April 25, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Chicago Fire FC News Release
CHICAGO – Today, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, Chicago Fire FC Owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto, Alderman Jason Ervin (28th Ward), Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) CEO Tracey Scott, and Mary Baggett, President of the Local Advisory Committee for ABLA/Brooks Homes (Jane Addams Homes, Robert Brooks Homes, Loomis Courts, and Grace Abbott Homes) joined community members at the Jane Addams Family Resource Center to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Fire’s new performance and training facility in the Roosevelt Square neighborhood on the Near West Side.
“The Chicago Fire is a top tier football club and the team and its players deserve a top tier training facility,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “I am also pleased that the Near West Side community will benefit from the job opportunities, recreational space, and housing support that CFFC has committed to providing as part of this development.”
The new facility will feature a 53,000 square-foot, two-story performance center, two-and-a-half hybrid grass pitches, and three synthetic turf pitches, providing a world-class training environment for the Fire’s professional and Academy players and staff. The hybrid grass pitches will feature a hydronic heating system, and an insulated dome will cover one of the turf pitches from November to March each year.
The new facility will be built on CHA land and, as part of a long-term lease agreement, the Fire will finance the development of the multi-million-dollar facility and provide an $8 million community investment to be used for the rehabilitation and preservation of nearby CHA housing and the creation of indoor and outdoor community spaces. Additionally, the Fire will provide long-term employment opportunities for community members, resources for minority and women-owned businesses, free sports programming for local youth, community green spaces, and more.
The lease is estimated to generate $40 million in revenue for CHA over the next 40 years, and CHA will use the proceeds to invest in its housing mission, including ABLA Brooks Homes, Loomis Courts, and Williams Jones. Construction on the training facility is anticipated to begin later this spring.
“I am excited to join Mayor Lightfoot, CHA, and the Chicago Fire Football Club to explore using this open space to support affordable housing, employment, and recreation on the Near West Side,” said Alderman Jason Ervin, 28th Ward. “I am committed to working…
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