Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium could have a new tenant for the 2026 National Women’s Soccer League season.
Professional women’s soccer team Chicago Stars FC requested a zoning analysis to play its home matches at Northwestern’s lacrosse, soccer and temporary football stadium during the 2026 season, which spans from March to November.
The team’s current lease at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, expires at the end of the year, according to a Stars spokesperson.
“The club is considering a variety of stadium options for the 2026 season,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Daily. “We will share any announcement regarding the location of our home matches once finalized.”
The Stars’ zoning analysis, submitted to the City of Evanston and obtained by The Daily through a public records request, proposed 16 matches at Martin Stadium throughout the season.
The University constructed temporary seating at Martin Stadium in 2024 to accommodate large crowds as Ryan Field, its football stadium, is rebuilt. The interim venue can hold about 11,500 spectators. Ryan Field is scheduled to be completed in 2026.
The expanded capacity could make the stadium a perfect fit for the Stars, who averaged 7,156 fans per game last season, according to Sportico.
If approved, the Stars’ match days would start between noon and 7 p.m. The Stars also proposed a pre-match fan zone for match days on the field south of Martin Stadium, which would include tailgating games, an inflatable soccer field and a DJ one hour before kickoff, according to the zoning analysis.
On match days, Campus Drive would be closed from Sheridan Road to Lake Michigan. The Stars would utilize NU campus parking garages and street parking to accommodate the flow of traffic toward the stadium, per the application, which also said the team expects a “meaningful number” of Stars staff and fans to take public transportation and charter private shuttles.
Chicago played two games at Martin Stadium in 2012, and former NU women’s soccer goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood (Communication ’21) is on the Stars’ roster.
Northwestern Athletics declined to comment on the zoning analysis application and deferred all questions to the Stars, as did the University.
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