Chicago Stars FC

What Chicago Stars FC does

Chicago Stars FC is a professional women's soccer club competing in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), one of the league's founding members originally established in 2007 as the Chicago Red Stars before rebranding in 2025. The club operates as an independent, privately held franchise owned by a consortium led by Executive Chairperson Laura Ricketts and managed by President Karen Leetzow and General Manager Richard Feuz. It currently plays its 15 home matches per season at the 12,000-seat Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois, with a stated long-term goal to relocate into Northwestern's Ryan Field.

The club's product surface centers on matchday entertainment and the surrounding commercial ecosystem: single-match tickets, season ticket memberships, flex packs, group tickets, premium hospitality, and fan experiences sold through chicagostars.evenue.net; merchandise via chicagostarsshop.com; mobile ticketing; and youth/community programming under the Future Stars and Shooting Stars Club umbrellas. The franchise is investing over $30 million in its first club-owned training facility and headquarters — a 45,000-square-foot, 10-acre development in Bannockburn, Illinois with Marquee Development and Populous — slated to begin construction in Spring 2026 and operations in 2027, the largest capital commitment in franchise history.

Revenue is generated through three streams: ticketing and matchday income, corporate sponsorships (with Wintrust as presenting partner, Sloan as jersey sponsor, plus Meijer, Verizon, NellaSpec, and First Lady Cruises), and NWSL league-level broadcast and streaming rights (NWSL+, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+). Season ticket sales were up 31% year-over-year and the club averages approximately 4,316 fans per home match. On-field performance has been weak — the club sat last in NWSL standings with a 5-15-1 record — prompting an in-season coaching change in August 2026 to interim head coach Karina Báez, with Lorne Donaldson returning as interim director of coaching.

Name

Chicago Stars FC

Legal name

Chicago Stars Football Club

Website

https://chicagostars.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago Stars FC is a founding NWSL professional women's soccer club serving the Chicago market through matchday entertainment at Martin Stadium, season tickets, corporate sponsorships, league broadcasting, and youth community programming under the Future Stars initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Women's Soccer

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Team Sports Clubs (Football/Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Rugby, Cricket, etc.) (MPAKABAA)

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single match tickets, season ticket memberships, flex packs, group tickets, and premium hospitality experiences for home matches at Martin Stadium in Evanston.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partnership revenue from sponsors including Wintrust (presenting partner), NellaSpec, Sloan (jersey sponsor), Meijer, Verizon, and other corporate partners.
3. Broadcasting Rights: Revenue from NWSL broadcasting agreements including NWSL+ streaming, CBS Sports Network, and other media partnerships for match broadcasts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chicago Stars FC is a professional women's soccer club that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), delivering live professional soccer matches as the club's central product. The club monetizes this core competition through single-match tickets, season ticket memberships, group tickets, flex packs, premium hospitality, and official team merchandise, while extending its offering with youth soccer camps and community programming through the Future Stars initiative and the Urban Initiatives partnership.

Product overview

Chicago Stars FC is a professional women's soccer club competing in the NWSL. The club offers match-based entertainment services including single-game tickets, season ticket memberships, group tickets, and flex packs for its 15 annual home matches at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Additional offerings include premium hospitality experiences, fan experience packages, mobile ticketing, and official merchandise through its online store. The club also operates community programming including the Future Stars youth development initiative with camps and clinics, and the Shooting Stars Club for young fans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single Match Tickets

