Evanston, Ill. — Northwestern held an official groundbreaking Monday for a new Ryan Field to replace the demolished football stadium.
The new Ryan Field is part of a $480 million donation from the family of Patrick and Shirley Ryan that was the largest in the school’s history. Some of that money goes to academic initiatives.
The school said the stadium will seat 35,000, more than 12,000 fewer than the old Ryan Field, which opened in 1926. It will have a canopy designed to focus sound and light on the field and will include state-of-the-art technology and scoreboards. Plus discounts with meals from local restaurants. It will also achieve Gold LEED certification.
Northwestern will play most of its home games next season at its lakefront soccer and lacrosse facilities. A temporary structure with a significantly lower capacity than the old Ryan Field and the new stadium is being built.
The Wildcats will host Duke (Sept. 6), Eastern Illinois (Sept. 14), Indiana (Oct. 5) and Wisconsin (Oct. 19) on Aug. 31 at the Miami (Ohio) lakefront facility. They also have home games against Ohio State on Nov. 16 at Wrigley Field and Illinois on Nov. 30.
The new Ryan Field is scheduled to open in 2026.
