Four days after setting a new single-game attendance record for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the relocation of a September music festival has bumped the Chicago Red Stars from their usual home stadium.
The Red Stars were scheduled to host San Diego Wave FC on Sept. 21, but event organizers for the three-day music festival Riot Fest announced on Wednesday that the Red Stars’ home, SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, will host the event from Sept. 20-22. That leaves the stadium unavailable to the Red Stars.
“It is unfair and unfortunate to have our club put in this situation, shining a light on the vast discrepancies in the treatment of women’s professional sports versus men’s sports,” Red Stars president Karen Leetzow said in a statement.
“We are committed to ensuring our players and fans have a first-rate experience on and off pitch, and we are working diligently to find a solution that will ensure our Sept. 21 game is a success.”
Chicago set the NWSL attendance record on Saturday with a crowd of 35,038 fans at Wrigley Field, the team’s first game at the hallowed baseball stadium. New Red Stars majority owner Laura Ricketts is co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, who call Wrigley Field home.
