Updated April 25, 2023

Overview

In 2022, the Chicago Fire Football Club, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and the City of Chicago entered into preliminary discussions on a proposed new performance and training facility for Chicago’s Major League Soccer (MLS) team in the Roosevelt Square area on the Near West Side.

The discussions explored using approximately 30 acres of vacant CHA land as a headquarters and training center for the Fire. As part of a long-term lease agreement, the Fire intended to develop a multimillion-dollar facility and provide a variety of community benefits and public investments into neighboring public housing sites, long-term employment for community members, and recreational opportunities for youth.

The project site is generally bounded by Roosevelt Road, Ashland Avenue, 14th Street and Loomis Street. The site was previously occupied by portions of CHA’s former ABLA Homes, which is already in the process of being replaced by the mixed-income Roosevelt Square community as part of CHA’s ongoing commitment to develop mixed-income, mixed-use housing.

Facility plans include world-class practice fields and a performance center where team members prepare for matches. The facility will also house the Fire’s Youth Academy, offering programmed activities for youth, teens, and young adults in CHA housing and the broader community. Additional facility details were determined through the community engagement process and ongoing discussions between the Mayor’s Office, CHA, and City agencies.

The project was approved at Plan Commission on September 15, 2022 and in City Council on September 21, 2022. The approved plans are available online for review.

The Chicago Fire Football Club was founded in 1997 on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire and will kick off its 25th season in Major League Soccer in 2022. The Fire have won six major domestic championship titles, including the 1998 MLS Cup, the 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups, as well as the 2003 Supporters’ Shield.

The Fire plays their home matches at historic Soldier Field. For more information on the club, visit chicagofirefc.com.

Community Engagement

As part of the public engagement process, a virtual meeting was held on Aug. 25, 2022, to review the training facility proposal. Download the presentation or watch a recording of the meeting.

An earlier virtual community meeting was held via Zoom on Tuesday, May 3. Download the presentation or watch a recording of the meeting.

Community meetings were hosted or co-hosted by the CHA, the Department of Planning and Development (DPD), the Fire, and Ald. Jason Ervin (28th). The Fire also met with multiple community organizations in spring 2022 to discuss their vision.