Nelson Rodriguez knows Soldier Field won’t instantly feel like home for the Fire and their fans. After 14 years in a soccer-specific stadium in Bridgeview, that would be impossible.
But there are things the Fire can do to ease the acclimation. There will have to be cooperation with the Bears and Fire signage in and around the stadium, and the club’s game-day staff and ushers will need to cater to soccer fans.
“It will definitively have a Chicago Fire taste and feel to it,” Rodriguez said. “That pre-match, in-match and post-match experience will matter.”
The process of getting Fire fans more familiar with the new digs continued Saturday during a seat-preview event. Supporters used to SeatGeek Stadium’s intimacy checked out their new views, and Rodriguez said he felt a palpable excitement and enthusiasm at the gathering.
“More than having the fans get to know the venue, which I think most of them do already,” Rodriguez said, “it’s our chance to communicate with the fans in a much more personal way that I think reflects the direction of the club.”
The Fire believe their direction is toward becoming the next Seattle Sounders or Atlanta United, teams that have turned NFL stadiums into imposing soccer homes. Soldier Field holds 61,500, though capacity usually will be around 28,000 and tarps likely will cover seats in the 300 and 400 levels.
The Fire hope that the stadium won’t feel cavernous and that their fans will have reasons to emulate the Sounders and United crowds. Matching the success of those teams would be a key step.
“In the old days, there used to be [20,000]-plus here sometimes when the team used to consistently compete for the championship,” said Chris Page, a season-ticket holder since the inaugural 1998 season. “That certainly helps.”
Rob and Michelle Fetterer are season-ticket holders from Algonquin who have seen the Seattle experience firsthand. Michelle’s father lives in Seattle, and they’ve witnessed how much that franchise has penetrated the community.
“They’re just going to have to get out there and be more visible in the community,” Rob said. “Do more of the meet-and-greet type of events and just really push it, get the branding out there. In Seattle, the Sounders’ stuff is everywhere. You know they play there, you know they’re in town.
“I think the Fire are going to have to do the same thing.”
Saturday’s event, plus the noticeably increased marketing and advertising, could help the Fire reach Joe Mansueto’s goal of 25,000 per match.
“I hope they fill it up,” said Jim Strezewski, who’s in Page’s group of ticket holders. “It’s good to bring it closer to a younger crowd, which is hard to get out at the old stadium. I think that will probably help. Now they’re doing a good job of marketing the heck out of it to try to get people to start coming back.”
