Chicago Fire FC signs lease on massive new $100 MILLION training ground…with 50,000+ square foot ‘world class’ facility with heated courts and winter training dome
The Chicago Fire Football Club has agreed to a new lease on a training facility, the team announced Monday.
This 53,000-square-foot complex will be built in the Roosevelt Square neighborhood on Chicago’s Near West Side district. The project, entirely privately funded, is expected to cost between $80 million and $100 million.
The lease approval was signed by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, as well as the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The facility will feature a two-story performance center, two and a half hybrid turf fields and three synthetic turf fields.
Those fields will each have their own protection from the elements. The hybrid fields will have a hydronic heating system, while the grass will be protected by an insulated dome between November and March.
Chicago Fire FC has agreed to a lease on a new 53,000-square-foot training facility
The state-of-the-art facility features five and a half heated fields with a dome for protection.
According to the Fire’s announcement, in addition to the lease and construction of the facility, the team will invest $8 million in the surrounding community.
This investment will be used “for the rehabilitation and preservation of nearby CHA housing and the creation of indoor and outdoor community spaces,” the team says.
The club is also committed to “providing long-term employment for community members, resources for minority- and women-owned businesses, free sports programming for local youth, community green space, and more.”
“The Chicago Fire, one of the best sports teams in our city, deserves to have a high-quality training facility that not only meets their needs but fosters the growth of talented athletes,” Lightfoot said.
‘This potential new facility will fill this need and provide the surrounding West Side community with employment opportunities, recreational activities and community gathering spaces.
“In addition, the millions of dollars in rental income generated by this project will support CHA’s efforts to rehabilitate and build affordable housing in surrounding areas.”
According to estimates, the lease is expected to generate $40 million in revenue for CHA over the next 40 years, which it will use to invest in improvements to existing public housing projects in the city.
According to Forbes, the team will kick off the project in the spring with the goal of moving in by summer 2024.
These facilities will have team meeting rooms, common rooms and a kitchen.
One of those team meeting rooms includes a movie theater decked out in leather chairs.
Players will also have access to a sports medicine room where training staff can assist in recovery.
The facility will also feature a hydrotherapy room, with hot and cold water tubs available to players.
The land on which the training ground will be built is part of a larger redevelopment project
The facility location (blue pin) is not too far from the team’s home field: Soldier Field
“Being a part of Chicago and giving back to Chicago is at the heart of the spirit of the Chicago Fire Football Club, and we are excited to put down roots on the Near West Side in the Roosevelt Square community,” said Joe, owner and president of Chicago Fire FC . Mansueto.
‘The development of our new facility will provide a state-of-the-art training environment for our players, coaches and sports staff.
Our facility will also serve as a community programming home for the next generation of Chicagoans, uniting our city through the sport of soccer.
We look forward to starting and continuing our work with local residents on this project.’