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With spring sports on the way out, thankfully football is just around the corner.
With under 100 days until Northwestern kicks off its 2024 football season against Miami of Ohio, gears are shifting into motion for the Wildcats’ lakeside venue. But how did the project come to be and what can fans expect as part of the game-day experience? Assistant Vice President and Deputy Athletics Director Jesse Marks answered some of our most pressing questions on the project.
As far as when the plan fell into place, Marks said preliminary conversations were had in March and began to enter design mode at the end of the month and into April. Marks said he visited possible alternatives such as SeatGeek Stadium but ultimately settled on this plan because of its benefits for fans, students and student-athletes.
“Would [SeatGeek Stadium] have been a venue for us to play games at? 100%,” Marks said. “But our student-athletes wouldn’t get home until three hours after the game and reunited with their parents after a long bus ride. Our fans have to be on highways for 45 minutes to an hour with traffic. That’s not the experience we want to provide.”
Once plans were approved by the NCAA, the Big Ten and the city of Evanston and deemed feasible for broadcast and game operations, the green light was on.
Construction will begin in a few weeks. In early June, the site will be prepared to install the temporary stands and work will continue throughout the summer to be ready for the August 31 season-opener.
Part of that work includes stripping down and reassembling the current seating structure at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium to accommodate more seating. That section, which will be on the west side of the stadium, will have a mezzanine and the press box.
There will be spectators on all four sides of the field for the overall venue that should fit roughly 15,000.
The south end will house premium seating options which will include suites, club seats and field-level tables. There will be 16 total suites across two levels. The east sideline (on the lake) will have bench seating.
The north grandstand will have student and band seating, with exact numbers for student ticketing to be determined. Marks said student tickets will be reserved using a similar system to basketball games at Welsh-Ryan Arena. However, only two home games (Indiana on October 5 and Wisconsin on October 19) will be played after students return to campus and fall quarter begins. The final two home games in November will be held at Wrigley Field.
Marks confirmed neither the terrace at the end of Walter Athletics Center nor the balcony on the Kellogg Global Hub will be used for additional viewing, although the spot at Walter Athletic Center could be used for recruiting visits.
For new additions, design plans are still being made as to how to enhance the video experience. Martin Stadium currently only holds one relatively small video board in the northeast corner of the stadium.
Among other additions will be a version of the new Ryan Field sales center in the Walter Athletics Center lobby where visitors will be able to preview the new Ryan Field and see a model of the stadium. This was originally slated to only be available at the Wilson Club in Welsh-Ryan Arena, but with the lakefront stadium, Marks said plans were made to replicate the sales center at the new site.
The playing surface will be the same turf that is currently in place with the necessary conversions to accommodate all of the teams that will need to use the stadium. On top of the football squad, those teams include both the men’s and women’s soccer teams as well as Northwestern’s prestigious lacrosse program.
As far as parking goes, Marks mentioned there is actually more parking available on campus than the lots at Ryan Field, just broken up and spread among smaller lots that may require a short walk. For fans looking to keep their tailgate tradition alive, Marks said he imagines tailgates being, “different and possibly better.”
Although there are less surface lots to tailgate in because of parking garages, some will be open for those who prefer a more private tailgating experience. On the lakefill, Northwestern will activate a tailgate village and beer garden, where fans will be able to register online and park their car. From there, fans can design their experience to their choosing by bringing food or taking advantage of catering options. Groups can either join a group tailgate or choose to rent out space for a semi-private event right on the shores of Lake Michigan. Marks compared the plan to Ravinia Festival, the well-known outdoor concert venue 10 miles north of campus.
Northwestern has also explored a student tailgate village at a nearby location.
Between the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Northwestern will work with the city of Evanston to determine if the structure stays up between campaigns, or if modifications will be made over the offseason.
For fans, five home games in 2024 inch closer and closer, and opportunities for fans excited to see the spectacle will arise soon. Pre-sale for season ticket holders begins June 10 and will run through July 16, according to Northwestern Athletics. On July 26, pre-sale will begin for mini-plans and single-game tickets, if available.
“This is a great opportunity to have a great bridge from here to new Ryan Field in 2026,” said Marks, who maintains a sense of realism on the two-year temporary venue. “Is it going to be perfect? No. Is it going to be fun and unique and exciting and something we can have fun with? Yes, and we plan to do that. We want all of our fans and students and university community to have fun with us in that process and celebrate Northwestern. There’s a lot to celebrate.”
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