The Big Ten football championship doesn’t normally run through the Northwestern Wildcats, but the Wildcats’ athletic department is doing everything it can to elevate the program to the top of the sport. That includes a reimagined $850 million Ryan Field, which the university released plans for on Monday.
Expected to be ready in 2026, the new stadium will hold 35,000 seats. Each seat will have a chair back and be protected by a canopy that not only blocks inclement weather but redirects sound back onto the field to create a home-field advantage.
The university has designed each seating level to maximize sight lines, ensuring even fans in the upper deck can have a premium viewing experience.
“With the new Ryan Field, we are introducing a bold new vision for the future of college sports,” Pat Ryan Jr, whose family is the biggest benefactor in Northwestern history, said in a release. “This stadium is not just a world class football stadium; it’s for our students, and student-athletes, our fans, our alumni, and the Northwestern and Evanston communities. We’re committed to creating spaces that embody the best of what the modern fan experience can be, while building a legacy of economic empowerment and cultural benefits for our community.”
Northwestern also plans to make the new Ryan Field the most accessible stadium ever built, with 194% of the required ADA seating. Coupled with open concourses, the university hopes to make it so every fan can catch every moment of the action.
“With the new Ryan Field, we’re embracing a visionary opportunity for Northwestern that will support our student-athletes with the best stadium in college sports,” athletic director Mark Jackson said. “Our new stadium will provide a dynamic, fan-focused environment that reflects Chicago’s prominence in the Big Ten Conference and elevates the standards for college football stadiums nationwide. This venue will be more than a game-day destination; it’s an inclusive, year-round gathering place that enhances our community and our university’s connection to the world of sports.”
The new Ryan Field design might remind fans of some soccer stadiums, and that’s intentional. Northwestern used inspiration from MLS and Premiere League facilities to maximize sound and increase comfort in a stadium that will be the smallest by seating capacity in the Big Ten.
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“Our worst seat in this stadium is 100 feet closer to the field than the most expensive seat at the Big House,” Ryan told ESPN, referring to Michigan’s 107,601-seat home stadium. “You’re building things up and cantilevering them over instead of going out. It’s structurally much more challenging from an engineering perspective, but you’ve got to create better-than-TV sight-lines.”
The Ryan family owns minority takes in the Chicago Bears and AFC Bournemouth. During the design process, Ryan said he also surveyed other recent facilities, finding the Columbus Crew’s Lower.com Field to be most influential. The Northwestern student’s section will be positioned similarly to supporter sections in soccer stadiums, allowing for a raucous environment reminiscent of the loudest sporting environments on Earth.
“A lot of people look at first-of-its-kind and say, ‘Oh, it’s just a mini NFL stadium,’ but it’s really something specific for college,” Ryan added. “Every college we’ve seen has said, ‘We know we need to think about doing something like this, but somebody needed to go first.’ Everybody else is saying, ‘We’re going to watch closely, and if it works, we’ll come see it.’”
Until the new stadium is ready, Northwestern will continue playing its home games at its soccer and lacrosse facility, Martin Stadium, as well as Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.