Dear Red Stars Fans,
On behalf of my fellow investors who today officially closed on our purchase of the Chicago Red Stars, I am honored to introduce ourselves to our loyal fans as the new owners and stewards of this club.
Our group of diverse women investors, some of the most prominent business and civic leaders in Chicago and beyond, brings unparalleled experience across professional sports, finance, turnaround management, commercial real estate, marketing and advertising, paired with deep community ties that make for a powerful combination to lead the club into a new chapter for players, our fans and the league.
Collectively, we are committed to empowering our great athletes, rewarding our loyal fans, and continuing to build on the NWSL’s exponential growth. We are in the early days of the work of building a championship organization on and off the pitch.
Thank you for your longstanding support of this organization, our players and fellow fans. We look forward to building a championship-caliber club with your support.
Laura Ricketts
The Red Stars will host a “World Cup Welcome Back” match presented by Sloan on Sunday, September 17, as the team takes on Angel City FC. As a part of the “World Cup Welcome Back” match, the Red Stars have a number of activations and giveaways for fans in attendance.
Fans have the unique opportunity to view a part of history as the legendary 1999 Women’s World Cup trophy will be on display at the Gate C Plaza at SeatGeek Stadium before the match. The 1999 Women’s World Cup was one of the most successful and inspiring editions of the tournament that ended in dramatic fashion with the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) winning in a penalty shootout and inspiring generations of young girls and women to pursue their dreams of playing professional soccer. On September 17, Red Stars fans can take in a part of U.S. soccer history when they visit SeatGeek Stadium to view and takes photos with the 1999 World Cup trophy and then cheer on the multiple 2023 World Cup participants on both teams.
Inside SeatGeek, Red Stars fans can participate in a scavenger hunt for small USWNT figurines that will be hidden throughout the stadium. Once found, fans can bring the figurines to Red Stars HQ, located on the concourse level, to win a special prize or in-game experience including a photo on the pitch following the match. Also located on the concourse, fans can stop by the Red Stars merchandise shop and purchase the team’s awe-inspiring “Foundation Kit” jerseys for the first time this season at the stadium.
On September 24, the USWNT will take on South Africa at Soldier Field in a friendly match as one of the team’s first following the World Cup. Fans of the Red Stars and the USWNT can purchase a Two-Match Ticket Pack that includes tickets to the Red Stars “World Cup Welcome Back” match September 17 and the USWNT match September 24. Fans of the USWNT attending the Chicago Red Stars match September 17 can participate in an auction to win a USWNT jersey.
The Red Stars take on Angel City FC September 17 in a matchup that will include six players in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup; Cheyna Matthews (Jamaica) and Alyssa Naeher (United States) for Chicago; and Jun Endo (Japan), Julie Ertz (United States), Ali Riley (New Zealand) and Alyssa Thompson (United States) for Angel City. The first 3,000 fans in attendance also will receive a pair of Chicago Red Stars slides presented by Sloan.
For tickets to the “World Cup Welcome Back” match or to take advantage of the 2-Match Ticket Pack, which gets you entry to both the September 17 match and the United States versus South Africa match September 24, please visit our ticket page.
FCI and CRS are working together to create a conversation about the importance of fertility awareness and educating others about the impact of infertility within their community. Whether it be on the soccer field or building a family through fertility treatment, CRS and FCI empower their communities to support one another and share their stories.“Fertility is that word that no one really wants to talk about because it’s associated with infertility. I think that narrative needs to change and we need to take fertility into our own hands,” shares Wright. “With FCI as our Official Fertility Partner, we hope to open up important conversations surrounding infertility and fertility preservation so that more people can receive the fertility care needed to grow their families.”CRS defender, Arin Wright, sat down for the Let’s Talk Fertility interview series with FCI physician, Channing Burks Chatmon, M.D., to raise fertility awareness and remove the stigma around infertility.CRS also advocates for fans to learn more about infertility through the many resources offered by FCI, including an extensive resource library, free virtual fertility events, and a thriving social media community.“We’re so proud to be partners with the Chicago Red Stars, as they shine a light on family-building and fertility preservation for anyone who might be facing barriers to growing the family of their dreams — a testament to these players’ own courage and leadership on the issue of fertility awareness in our community,” shares Christopher Sipe, M.D., Medical Director of FCI.For people facing barriers to building their families, it may be time to consult a fertility specialist. Contact the FCI New Patient Center at 1-877-324-4483 to schedule a fertility consult with an FCI physician.
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.
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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.
