SeatGeek Stadium will host a college football game this fall, as Northern Illinois will square off against BYU at the suburban Chicago venue on October 24.
As was announced Wednesday, Northern Illinois and BYU will play in the second edition of the Huskie Chi-Town Showdown, set for SeatGeek Stadium. NIU has played games at other Chicagoland facilities in the past, and will now prepare for a game at the soccer-specific stadium in suburban Village of Bridgeview.
The game also marks a notable addition to the stadium’s 2020 calendar, which will include home matches for the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars and other events. More from the Chicago Tribune:
“In terms of recruiting, we consider Chicago our home,” coach Thomas Hammock said in an NIU release. “The opportunity to play a game in the city at a stadium that has never hosted a college football game before is going to be special for our team.”
The first Chi-Town Showdown was played at Guaranteed Rate Field, the first football game at the home of the White Sox. NIU lost to Toledo 31-24 in front of 10,180 fans.
NIU has played three neutral-site games at Soldier Field: against Iowa in 2007 and 2012 and against Wisconsin in 2011. The Huskies lost all three games.
First opening in 2006 as Toyota Park, SeatGeek Stadium hosted Chicago Fire matches through the 2019 season. The MLS club reached an agreement with Bridgeview last summer to amend its SeatGeek Stadium lease, ultimately facilitating a return of home matches to Soldier Field beginning in 2020, but it will still use the facility for training.
Image courtesy SeatGeek Stadium.