SOLDIER FIELD

Soldier Field, located at 425 East McFetridge Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, was built in 1924 and renovated during the 2002 season. It was the oldest stadium in the entire league at almost 80 years old. The outer shell of the stadium was left standing but the remaining parts of the field were demolished and replaced to create “Soldier Field II”. The stadium is owned by the city of Chicago and the Chicago Park District and cost only $10 million to build in the 1920s although the renovation project cost approximately $365 million. The fans of the Bears care so much about the team and the field that they set up a series of taxes to publicly finance the renovation to Soldier Field. However, the Bears aren’t the only team that calls Soldier Field home. The Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer have played their home games in Soldier Field since the 1998 season.

The Chicago Blitz of the USFL also played at the stadium in 1983 and 1984 and the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL played in Soldier Field in 2001. With an airport located a mere two miles from the field, arrangements can be made to shuttle directly off a flight and into the lot at Soldier Field. The parking lot of Soldier Field was also increased to allow parking for 8,000 cars if needed. The stadium can hold 63,000 people and offers the fans 133 luxury suites and 8,600 club level seats to choose from. At 63,000 fans per game, a regular season capacity should be 504,000 but Soldier Field has topped out at 535,522 twice in less than 10 years. During the 2002 renovation/reconstruction of Soldier Field, the Bears were forced to find a new home for games. They made the move to Champaign, Illinois, to play their home games at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois. The first game at the New Soldier Field was played on September 29, 2003. New features at Soldier Field included more seating, better sightlines, newer and larger video boards, and an enlarged concourse.

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