On May 4th 2023, the Chicago Red Stars partnered with Urban Initiatives (UI) to help run the UI Gameday for Barton Elementary, Claremont Elementary School, Reavis Elementary School and Scott Joplin Elementary School at SoFive Chicago. Red Stars volunteers and special guest midfielder Samantha Fisher teamed up with the UI staff and schools to provide the children with a game day they’ll remember for years to come.

Urban Initiatives provides various programs for youth and community development as they believe the power of play can help Chicago become safer, more equitable and more connected. By introducing the youth to sports at a young age, Urban Initiatives strives to empower the youth through achieving academic success, developing social emotional skills and social capital–which parents are a fan of.

“It gives them a lot more to think about, even at a young age it gives them a lot more to think about,” a parent attending said. “Whether it’s soccer, football, baseball, volleyball, you try to expose them to lots of different sports and just let them grow.”

“[Urban Initiatives] are really important. They teach them to interact with different kids and other adults so those social skills they’re learning now gives them more traction and hopefully propels them to go even further. That’s a great thing.”

With Fisher in attendance for the gameday, she was ecstatic to help cheer on the kids and interact with the local fanbase in Chicago. Fisher even had the time to conduct a Q&A with the kids in which they learned about playing professionally and the social skills necessary to improve on and off the pitch.

Some group and individual photos followed as the Red Stars and Urban Initiatives wrapped up their successful gameday

The Chicago Red Stars today announced their broadcast schedule for the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season. For the second year, Red Stars fans in the Chicagoland area can enjoy watching select matches on The U, WMEU Channel 48.1 and WCIU Channel 26.2. 

“As the Red Stars, NWSL and women’s sports in general continue to grow, it’s important that we make our team and game as accessible as possible to fans and potential fans,” said Interim Chief Business Officer, Mike Ernst. “Continuing our partnership with The U allows us to lower the entry barrier into women’s sports, by putting the Red Stars on local TV, thereby creating the opportunity to grow our fanbase and increase brand awareness.”  

Dan Kelly returns for his second season as the play-by-play announcer for Red Stars matches on The U. Kelly is an experienced broadcaster with over 25 years of experience that includes calling games for the Chicago Fire, Chicago Blackhawks, the Big Ten Network and more. 

Sportswriter, broadcaster and business owner, Erica Ayala, will join Kelly in calling the first four Red Stars matches on The U this season. Ayala is the first and only Black or Latina broadcaster for the Premier Hockey Federation. Ayala has covered basketball, hockey and other sports for EspnW, The Athletic and other major news outlets. Ayala is also the founder of Black Rosie Media, an outlet with a focus on Black women and melanated people that works to support emerging creators in sports media. 

Former Red Stars defender, Jackie Santacaterina Manny, will rejoin Kelly for the last two games broadcast on The U this season. Manny called all the games on The U alongside Kelly last season, and calls games on the Big Ten Network in addition to five years of experience playing for the Red Stars.  

The U is seen on WMEU, Channel 48.1 and WCIU, Channel 26.2, XFINITY 230|360, Astound TV 35, Dish 48, Spectrum Charter 191 and U-Verse 24.  On YouTube TV search for The U. 

The 2023 Red Stars season features 28 matches, including six Challenge Cup matches, which will be played concurrently with the regular season for the first time in league history. Locally, The U will broadcast six Red Stars matches across the Chicagoland area. Nationally, fans can enjoy 25 matches on Paramount+ and three on CBS Sports Network. Additionally, this season fans in Canada can watch nine select Red Stars matches on TSN or TSN+.  

All 2023 regular season and Challenge Cup matches will be streamed live internationally for free on NWSLSoccer.com. 

Below is the full rundown of Red Stars matches and where they will be broadcast this season. Red Stars home matches are listed in bold.  

About the Chicago Red Stars 

Established in 2007, the Red Stars were a founding member of the former Women’s Professional Soccer and would later become one of the original eight teams to form the National Women’s Soccer League in 2013. The Red Stars have made the playoffs in seven consecutive years from 2015-2021, appearing in the NWSL Championship in 2019 and 2021 as well as appearing in the NWSL’s Challenge Cup Final in 2020. 

About Weigel Broadcasting Co. 

Weigel Broadcasting Co. is a family-owned media company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company owns and operates national television networks, as well as local broadcast stations throughout the country. Weigel is the leader in the multicast television network space with MeTV, Memorable Entertainment Television, the number-one rated and distributed multicast network, as well as the Movies! Network in cooperation with the Fox Television Stations, the DECADES Network, the H&I – Heroes & Icons Network, the Start TV Network in association with the CBS Television Stations, and Story Television. Weigel produces the original network TV programs Toon In With Me, Svengoolie, Collector’s Call and Through the Decades. Weigel’s local stations include CBS, ABC, The CW, MyNet and Telemundo network affiliates. Weigel and its affiliate companies broadcast network and independent television stations serving New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, Portland, St. Louis, Nashville, Salt Lake City, Hartford, Milwaukee, Des Moines, South Bend, Evansville and Rockford. Weigel is the creator of the nationally syndicated music format MeTV FM. For more information on Weigel, visit: https://www.weigelbroadcasting.com/. 

The Chicago Red Stars selected three players in the 2023 NWSL Draft.

The Chicago Red Stars today promoted Michelle Lomnicki, to General Manager. Lomnicki served as the club’s associate general manager for the 2022 season.

“Promoting Michelle to General Manager was an easy decision. Her professionalism, work ethic and experience as both a former Red Star player and in the corporate sector make her uniquely qualified to lead soccer operations for the club,” said Kim Vender Moffat, Chicago Red Stars Chairwoman.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to head up the soccer operations for the Chicago Red Stars,” said Lomnicki. “For over 14 years, this organization, the players, the staff and the fans have been home to me. It’s where I started and ended my professional playing career, it’s where I met my husband and started our family. While I’m not originally from here, half of my life has been spent living as a Chicagoan and knowing how championship-hungry fans are in this great city. I’m ready for the challenge of taking this club into a new era of pro women’s soccer. Over the past year while serving as Associate GM, I’ve spent every day learning and preparing to take this step in helping to lead the franchise. We look forward to building through the upcoming draft, constantly evaluating talent and how it fits into our blue-collar mentality. However, first and foremost, my priority will always be to put our players and staff first in every discussion and decision we make. The Chicago Red Stars are a cornerstone of the NWSL, and it will be my daily aim to work toward bringing championships to our great city and fan base!”

Lomnicki was named associate general manager of the Red Stars in January of 2022. Prior to 2022, Lomnicki served as the Director of Camps and Clinics where she revamped the club’s youth programming to better serve hundreds of aspiring soccer players across the Chicagoland area. The former Red Star also played for the club in 2009 and from 2012-2015. From 2012-2015 Lomnicki played in 48 games, started in 39, totaled 3,462 minutes and scored 3 goals with 4 assists.