Four days after breaking the National Women’s Soccer League attendance record, the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday announced the team will be forced to move a game to accommodate the relocation of Riot Fest.
Riot Fest announced Wednesday that it will move to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. The music festival will run from Sept. 20-22 — directly conflicting with the Sept. 21 Red Stars-San Diego Wave match.
The Red Stars released a statement shortly after the announcement outlining frustration with the decision and a plan to potentially relocate the game.
“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 professional sports,” team President Karen Leetzow said in a statement. “We are committed to ensuring our players and fans have a first-rate experience on and off the pitch, and we are working diligently to find a solution that will ensure our September 21st game is a success.”
The conflict comes at a turning point for the Red Stars, who drew a league-record 35,038 fans for a match against Bay FC on Saturday at Wrigley Field.
The Red Stars have played at SeatGeek since 2016. The stadium’s distance from the city center and lack of transit access have been key points of criticism for the franchise as the team continues to slip behind competitors in fan attendance. The Chicago Fire in 2019 paid more than $60 million to leave SeatGeek for Soldier Field.
The Red Stars’ SeatGeek lease will expire at the end of 2025. New ownership helmed by Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts has made it clear that relocating the franchise to a stadium inside the city limits is a driving goal for the organization.
Riot Fest — which will be headlined by Beck, Public Enemy, the Marley Brothers and Fall Out Boy — had been a source of contention for residents in North Lawndale since its relocation to Douglass Park in 2015, and before that with locals in Humboldt Park since 2012.
Photos: Chicago Red Stars set NWSL attendance record at Wrigley Field
