Northwestern announces plans for temporary football field on its Evanston Campus

Northwestern has a full offseason under David Braun, but is still wondering where the 'Cats will play this fall

Northwestern is coming off a Las Vegas Bowl title, capping a massive turnaround. After all of that success, thus begs the question: Where will NU play its home games in 2024?

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern football has made its decision on where it'll play football until the renovated Ryan Field is done.

NU announced Wednesday that it will create a temporary football field on its Evanston campus at the Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility near Lake Michigan.

The Wildcats will play on this temporary field in the 2024 and 2025 football seasons. NU soccer and lacrosse will both use the temporary field, too.

Northwestern said 2023 season ticket holders will receive information from NU Athletics with more information on the season ticket timeline, seat selection process, seating options and parking in the coming weeks.

This comes after Northwestern explored options at SeatGeek Stadium, Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, among other venues.

"I am thrilled that we could make this happen. It’s truly a win for our community," Northwestern President Michael Schill said in a statement. "In addition to creating a wonderful fan experience in the lead-up to the opening of Ryan Field, hosting games on campus will reduce the travel burdens for our student-athletes and fans and will make games much more accessible. We also are pleased to keep the economic benefits of football gamedays in Evanston."

The exact configuration is still being designed, a release said. The structure will officially be a temporary enhancement to the existing Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility which oversees Lake Michigan and the temporary facility's capacity will be considerably less than either Ryan Field. There will be reserved seats reserved for Northwestern students.

"To be able to play these games on campus is a huge advantage for our football program and will be a great benefit to our reigning national champion and top-ranked lacrosse team and both the women’s and men’s soccer programs," NU Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Dr. Derrick Gragg said in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming fans and the entire Northwestern community to this beautiful area of campus to cheer on our Wildcat student-athletes."

Construction on the Ryan Field renovations are expected to begin early this summer. The old Ryan Field has already begun being demolished.

On March 6 at Northwestern's Pro Day, NU head coach David Braun said he was all for the idea of a temporary field on campus. He specifically wanted the student engagement.

"We have this incredible opportunity two years from now to move into a new Ryan Field." Braun said on March 6. "That's something that we're all very excited about, but we have to do an incredible job of bridging that gap and building momentum towards that."