On Saturday, Aug. 31, Northwestern played its home opener in the temporary, lakeside stadium. It was a sold-out game as the Wildcats beat the Miami Redhawks in front of a crowd of 12,023 fans.
Only 12,000 fans may sound tiny compared to the crowds drawn by Northwestern’s fellow Big Ten schools, but the unique solution of building a lake-side stadium is being seen as an exclusive opportunity by fans. Some took to X to show some love to the temporary stadium. “Northwestern’s temporary stadium looks so cool I am actively mad they are spending $800 million on a permanent stadium,” said Northwestern alum Rodger Sherman.
Another fan posted, “Northwestern Medicine Field might be the most beautiful stadium in college football.”
And these fans have a point. On a sunny day, with Lake Michigan in the background, and boats sailing through the waves, it is hard to imagine a more picturesque background for a good game of football.
Most surprising of all is that according to Front Office Sports, “Northwestern football is making more money in its 12,000-person stadium than it was in previous years with quadruple the capacity.”
In the previous stadium, Northwestern offered 500 premium seats. Now, Medicine Field has 1,000 premium seats. The newly built, permanent stadium will offer even more premium seats than that. Doubling the number of high-cost seating has made a significant impact in the athletic department’s ticket revenue.
Just what does premium seating look like in a temporary stadium? Northwestern has organized the South end zone in clusters of four, highly cushioned chairs with central tables. There are two tiers of club areas with semi-private suites that are partitioned to feel like sitting in a box. Unlike luxury boxes at traditional stadiums, these premium seats are only a few feet above the turf.
Tickets for these premium seats, including admission, food and drink, start at $599. Season tickets for Wildcat’s super fans started at $1,299 for the five games they will play in this temporary stadium.
