘unfair’ SeatGeek Stadium scheduling conflict

Just days after the Chicago Red Stars set an NWSL record for single-game attendance, a scheduling conflict at the stadium resulted in a public battle between the team and the village of Bridgeview.

The municipality, as owner of SeatGeek Stadium, has essentially double-booked the property on Sept. 21, when the Red Stars are scheduled to host the San Diego Wave in a game that will be televised nationally on Ion.

This date falls in the middle of Riot Fest, a concert announced on Wednesday which will take place from September 20 to 22.

Club president Karen Leetzow criticized the decision to book a conflicting event.

“It is unfair and unfortunate to see our club find itself in this situation, highlighting the vast differences in the treatment of women’s professional sports compared to men’s professional sports,” Leetzow said in a statement.

“We are committed to ensuring our players and fans have a best-in-class experience on and off the field, and we are working diligently to find a solution that will ensure the success of our match on September 21.”

The news follows a long history of scheduling conflicts in the NWSL that boil down to clubs not having their own stadiums.

Angel City FC had to postpone its 2024 home opener due to a conflict with events at Exposition Park. In years past, the Washington Spirit were forced by the NWSL to play a home game in 2021 against the Houston Dash in Texas due to concerns over the readiness of Segra Field.

The Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday that the Red Stars were considering taking legal action against the village of Bridgeview. According to the report, Bridgeview Mayor Steven Landek only informed the club of the dispute in early May, and the club says it received no further information from village officials.

To complicate matters, Riot Fest does not take place at SeatGeek Stadium, but rather around it. The club and municipality appear to have differing views on what this entails, with the Village of Bridgeview issuing a statement insisting it has the contractual right “to hold concurrent events at the facility.”

The Village of Bridgeview then accused the Red Stars of “failing to respond” to a notice in April and said the decision to schedule another event at SeatGeek Stadium “had nothing to do with gender.”

According to the Tribune, the Red Stars believe access to parking for both teams, staff and fans would be a major problem, as would noise from a concert taking place so close to the open-air stadium.

The conflict comes just days after the Red Stars set an NWSL attendance record of 35,038 in their first-ever game at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs will play a home game against the Washington Nationals on September 21, but even if the schedule was clear, organizing a return to the ballpark would be too expensive. Solutions such as Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, would be equally costly, particularly due to the lack of time involved.

The Red Stars’ lease at SeatGeek Stadium ends after the 2025 season, and the club’s new owners have repeatedly said they are not considering the site – located well south of the city of Chicago, with minimal options in terms of public transport – like a long time. long-term solution.

In 2019, MLS’s Chicago Fire paid a whopping $60 million to get out of their lease at SeatGeek Stadium. The Fire have since played at cavernous Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears.