Evanston and Wilmette residents who opposed the Chicago Stars playing games at Ryan Field might not yet want to breathe a sigh of relief — even though the Stars recently announced they plan to build a new performance center in Bannockburn.
A spokesperson for the club clarified that the planned Bannockburn facility will function solely as a training center and not a stadium where games will be played.
The National Women’s Soccer League team has not yet announced where it will seek to play games in 2027 and beyond, and it’s not known whether they might request to use Ryan Field.
“[The Bannockburn facility] is very much meant to be an oasis for the players, as it’s the first time we’ll have a facility that we control for our training purposes,” the Stars spokesperson said.
The team does not plan to hold any soccer clinics or play any matches in Bannockburn, they added.
“The facility is for our players to train and prepare and is not a facility where we would host large-scale events or matches.”
The Stars, formerly the Chicago Red Stars, plan to play the entirety of their 2026 season, which began in March and runs until November, at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, located on the lakefront in Evanston.
As for the 2027 season, “future plans are in the works,” the spokesperson said. “More on that front soon.”
The announcement comes just a few weeks after many Wilmette and Evanston residents rejoiced over the team’s decision to remove their bid to play 15 to 17 games of their upcoming season at Northwestern University’s currently under-construction Ryan Field, over concerns about what the increased noise, heavy traffic and congestion from added games would have brought to the neighborhood.
The Stars representative did not clarify if the team plans to extend their stay at Martin Stadium for the upcoming 2027 season or submit a future proposal to once again petition to have Ryan Field serve as their home venue for games.
“After thoughtful consideration with Northwestern University and their desire to open the new Ryan Field in a phased approach out of consideration for its neighbors, at this time we will not be proceeding with our application for a unique use permit,” the team announced in a news release on March 18.
“We believe that this is what Evanston residents seek as well but have also heard a call for more dialogue and understanding about who we are and the impact our presence will have on the community.”
Evanston and Wilmette hostility to the Stars’ petition first erupted in January following the team’s filing of a unique use permit application with the City of Evanston to play between 15 to 17 matches of their 2027 season at Ryan Field.
The permit was set for a five-year period, with an option to extend the contract with the city after a third year.
But the proposal was met with widespread opposition from several neighboring groups, including Evanston’s Most Livable City Association (MLCA) and the Village of Wilmette, which borders Ryan Field.
Village of Wilmette President Senta Plunkett was particularly outspoken over how the team’s presence in the community would negatively impact residents. She wrote a letter to Evanston officials on Feb. 24 urging the city to reconsider.
“Northwestern has asked a lot from its neighbors in Wilmette and Evanston, to ask for more while the extent of the adverse impacts of the already approved events remains unknown is unfortunate timing,” Plunkett said in the letter.
Despite previously objecting to the initial construction of Ryan Field back in 2023, Evanston and Wilmette agreed on an intergovernmental proposal in February 2024 over several non-football related events to be hosted at the stadium.
This included an agreement for Ryan Field to host six additional concerts at the venue, which was later rebuked by many neighborhood residents.
While the Chicago Stars plan to head to Bannockburn as early as next year for training, residents will have to wait and see where the team will seek to play matches.
Executive Chairperson for the Chicago Stars Laura Ricketts, who also serves as co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, said at the April 13 Village of Bannockburn Board meeting that she looked forward to seeing the club “really coming into its own” with this new facility.
“I can’t overstate just what a difference this is going to make for these players who’ve never had a field of their own to play on,” she said. “[They] have always been using borrowed facilities on someone else’s time, and it’s now their time to have their own and have the facilities they deserve.”
Bannockburn officials approved several items at their April 13 meeting relating to the performance center, which is set to be built on 10 acres of land alongside Interstate 94.
“This is a momentous step forward as we continue investing in the long-term success and growth of our club,” Club President Karen Leetzow said in a statement about the build.
