This week, the club unveiled plans for a player-centric performance center slated to open the end of 2027, marking a long overdue, foundational infrastructural milestone that has spent more than a decade operating without a permanent training home. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026 on a 10-acre site in Bannockburn, Illinois and will serve as the Stars’ full-time hub for training and team operations.
Designed in partnership with Populous (who are also breaking ground on Denver Summit FC’s new arena and training facility) and developed alongside Marquee Development. The performance center is designed to serve women athletes and how they train, recover, work, and play. The site includes a 45,00-square-foot adaptive building that will feature recovery modalities, an Olympic weight room and convertible indoor-to-outdoor access, and spaces designed to “support mindfulness.” Two full-sized soccer pitches and a goalkeeper-specific pitch are also planned.
For a league that has too often normalized borrowed fields, non-priority schedules, and makeshift locker rooms, the significance is not subtle. This is not a luxury upgrade.
It is foundational one.
What separates this project from others that came before, is its process. Club leadership and Populous began the design phase by meeting directly with players to understand their needs before engaging sporting and tactical staff.
“We are excited to partner with the Chicago Stars in delivering a world-class performance center for their elite athletes,” said Populous Principal Brooke Craig. “With our focus on purpose-built facilities for women’s teams around the world, we know that these facilities must address the unique needs and talents of female athletes. We intentionally kicked off the project with input among Chicago Stars athletes to ensure their requirements were at the forefront of the design. With their input, we are confident this facility will be a game changer for the club and players.”
The player-first approach reflects a broader shift under new ownership. A group led by Laura Ricketts took control of the club ahead of the 2024 season with the goal of stabilizing operations while modernizing the Stars’ infrastructure. Regardless of the teams last place finish in 2025, leadership has been clear that long term investment has never been optional. The new facility will undoubtably lead to better results on the field for the club.
“Long story short, it wasn’t on the back burner at all,” club president Karen Leetzow told CBS Sports. “It’s always been on the front burner of things we knew we would have to do to bring this club into the modern era.”
The road to a permanent home has (clearly) been long. 13 years ago, the Stars began NWSL play at Benedictine University, sharing space with Division III programs before moving to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Even with the improvement of the soccer-specific stadium, the club was never the primary tenant. Training schedules were often dictated by the MLS, leaving Stars players with laters sessions or limited access.
The new performance center changes that. Situated at the end of a gated cut-de-sac, the facility will offer privacy, and exclusive use for the players and staff. No shared calendars or lockerrooms, no borrowed space.
The site, Bannockburn, selection was driven by speed and access. The location offers proximity to the club’s new home pitch, Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, as well as Chicago and surrounding business centers.
Northwestern’s stadium was also part of the broader rebuilding. In recent years, the Stars set a league attendance record with their match at Wringley Field. They then announced their move away from SeatGeek stadium, which was as much about culture as capacity.
For now, the Stars will continue operating without a permanent training home through at least the 2026 season. But the direction is set. After years of instability, shared resources, and deferred investment, the club is finally building infrastructure that reflects the professionalism and permanence of its the team, staff, and players, but also the inertia of women’s sports.
