Chicago State's Football Stadium Situation Could Attract Marquee Games

News of Chicago State's search for a head football coach energized the slow churn of the college football offseason. The Cougars' search for a head coach marks another step in one of the more remarkable turnarounds for any college program. The head coach position is one of several unanswered questions that follows the Cougars. One of the looming questions is what stadium will host Chicago State.

Matt Brown of Extra Points named two frontrunners in his recent article ($) Gately Stadium, a venue Chicago Public Schools owns, and SeatGeek Stadium, home of the Chicago Stars of the NWSL. Gately Stadium is similar to the homes of many of Chicago State's NEC contemporaries, but SeatGeek Stadium is a fascinating option.

SeatGeek Stadium would be one of the few major pro sports venues in the FCS. It would also make road games at upstart Chicago State an attractive venture, particularly for Missouri Valley Football Conference schools.
Chicago is a mostly untapped market except for a TV deal with the Chicago Cubs' regional sports network for Illinois State, which is 2.5 hours from the Windy City anyway. The Missouri Valley Conference could stake a claim in one of the country's biggest markets by scheduling Chicago State.

Nearby schools, such as Illinois State and Indiana State (3.5 hours away), are logical options for a potential home-and-home with Chicago State. However, they are not the most attractive realistic opponents for Chicago State.
Enter North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

Both schools have moved home games across state lines within the last two years. After drawing over 34,000 fans to the Minnesota Twins' ballpark, Target Field, in 2019, the Bison "hosted" Eastern Washington at the Minnesota Twins' stadium in 2023, drawing a respectable 22,546 fans. That same year, South Dakota State drew 18,174 fans to Target Field.

This year, North Dakota State will travel for destination games in Nashville and Charleston. Both schools have a track record of impressive travel from their fanbases. If both schools are willing to move a home game nearly four hours away, they will be willing to do a two-for-one or home-and-home in one of America's largest cities just nine hours away.

The chance to grow the brand of both national powers in Chicago in a major pro venue without having to play Northwestern or Northern Illinois is too good to pass up. Furthermore, it will be a de facto home game for either school due to their herd of traveling fans and Chicago State's 2024 enrollment of 2,915 students.

Thus, Chicago State may want to hope Gately Stadium falls through as an option. Home games at SeatGeek Stadium could open the door to the Cougars gaining exposure by playing some of the FCS' bigger brands in the FCS. Chicago State playing Missouri Valley Football Conference schools seems like a farfetched fantasy, but a 20,000-seat soccer stadium could make those dreams a reality.