Miami at Northwestern 2024

Not sure how many outside Chicagoland saw this or have been following, but the Evanston City Council yesterday approved the proposed $800 million renovation of Ryan Field.

There’s still lots of local opposition, and the measure was split with a tiebreaking vote cast by the Mayor, but assuming the renovation occurs as planned, Northwestern is looking for a temporary football home in 2024 and 2025…which means the Miami game next year being played in an alternate location.

People in the know (e.g. NU message boards) seem to think SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview (soccer-specific stadium) would get the bulk of NU’s games, with some at Wrigley post-baseball season and perhaps a handful at Soldier Field (which otherwise doesn’t sound like a realistic full-time option given they have two full-time tenants and the Chicago Park District isn’t wild about adding another, even temporarily).

Regardless…don’t count on booking hotels in Evanston next year if you’re traveling in

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Very interesting. There is a music festival scheduled for Labor Day weekend at SeatGeek Stadium, so that seems unlikely. The Cubs are out of town on August 31, but return home two days later on Labor Day. So Wrigley also seems unlikely. That leaves Solider Field.

Alternative solution is to play the game in Oxford and we will come back in 2026 or 2028.

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Just play the game in Oxford. Period.

Problem solved.

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I could be in the minority but I will be surprised if this project starts on time. I am not a lawyer but I imagine there are going to be some lawsuits from residents and that will push this back again.

Northwestern’s proposed new digs…