Quantifiable outcome

• Season ticket sales increased 31% year-over-year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Marquee DevelopmentcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 6 January 2026Development partner for the club's first team-owned training facility and headquarters in Bannockburn, Illinois. The $30+ million project involves redeveloping a former Walgreens customer support center into a 45,000-square-foot facility. Marquee Development is working with Populous architecture firm on the project.
• PopulouscoreTechnology or Integration · 6 January 2026Architecture and design firm partnering on the club's first training facility in Bannockburn. The 45,000-square-foot facility will feature multiple pitches and recovery spaces designed to enhance player development.
• WintrustflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting partner for Chicago Stars FC 2026 season. Wintrust logo appears on official website and match banners. Bank has significant presence in Chicago market and supports local sports organizations.
• NellaSpeccoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor with branding on official website and matchday activations. NellaSpec is the presenting partner for the 'Together Strong' match against Portland Thorns FC.
• SloanflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial water efficiency partner and jersey sponsor for Chicago Stars FC. Sloan branding appears on official website footer and has multi-year partnership with the club.
• MeijercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail partner and sponsor supporting youth programming including back-to-school backpack packing events and camps and clinics initiatives.
• Urban InitiativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing youth and community development programs. The partnership introduced youth from local elementary schools to soccer through UI Gameday events at SoFive Chicago, featuring Red Stars volunteers and player appearances.
• Northwestern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome venue partnership at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston. The 12,000-seat stadium hosts all 15 home matches. The club aims to eventually move into Ryan Field which opens October 2.
• FC KölnminorOthersGerman Frauen Bundesliga club that signed defender Kathrin Hendrich from Chicago Stars. Hendrich made 23 appearances with 20 starts for Chicago Stars and wore the captain's armband in four matches.
• BenficaminorOthersPortuguese powerhouse club from which Chicago Stars acquired German midfielder Anna Gasper for an undisclosed transfer fee. Gasper won four consecutive league titles with Benfica.
• First Lady CruisesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting partner for the Pride match against Bay FC on August 9, 2026, at Martin Stadium in Evanston.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Direct peers

• San Diego Wave FC: San Diego Wave FC is an NWSL franchise with a similar revenue mix of ticketing, premium hospitality, and corporate partnerships. Both clubs operate in California-adjacent markets and rely on league media rights as a material revenue line.
• Angel City FC: Angel City FC is an NWSL club in Los Angeles with a comparable ownership-led, sponsorship-heavy business model and community engagement focus. Both clubs monetize through ticket sales, corporate partnerships, and league broadcast rights while targeting major-market fan bases.
• OL Reign: OL Reign is an NWSL franchise in the Pacific Northwest with a parallel revenue mix across tickets, sponsorship, and media rights. Both clubs share the league's centralized broadcast arrangements and compete for similar corporate partner categories.
• Kansas City Current: Kansas City Current is an NWSL franchise notable for owning a purpose-built stadium - directly comparable to Chicago Stars FC's strategic push toward venue control via Ryan Field. Both compete for league media-rights dollars and sponsorship share.
• Bay FC: Bay FC is a fellow NWSL expansion-era club playing in the San Francisco Bay Area with comparable ticket, sponsorship, and broadcast revenue streams. Both are privately held women's professional soccer franchises operating in top-tier U.S. media markets.
• Portland Thorns FC: Portland Thorns FC is a founding NWSL club with an established fan base, comparable ticketing infrastructure, and similar youth/community programming models. Both compete in the same league for sponsorships, broadcast distribution, and elite talent.
• Orlando Pride: Orlando Pride is an NWSL club with comparable ticketing, sponsorship, and community-programming offerings. Both share the same league-level broadcast economics and serve large U.S. metropolitan fan bases.
• NJ/NY Gotham FC: Gotham FC is an NWSL club in the New York/New Jersey market with overlapping sponsor categories and broadcast-distribution channels. Both franchises share the same league-level media-rights economics and tiered ticketing products.
• Houston Dash: Houston Dash is an NWSL franchise with similar ticket, sponsorship, and youth-programming structures. Both are privately held professional women's soccer clubs operating within the same league-wide commercial framework.
• Washington Spirit: Washington Spirit is an NWSL club operating in a major U.S. media market with comparable ticketing, sponsorship, and broadcast revenue streams. Both are privately held franchises competing in the same league structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thechicagostars
• Facebookfacebook.com/theChicagoStars
• Instagraminstagram.com/thechicagostars
• TikToktiktok.com/@thechicagostars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thechicagostars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Stars FC