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Northwestern football talks its plans for a temporary field for the 2024 and 2025 seasons
Northwestern football was set to be displaced come the fall of 2024, but they're making due with a makeshift home in Evanston. Members of the team talked about that decision Thursday morning.
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern football was looking into the idea of playing games away from Evanston. On Wednesday, the team announced its full 2024 schedule.
The Wildcats will play five of their seven home games in Evanston on the school's temporary field. The other two will play at Wrigley Field.
NU will play Ohio State and its season finale rivalry game against Illinois at the Friendly Confines.
The 'Cats and Illini will return to Wrigley Field for the first time in 14 years.
Northwestern looked at playing games at Lambeau Field, SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview and Guaranteed Rate Field. In the end, NU will have two games at Wrigley, arguably its two biggest games of the season.
In 2023, Northwestern hosted Iowa at Wrigley Field in a 10-7 loss to the Hawkeyes. Prior to 2023, Northwestern hosted Purdue at Wrigley Field on November 20, 2021. In 2010, Northwestern hosted Illinois at Wrigley Field in the first college football game at the ballpark since 1938.
Northwestern's temporary field will be right on the lakefront on Lake Michigan and will be able to seat 15,000 fans. This will be the field NU will use during its construction of the new Ryan Field, which is set to debut for the 2026 season.
"What I will say is I think there's a unique opportunity here on the lakefront to create truly a home field advantage, smaller venue," Braun said in April about the temporary lakefront facility. "There should be a bunch of purple, if not almost all purple. And that's something to look forward to."
Ryan Field is in the middle of its $800 million tear down and rebuild. The tear down is nearly complete.
Wrigley Field has a capacity of 41,649 for baseball games.
Analysis: Why a temporary field for Northwestern football is the school's right move
Although there are still specifics which need to come to light, this was the right choice for Northwestern across the next two seasons. We break down why.