New Red Stars general manager Richard Feuz is ready for the 2024 season to get rolling. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Red Stars reportedly seeking Chicago stadium
By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent
Signs are indicating the Chicago Red Stars will be moving out of SeatGeek Stadium.
The Bridgeview-owned facility, formerly known as Toyota Park, has been the home of the NWSL franchise since 2016. The Red Stars’ lease with Bridgeview runs through December 2025.
Where they play after that it’s anyone’s guess, but Red Stars President Karen Leetzow reportedly told the Chicago Tribune the franchise needs a stadium in Chicago and that the goal is to have one there.
Two things could keep the Red Stars in the Southwest Suburbs for a little while.
First, they are trying to get money from a variety of sources, including public funds — the same way Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is trying to make a move. That won’t be easy an easy ask.
Second, if the Red Stars find a new location that doesn’t have an existing stadium, it will take time for one to be built. It’s possible they would try to ink a short-term deal to stay at SeatGeek during the interim.
Prior to the move to Bridgeview, the Red Stars played at Concordia University, Northwestern University and Benedictine University.
While NWSL attendance averages have soared from 4,270 in 2013 to 10,432 in 2023, the Red Stars have usually been near the bottom, and some blame the location of SeatGeek Stadium for the low numbers. Their high-water mark for average attendance was 5,863 in 2022; last year they averaged 4,848, which was last in the league.
New GM ready to go
New Red Stars general manager Richard Feuz met with media members on Feb. 29, and he is looking forward to turning the team around after last year’s last place finish.
The first question lobbed at him was the pronunciation of his last name, which sounds like “foyts.”
“But you can call me ‘Rick,’’’ he said. “Rick is alright.”
After a long career in management roles in the Switzerland soccer landscape, he was ready for a new challenge.
“It’s a new project, here,” Feuz said. “My cycle there was over and I needed to see something else. Sometimes you can fall in love with a vision and I have the same vision as (Red Stars majority owner Laura Ricketts) about women’s sports.
“They should be treated the same way as men. We’re talking about amazing athletes, and we have the same vision for the future. We want to empower this women’s sport. It’s a great opportunity and I’ve loved the U.S. for a long time.”
Getting the team back to playoff form will be a process, he said, but he likes what he has seen.
“We have a great history,” he said. “We have a tremendous bunch of people here. We have an amazing president and great ownership. For me to be adopted as a Chicagoan, we’ll have to make amazing results, so we will work hard with the people we have here.”
Just around the corner
The 2024 NWSL season is almost here.
The league is expanding this year from 12 teams to 14 and the season has increased from 22 games to 26.
The Red Stars open the season at Utah, one of the two expansion clubs, on March 16. They play their first home game at SeatGeek Stadium at 3 p.m. March 23 against OL Reign.
Local News
Rose Zubik, Woman’s Club veteran, installed as 3rd District president
Spread the love Rose Zubik, of Palos Heights, the new president of the 3rd District General Federation of Women’s Clubs-Illinois, lights a candle during the installation ceremony held April 27 at Fox’s Restaurant in Orland Park. Heather Linehan, the outgoing president, is beside her.By Dermot Connolly A longtime member of the Palos Heights Woman’s Club…
Shots fired in Chicago Ridge Commons parking lot
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Shots were fired Wednesday night in the parking lot at Chicago Ridge Commons mall. Police said they received reports of the shooting about 9:45 p.m. No injuries were reported. Multiple witnesses told police four men were walking through the parking lot from the XSport Fitness area. They approached two vehicles…
Hair salon with a ‘flair’ marks first year in Chicago Ridge
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Melissa Kowalski wanted to do something meaningful to mark the first-year anniversary of her Flair With Hair Salon in Chicago Ridge. “We did not have a grand opening last year so I wanted to do something really special,” Kowalski said. “We wanted to say thank you to our clients.” Kowalski,…
Palos East fifth-grader wins Scholastic Storyworks writing contest
Spread the loveGabriel Chowaniec, a fifth-grader at Palos East Elementary School, has been named a winner of the Scholastic Storyworks Magazine writing contest. Gabriel, who is a student in Cathy Casey’s fifth-grade classroom, was named one of only five winners nationally for the December 2023/January 2024 competition. Garbriel’s submission for the nonfiction story “The Shattered Land,” “showed a strong understanding of the text along with the ability to author a well-organized…
Shepard celebrates Autism Week
Spread the loveBy Kelly White World Autism Acceptance Week is organized by the National Autistic Society in the first week of April and aims to raise awareness about the challenges autistic people face across all areas of society. Not missing out the opportunity to celebrate all-inclusion was Shepard High School, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos…
Obituaries May 2, 2024
Spread the loveJOANNE GALLAS Joanne Gallas, a beloved figure in her community and a dedicated homemaker, passed away recently, leaving behind a legacy of kindness and devotion. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Joanne dedicated her life to nurturing her family and enriching the lives of the many students she encountered through her work with the Chicago…
Billions of cicadas get ready to raise a racket
Spread the loveBy Kelly White If you haven’t heard the buzz yet, you will soon. With 2024 marking a big year for periodical cicadas in Illinois, billions of the red-eyed buggers will soon be making an appearance. Periodical cicada broods XIII and XIX will be emerging throughout much of the state at the same time.…
‘A man of honor, a beacon of kindness’
Spread the love. Chicago weeps for Officer Luis Huesca . By Tim Hadac People across the Southwest Side shed tears earlier this week, as throngs of police officers and other filled the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel at 77th and Western for a funeral Mass for CPD Officer Luis M. Huesca. Officer Huesca was…
Archer Manor Little League starts its 2024 season
Spread the love. Sunny skies and mild temperatures greeted the boys and girls, moms and dads, umpires and coaches, and everyone else participating in Archer Manor Little League’s Opening Day parade and ceremonies at Archer Park. Since 1952, AMLL has provided athletic opportunities for thousands of boys and girls in Archer Heights, West Elsdon, Central…
Neighbors
Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions
By JERRY NOWICKI HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot. It’s a move that caused minority party…
After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that sought to wipe away the last vestiges of racial discrimination and redlining in America’s home mortgage industry. The idea was simple. By requiring lenders – primarily banks – to make…
Capitol News Illinois partners with ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ program to bring it back to air
Capitol News Illinois announced today it will produce the long-running “Illinois Lawmakers” program this spring, in partnership with longtime host and producer Jak Tichenor. “This new partnership is absolutely critical to providing Illinois residents with reliable, independent, in-depth, up to date coverage from the Illinois Capitol after many newspapers and broadcasters shuttered their Statehouse bureaus over…
Election officials to weigh whether Darren Bailey and GOP operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated
By ANDREW ADAMS & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A year and a half after Republican Darren Bailey lost his campaign to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker, state election officials are weighing whether he illegally colluded with conservative radio show host and political operative Dan Proft in the 2022 campaign. The State Board…
Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans
By PETER HANCOCK and JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status. Those programs offer health coverage for low-income individuals who would otherwise qualify for…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Tackling homelessness requires addressing racial injustice, according to a new report commissioned by the state’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. The report found that Black people are eight times more likely to experience homelessness than white people. Remedying this disparity, according to the report, would require “long-term…
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…
Bears pitch $3.2B stadium plan, but Pritzker still ‘skeptical’ despite team’s $2B pledge
By DILPREET RAJU & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Chicago Bears laid out a $3.2 billion plan for a new domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront on Wednesday afternoon, painting pictures of future Super Bowls and other major public events while pinning their hopes on yet-to-be-had conversations with the governor and lawmakers. The Bears…
Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. …