SeatGeek Stadium

Bridgeview, Illinois
Home of the Chicago (Red) Stars

The Chicago Red Stars are one of the most enduring teams in women’s pro soccer, existing in several leagues before becoming one of the NWSL’s founding clubs when it launched in 2013.

These days the Red Stars play at SeatGeek Stadium (as do the Chicago Hounds rugby and Chicago Fire FC II soccer teams). The arena is located in Bridgeview, Illinois, a Chicago suburb that is pretty far away from downtown, about 15 miles southwest of the city proper. In 2023, the team was sold to a group led by Laura Ricketts, who’s also a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs MLB team and The Red Stars have already set an NWSL attendance record in 2024 when over 33,000 fans watched a one-off game at Wrigley Field.

The 2024 season was a bit of a rebuilding year for the Red Stars, as the new owners injected funds to support the team amid trades and coaching changes over the past few years, but they still squeaked into the playoffs. Historically, the Red Stars were always formidable with not only playoffs but even championship game appearances, but for the past couple years, they’ve been mostly mid-pack in rankings. 

Now let’s get into how to enjoy your time at SeatGeek Stadium, watching the Chicago Red Stars.

Stadium information

SeatGeek Stadium has a maximum capacity of around 20,000 soccer fans. But less than half of the seats are available for sale when you load up its single-game tickets page, with the rest of the stadium left empty during games.

When you see a Red Stars game on TV, the cameras are placed on the empty stadium side and pointed to where the fans are sitting, so it looks full of life on television. Camera lenses love having the sun behind them for the best picture quality, so that means the side of the stadium where tickets are limited to is the “sunny side,” where shade can be hard to find at most afternoon and early evening games. If you’re sensitive to sun, you could possibly sneak into the empty shaded side, though when we attended a game, the area was roped off (but we did see a few brave souls sitting on that side).

If rain is in the forecast, there is an awning that will likely only cover the top three rows of seats in the main sections.

Where to sit

Each available section starts from the field level and goes up 20 rows. For our Red Stars tickets, we chose seats in the highest possible row (20) because we prefer to watch plays as they form and see where passes are headed. Even in this “worst” row of seats, it’s quite close to the action. The picture above is from our seats during the first half of play.

There are no bad views in the stadium in this configuration, and you can see and hear players no matter where you sit. It all feels up close and personal, but if you opt for a high row you’ll be able to watch wingers run up the sides as defenders give chase. Pick the lowest rows, and you’ll likely be able to make out facial expressions on players.

The weekend of our game, Chicago had about 4,500 fans in attendance, the lowest for the league that week. We talked to long-term season ticket holders in the stands who said in the past, fan numbers have ebbed and flowed. The stadium was nearly full for the first Red Stars game after the U.S. Women’s World Cup win in 2019, when women’s soccer news coverage and notoriety were at all-time highs.

Unfortunately, this creates a bit of a horse-and-cart problem for Chicago. They sell less than half the seats because it’d look nearly empty if everyone was spread out across the arena. The stadium is also in a remote, hard-to-get-to part of town that lacks public transportation and that’s another big factor for low attendance and limited ticket sales. We spoke with multiple Chicago friends who were avid sports fans but admitted that they’d never been to Red Stars games in-person because “it’s a long haul out into the middle of nowhere.”

What to eat and drink

For 2024, SeatGeek Stadium offers four different food outlets: one barbecue-based, one with chicken dishes, a Mexican food spot, and the last is dubbed the “Taste of Chicago,” but it was all fairly standard stadium fare. An entree and a drink ran about $20, an entree and a beer was almost $30. There were also a couple Dippin’ Dots carts for people who really wanted something cold and refreshing and close to ice cream (but not quite).

It’s a bummer when stadiums don’t embrace and celebrate local cuisine. The chicken tacos and BBQ nachos we sampled were totally forgettable. The “Taste of Chicago” outlet offers hot dogs and sausages that Chicago is known for, but it would be great if stadiums invited local restaurant chains to sell famous specialities from the region like signature popcorn and Italian beef sandwiches, perhaps in a food cart pod like you see at other stadiums.

There were a couple additional outlets that offered drinks only, with the best-kept secret being a small beer and wine spot on a patio above section 134. It’s kind of hidden and was always empty for us. 

Overall, getting food and drinks before the match and during the half was fairly easy — likely due to the low number of spectators — with wait times of five minutes or less.

Team merchandise, restrooms, accessibility, and pre-game activities

SeatGeek Stadium is home to several teams, and unfortunately there isn’t a dedicated retail space. Instead, temporary pop-up shade structures were placed in a couple locations and they sold T-shirts, jerseys, jackets, and hats emblazoned with the Red Stars logo.

The restroom situation wasn’t great. There are several restroom locations around the stadium, but the lines for the women’s bathroom backed up pre-game and looked totally slammed at the half with long lines stretching out into the walkways. It’s never a good look when a women’s sports stadium doesn’t have enough stalls to make attending games easy for women. The men’s rooms offered zero privacy between urinals and were basically giant concrete rooms where you had to do your business flanked by strangers on all sides.

There were a few ADA accommodations in the form of an open area with companion seating along the top of the spectator area above sections 133 and 134. Going from the parking lot level to the middle-stadium level did require the use of a tunnel and likely elevators, though the majority of spectators (us included) were directed to a giant wall of stairs in order to enter the stadium. 

