Chicago Red Stars join the teams seeking public funding for a stadium: ‘Women’s sports need to have a seat at the table’

As city and state lawmakers discuss public funding for the Chicago White Sox and Bears to build new stadiums, the Chicago Red Stars are making a move to be part of the conversation.

The National Women’s Soccer League club’s current stadium in suburban Bridgeview is not ideal for the team, and it has been a pressing issue predating the new ownership group. If elected officials use taxpayer dollars for new stadiums for the White Sox or Bears, then Red Stars executives contend they also should be included in whatever funding is allocated.

Red Stars Executive Chairperson Laura Ricketts and team President Karen Leetzow recently met with Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch in Westchester and are scheduled to meet this week with Illinois Senate President Don Harmon at his district office in Oak Park.

The Red Stars are in the fact-finding phase of selecting a potential stadium site within the city, sources told the Tribune, and have not determined the level of funding that would be needed. Ideally, the club would find a location in Chicago that fits both a stadium and training facility. Those plans do not include moving in at Guaranteed Rate Field, the current White Sox home, if the Sox head for the exits.

The Chicago Cubs, meanwhile, acknowledge active talks have begun with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration about what City Hall can do to help the team secure an MLB All-Star Game as soon as 2027 or 2028. The Cubs’ previous efforts were rejected by other mayors, but Johnson has signaled he’s more amenable to helping.

As the conversations swirl, it remains an open question whether Gov. J.B. Pritzker, state lawmakers or Chicago officials would help fund any major stadium project with public dollars.

“I think I’ve been really clear about the fact that the taxpayers’ dollars are precious and the idea of taking taxpayer dollars and subsidizing the building of a stadium as opposed to, for example, subsidizing the building of a birthing center, just to give the example, does not seem like the stadium ought to have higher priority,” Pritzker told reporters at an unrelated event Monday. “Unless a case is made that the investment yields a long-term return for taxpayers that we can justify in some way, I haven’t seen that yet.”

But Leetzow told the Tribune that if discussions are being had about funding sports stadiums, “equity needs to be part of the conversation.”

“Women’s sports need to have a seat at the table. We need to be in the mix because otherwise we’re just going to end up chasing our tail around how to grow women’s sports,” Leetzow said. “If you’re a politician, what better way for you to leave a lasting legacy in the state of Illinois or the city of Chicago than to do something that’s never been done, which is provide meaningful funding for women.”

The Red Stars’ efforts have the support of the NWSL and Commissioner Jessica Berman. Berman told the Tribune the league’s interest in the situation stems in part from ensuring the NWSL and its clubs are involved when important decisions are made on behalf of communities. The league also wants to provide NWSL owners, and by extension community leaders, with knowledge and understanding of how other league cities are thinking about their clubs’ infrastructure.

Berman noted how men’s sports have historically been viewed as community assets, something women’s sports worked a long time for the industry to recognize similarly. One of the main hurdles facing the Red Stars comes on the educational front, in helping legislators understand the quality of play that needs support and the payoff of investing in women and soccer.

“We feel that we’ve now proven that there’s a business model and that there is a proven value to offer as a community asset,” Berman said, “and with all that in mind, we therefore expect to be thought of and have an opportunity to contribute to any dialogue around investment and infrastructure as it relates to the future of the footprint of any city.

“We really are at this important inflection point because it is true that for the first time women’s sports is actually being valued from the business community, and we know that in order for that to be sustainable, viable, successful in the long term, that infrastructure and both local, state and public-private support is really important to the future of our business.”

A model for success?

The Kansas City Current could provide a potential stadium-building blueprint for the Red Stars. This season the Current will open the seven-acre, $117 million CPKC Stadium, the first built solely for a women’s professional sports team. The team relied on a public-private partnership, receiving $6 million in state tax credits for the stadium, while its $18 million training facility, located 6.5 miles away, was privately funded by its ownership group, which includes Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany.

Leetzow believes the private-public partnership can be as important as Title IX. The government’s investment in Title IX and preventing discrimination against individuals on the basis of sex paved the way for women in sports. She argues there are similar gains to be made on the infrastructure front.

“When it’s really meaningful, the conversation does not revolve around equity in a way that would bring women’s sports along with all of the growth in women’s sport. How do we make that resonate?” Leetzow said. “I mean, not only are we lagging behind in the U.S., but we’re lagging behind the world.”

Berman believes the Current’s model could “absolutely” be replicated by other NWSL clubs.