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  #1  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 8:23 PM
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Cool CHICAGO | The Fire are moving back to The City!!!!!!!!

this is a big deal and deserves its own thread.

Quote:
Chicago Fire to pay Bridgeview $60.5 million to break lease at SeatGeek Stadium: report
Jeremy Mikula
Chicago Tribune


The first step in the Fire’s bid to return to Chicago reportedly has been taken.

The Fire reportedly have agreed to pay the village of Bridgeview $60.5 million to break their lease at SeatGeek Stadium with the intent of returning to Soldier Field next season. The news was first reported Wednesday by Steve Metsch of the Desplaines Valley News.

“We have been negotiating with Mayor (Steve) Landek and the Village of Bridgeview for some time on an amended stadium lease,” Fire President and general manager Nelson Rodriguez said in a statement, “but we have not reached a final agreement, and until we do, I’m not able to comment further.”

The village board on Tuesday unanimously approved a “Memo of Understanding” between the team and village, according to the report. Under the terms, the Fire reportedly will pay the village $10 million upfront with the remaining balance paid over the next 15 years. The Fire also will pay $5 million for the next five years to use the practice facilities outside the stadium, Metsch reported.
source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...508-story.html
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Last edited by Steely Dan; May 8, 2019 at 8:34 PM.
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  #2  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 8:27 PM
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the move to bridgeview was such a monumentally idiotic decision in the first place. they lost a decade and a half of brand-building in the city by wandering out there in the bridgeview wilderness.

anyone with half a brain knew it, but they were just so effing hell-bent on "soccer specific stadium" that they were willing to shoot themselves in the foot to get it. stupid. stupid. stupid.

thank Pizza God this gross error in judgement is finally being rectified.
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Last edited by Steely Dan; May 8, 2019 at 9:10 PM.
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  #3  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 8:44 PM
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I don't think the move to Bridge was the most hairbrained idea ever but it was obviously a failure that was somewhat predictable. You look at the demographics of Bridgeview and you think you have a ready-made market and you do. However, Bridgeview just held absolutely no appeal for those outside the immediate community/region and a team just can't survive on the neighborhood/suburbs largely within 5 miles.

It will be interseting to see what mega-development this will try to hitch to. I think the Lincoln Yards must have known this was an immenment decision and were always planning to try to lure the Fire as opposed to some 2nd tier league team. Can room be made at the 78 for a stadium? I know the Michael Reese site has been rumored but when will that ever get off the ground.
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Old Posted May 8, 2019, 8:54 PM
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^ the plan appears to be to play at soldier field for the time being, so time might not be a huge deal breaker for them.

if it takes 7+ years to get a new soccer stadium built at michael reese, so be it.

whatever happens, now that they're gonna be back in the city again, i can't wait to take my kids to Fire games from now on!
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Last edited by Steely Dan; May 8, 2019 at 9:07 PM.
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  #5  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 9:24 PM
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Never understood why they settled in some fleabag suburb in the first place.

Might re-start getting re-interested in football again. Because EPL is not played in the best day drinking Chicago timezone hours.
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  #6  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 9:35 PM
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Chicago Fire moving back to Soldier Field. I remember there were rumblings a few weeks ago but its more or less confirmed now: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/news...dgeview-report

This is pretty cool, I'll definitely attend games now.
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  #7  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 9:38 PM
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Is that McKinley Park site still a contender? Am I the only one that would like to see it away from the prime lakefront or the near NW side and in an outer neighborhood that's actually populated with the majority of Fire's fanbase - Read: hispanic?
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  #8  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 9:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee View Post
Is that McKinley Park site still a contender?
which site is that? i'm not aware of any sites in mckinley park that are contenders for a new soccer stadium.

there is a large piece of land in brighton park next to the western stop on the orange line that someone on this forum previously speculated might make for a good soccer stadium location, but i don' think there have been any formal discussions about that site being a contender.



EDIT:

upon further research, that large piece of vacant land next to the western stop on the orange line is going to be taken over by the park district for their new HQ building and an adjoining 17 acre park. so that land is already spoken for.
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  #9  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 10:40 PM
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I would love to see a decked stadium over the Amtrack yards along the west bank of the South Branch to be considered. It would be at the crossroads of downtown and the southwest neighborhoods (i.e.Hispanic) with transit options and plenty of accessibility. Plus it would cover up an eyesore for the 78 folks which could also maybe build a future pedestrian bridge over to the stadium?

Maybe it would be cost prohibitive alternative but I'd love to see it.
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  #10  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 10:45 PM
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Unfortunately the club is also considering a name change to Chicago City FC... potentially as a way to alert even the most disinterested Chicagoans that the club is now playing in the city again.

I think it would be awesome to build a new Fire stadium on the Damen Silos site. Less than 1/2 mile from the Ashland Orange Line stop, lots of waterfront around it, and they could probably cut deals with the owners of a few large parking lots nearby.