During our game, it seemed all spectators were directed to enter at a single spot: gate C at the end of the field with a long line for security that took about 15 minutes to get through an hour before kickoff. Security for everyone entailed a quick once-over with a wand while bags were searched.

Pre-game activities were inside the ticketed area with a few promotional stands occupied by sponsors, and games like cornhole set up for kids. We happened to be there on “bucket hat night” and got our own free team souvenirs.

Pre-game, in-game, and post-game vibes

Crowds were upbeat at our game and the atmosphere was light and fun. Although we wore opposing team jerseys at the game, we didn’t catch any flak or even dirty looks from local fans who all seemed welcoming and enjoyed talking to visitors. We ran into maybe half a dozen other visiting jersey-wearing fans who were in Chicago for conferences, college visits, or to visit family. Pre-game was a great time to grab food and drinks while checking out the whole stadium and the merch tables. 

Despite the relatively small crowd, the Red Stars supporters section behind the goal was boisterous and loud with drums, chants, and cheers. It was a good thing since announcements during the game were minimal, limited to just player substitutions. The scoreboards only tracked the game clock, but there was a big LCD screen at one end to view replays and occasional additional information. 

For 2024, the NWSL finally changed all in-stadium game clocks to show added time, which makes it easy for everyone to know when a half might actually end. (In the past, one of us had to start a phone’s stopwatch app the moment stadium clocks froze at 45 or 90 minutes.) We hear the players themselves enjoy this too since previously they had no idea how much extra time had actually elapsed on the field. 

Post-game vibes were chill. Security was minimal and we hung out for nearly 45 minutes after the game, meeting more fans from Portland and Chicago in the stands while kids and families jockeyed for autographs. Players from both sides were accommodating, and if you hung out above the player tunnel at the center of the stadium, you were almost guaranteed to get your poster/jersey/hat signed by your favorite stars and many players took selfies with kids before they headed back into the locker room.

That’s about it for SeatGeek Stadium itself, let’s talk about the logistics of Chicago.

Getting there

Flying in

Chicago has two airports, the classic Midway (MDW), and the more modern O’Hare (ORD). United Airlines calls Chicago its hub and it’s easy to find many direct, cheap flights to O’Hare as a result. Technically, Midway is closer to the stadium, but O’Hare sees much more air traffic and connections and is likely where most airlines will offer to drop you off.

It’s worth mentioning that during games you’ll occasionally hear planes screeching across the sky overhead as SeatGeek Stadium is in Midway’s flightpath.

Driving in

Bridgeview, Illinois is about 15 miles southwest of downtown Chicago and offers a big parking lot surrounding the stadium with spots going for $20 on gameday. Unfortunately, there aren’t really any trains or public transit nearby, which is a shame as Chicago is well-known for light rail thanks to the elevated trains that dot the skyline.

Taking an Uber from downtown Chicago out to SeatGeek Stadium will run you about $30 each way, and will take about 20 minutes. Along the way, you’ll pass by several more famous stadiums like Soldier Field (where the MLS men’s team Chicago Fire FC play) as well as Wrigley Field.

Getting a rental car vs. going car-free

Though SeatGeek Stadium offers virtually no public transit options, Chicago is such a big dense city you could easily get away with spending an enjoyable weekend there car-free. If you stay in The Loop in downtown Chicago, having a rental car on your trip can even be a hassle. On the other hand, if you plan to visit places or people in the sprawling network of suburbs surrounding all sides of the city, a rental car may be a better option. 

Where to stay

“The Loop” is the main area of Chicago, called that due to the train line that surrounds the downtown’s buildings and attractions. This is where the majority of hotels, famous museums, landmarks, and tours take place. There are also ample relaxing lakefront views, bike paths, and beaches to enjoy here. 

It’s a great place to spend a weekend that can include a side trip to a Red Stars game, and if you’re in town to enjoy a new-to-you city, you’ll likely want to spend the majority of your time in The Loop.

That said, if you want to stay near the stadium, you’ll be miles from downtown Chicago in the neighborhood of Bridgeview. There is a Bridgeview Hampton Inn located adjacent to SeatGeek Stadium and it’s where we chose to stay before and after our gameday. And while it was nice to walk back to a relaxing, affordable hotel immediately after the game, it was an isolated location with just a gas station, a mini-mall, and bar and grill for food options. Staying in the Loop is a much smarter option.

What to do in Chicago (besides watch soccer)

Chicago is one of America’s great cities with plenty to see and do. The downtown/Loop area is famous for attractions like the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower, Shedd Aquarium, and the Field Museum. There’s the famous Cloud Gate sculpture (aka The Bean) and all of Millenium Park that surrounds it. We can personally vouch that the free summer concerts in Millenium Park are fantastic. The bridges and waterways below the city are buzzing with boat tours constantly going past. The waterfront bike path along Lake Michigan is gorgeous on a sunny day and easy to enjoy thanks to the many bike rental docks found along the path that simply require a quick credit card swipe to ride.

It’s a town famous for its cuisine and you can’t go wrong picking pretty much any place for an Italian beef sandwich, deep dish pizza, or any restaurants from local celebrity chefs (we’re personally big fans of Rick Bayless’s places). Nightlife includes a great Blues scene with tons of small bars featuring live music and a dedicated theater district. It’s a huge sports town as well, and you’re likely to find not just a plethora of sports bars in every neighborhood, but even specific bars catering to fans of one specific college or pro team at that bar.

You really can’t go wrong picking any spring or summer weekend for a quick vacation to Chicago that also lets you catch a soccer game against your favorite visiting team along the way.