Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Stars FC is a privately-held professional women's soccer club in the NWSL, playing home matches at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. The club generates revenue from ticketing, corporate sponsorships (anchored by Wintrust), and merchandise, supported by youth development and community programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Chicago Red Stars does
Chicago Stars FC (formerly Chicago Red Stars) is a privately-held professional women's soccer club competing in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), one of the league's original founding members since 2013. The club is based in Chicago, Illinois, plays home matches at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, and is owned by an investor group led by Executive Chairperson Laura Ricketts and President Karen Leetzow. The roster features Olympic gold medalist Mallory Swanson, USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, and European-caliber signings such as Spanish defender Leila Ouahabi and German midfielder Anna Gasper.
The business generates revenue through three primary streams: ticket sales across single-match, season membership (Stars Next Chapter), flex pack, group, and premium hospitality categories; corporate sponsorships anchored by Wintrust (front-of-kit partner and largest partnership in club history, extended through 2027) alongside CDW, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, LaCroix, First Lady Cruises, NellaSpec, Sloan, Meijer, and Verizon; and merchandise sales via the online store. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through the club website and ticketing platform, supplemented by NWSL broadcast distribution on CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, NWSL+, and Victory+, and StubHub for secondary resale. Supporting products include fan experience packages (Pride match, College Night, Together Strong match), the Future Stars youth development program, Supernova Shooting Stars Club, and community outreach in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago and Lurie Children's Hospital.
The franchise is undergoing a substantial operational reset in 2025-2026. Following bottom-of-league finishes in 2025 and 2026, the club rebranded to Chicago Stars FC, hired and subsequently fired Head Coach Martin Sjögren, dismissed General Manager Richard Feuz, and elevated Karina Báez to interim head coach. Sponsorship commitments and international player acquisitions during this period suggest owner willingness to invest in a sporting rebuild, though on-field results have not yet converged.
Chicago Red Stars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chicago Red Stars
- Legal name
- Chicago Stars Football Club
- Website
- https://chicagoredstars.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Chicago Stars FC is a privately-held professional women's soccer club in the NWSL, playing home matches at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. The club generates revenue from ticketing, corporate sponsorships (anchored by Wintrust), and merchandise, supported by youth development and community programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chicago Red Stars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional sports entertainment
- NAICS
- Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (7112)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Team Sports Matches (Club & National) (MPAGAMAB), Event & Tournament Sponsorship (Title/Presenting Sponsors, Official Suppliers) (MPAKALAB), Sports Events & Match Tickets (THAJAFAE)
Keywords
Where Chicago Red Stars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Chicago Red Stars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from single match tickets, season ticket memberships, flex packs, group tickets, and premium hospitality experiences for NWSL matches at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Partnership agreements with corporate sponsors including front-of-kit partner Wintrust, returning sponsors CDW and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, and new partner LaCroix for 2026 season.
- Merchandise Sales: Official team merchandise sold through the team's online store including jerseys, apparel, and accessories.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Single match tickets available for all 2026 home matches |
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Chicago Red Stars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chicago Red Stars operates a professional women's soccer team in the NWSL and hosts home matches at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. It provides match access through single-match tickets, season ticket memberships, flex packs, group tickets, premium hospitality, and fan-experience packages, alongside official team merchandise.
Product overview
Chicago Stars FC is a professional women's soccer organization competing in the NWSL. The core product is the professional soccer team and match attendance experiences. Supporting offerings include ticketing across multiple categories (single match, season tickets, group, flex packs, premium), fan experience packages with themed match events, the Future Stars youth development program with camps and the Shooting Stars Club, and community outreach initiatives. The organization also operates an official merchandise store. All offerings center on the live match experience and fan engagement rather than a technology product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chicago Red Stars Professional Soccer
- NWSL Match Tickets
- Fan Experiences
- Official Merchandise
Quantifiable outcome
- Mallory Swanson's return in 2026 after 554 days on maternity leave provided significant boost to struggling team
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Chicago Red Stars
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Chicago Red Stars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Chicago Red Stars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- First Lady CruisescoreFirst Lady, a 90-year-old family-owned river cruise company, is the official river cruise partner of Chicago Stars FC. Partnership focuses on elevated fan experiences with First Lady becoming presenting partner of Stars' Pride match on August 9 and offering exclusive promotional deals for matches and cruises. First Lady sponsors the club's pre-match 'Steam Starter' tradition.
- LaCroixminorNew partner for 2026 season joining the club's corporate partner roster supporting operations, athlete development, and community initiatives.
- CDWcoreReturning sponsor for 2026 season as part of the club's partner roster supporting operations, athlete development, and community initiatives.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of IllinoiscoreReturning sponsor for 2026 season as part of the club's corporate partner roster supporting operations, athlete development, and community initiatives.
- NellaSpeccorePartner and sponsor of the club's 'Together Strong match' presented by nellaspec.com against Portland Thorns FC on May 3, 2026.
- SloanminorCorporate sponsor visible on official website with logo displayed among club partners.
- MeijerminorCorporate sponsor visible on official website with logo displayed among club partners.
- VerizonminorCorporate sponsor visible on official website with logo displayed among club partners.
- Boys and Girls Clubs of ChicagocoreChicago Stars and Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago host their third annual youth soccer tournament at ComEd Recreation Center in Addams Park. Over eight weeks, children ages 7-13 learned basic soccer skills with focus on encouraging girls' participation in athletics. Program teaches cooperation, sportsmanship, and life skills extending beyond soccer field.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Chicago Red Stars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Chicago Red Stars social profiles
Digital presenceChicago Red Stars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chicago Red Stars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Chicago Red Stars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chicago Red Stars M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chicago Red Stars
What does Chicago Red Stars do?
Chicago Red Stars operates a professional women's soccer team in the NWSL and hosts home matches at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. It provides match access through single-match tickets, season ticket memberships, flex packs, group tickets, premium hospitality, and fan-experience packages, alongside official team merchandise.
Is Chicago Red Stars a public or private company?
Chicago Red Stars is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Chicago Red Stars founded?
Chicago Red Stars was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Chicago Red Stars based?
Chicago Red Stars is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Chicago Red Stars make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships and merchandise Sales.
Does Chicago Red Stars have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chicago Red Stars.
What industry is Chicago Red Stars in?
Chicago Red Stars's product category is Professional sports entertainment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAAAA, Association Football (Soccer) Leagues, with a secondary code of MPAGAMAB, Team Sports Matches (Club & National). Its NAICS code is 711211 and its SIC code is 7997.