The Fisk power plant site could also be an option, which is close to the Halsted stop but would require a new (operable) pedestrian bridge and probably some other costly infrastructure.
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  #11  
Old Posted May 8, 2019, 11:40 PM
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About time!
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  #12  
Old Posted May 9, 2019, 12:32 AM
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Re: the McKinley Park site. Perhaps I've got something mixed up here. I may have been thinking of the Brighton Park site. Was there talk of a potential stadium there? - I could have sworn I heard something about this.

Anyways, I suppose this is a good spot to throw out my Southside combined Sox/Fire sports complex idea. I'll just copy and paste from a previous post:

Quote:
I mentioned this like a year ago but I would love to see a massive sports complex on the land bounded by 63rd/State and the chicane of the Dan Ryan. It could have direct transit connections to the Red Line and a new Englewood station for Metra incorporated into a large campus featuring a new stadium for the Sox and Fire and maybe even a velodrome on site. What a view that would have looking north up 90/94 to the Loop. Just a dream of mine. Not sure anyone else sees it.
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  #13  
Old Posted May 9, 2019, 1:02 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee View Post
neighborhood that's actually populated with the majority of Fire's fanbase - Read: hispanic?
The majority of MLS fanbases are not hispanic. That is the kind of old thinking that led the team out to Bridgeview in the first place. The majority of MLS fanbases these days are millennials and everyone here knows where they prefer to live.
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  #14  
Old Posted May 9, 2019, 1:22 AM
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^ Fire's age demo's may skew millennial but you could have fooled me that a hard majority of the fanbase aren't Latino.
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  #15  
Old Posted May 9, 2019, 1:47 AM
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Yawn

Don't expect any more attendance at SF vs where they were.

Hispanics and Millennial families are the base but once the kids grow up it is forgotten. Its not covered in sports radio or TV coverage.



The attendance was not much more than the minor league hockey of the Chicago Wolves that had half of the daily attendance but played many more games.


It will also likely be more expensive at SF vs Toyoda park.


Here is the attendance of the Fire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_...cer_attendance

Chicago is totally at the bottom only second to last.


Here is there attendance including the years at SF bolded.


Average attendance
Regular season/Play-offs
1998: 17,887/22,677
1999: 16,016/8,197
2000: 13,387/8,431
2001: 16,388/11,239
2002: 12,922/9,434
2003: 14,005/14,961
2004: 17,153/missed playoffs
2005: 17,238/11,493
2006: 14,088/10,217

2007: 16,490/17,834
2008: 17,034/17,312
2009: 14,689/21,626
2010: 15,814/missed playoffs
2011: 14,553/missed playoffs
2012: 16,407/10,923
2013: 15,228[92]/missed playoffs
2014: 16,076/missed playoffs
2015: 16,003/missed playoffs
2016: 15,602/missed playoffs
2017: 17,383/11,647




There is no growth there only a decline. If they shuttered the team no one would even know about it because it would not even make the daily news.

Its simply a dead sport in the USA.

Last edited by bnk; May 9, 2019 at 2:04 AM.
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  #16  
Old Posted May 9, 2019, 2:16 AM
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I dunno, if tickets aren't too expensive i'm like 1000% more likely to go to a game at soldier field. Much easier to walk there than it is to take the train to midway and take a bus.
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  #17  
Old Posted May 9, 2019, 2:26 AM
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Great, news! Can't stand going out to Bridgeview.
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  #18  
Old Posted May 9, 2019, 2:57 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee View Post
Re: the McKinley Park site. Perhaps I've got something mixed up here. I may have been thinking of the Brighton Park site. Was there talk of a potential stadium there? - I could have sworn I heard something about this.
When the Chicago Park District moves its HQ to Brighton Park (at 48th and Western) they will also be building three full-sized artificial turf soccer fields, in addition to a field house, pool, and playground. Perhaps the three soccer fields are what you had in mind?



Are the South Works too far away for a Fire stadium? Might help justify better service on the Metra Electric.
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  #19  
Old Posted May 9, 2019, 3:05 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee View Post
^ Fire's age demo's may skew millennial but you could have fooled me that a hard majority of the fanbase aren't Latino.
I was speaking to MLS as a whole. I don't doubt that the Fire's current demo is hard majority Latino given where the stadium is. The idea is they need to cater to more than just that demo like other MLS teams have successfully done. See Atlanta United or Seattle Sounders, who pull 40k+ average attendance in NFL stadiums.
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  #20  
Old Posted May 9, 2019, 4:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister Uptempo View Post
When the Chicago Park District moves its HQ to Brighton Park (at 48th and Western) they will also be building three full-sized artificial turf soccer fields, in addition to a field house, pool, and playground. Perhaps the three soccer fields are what you had in mind?.
That might be what I was confusing it with.
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