MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire to Return to Chicago in Style With "Fire Week" Celebration i n October

Published on July 25, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


CHICAGO, IL (Friday, July 25, 2003) - The Chicago Fire's charitable arm, the FireWorks for Kids Foundation (FWFK), has announced that it will host two of the major events that will make up "Fire Week," a week-long celebration to help kick-off the Fire's return to the new Soldier Field, where the team expects to host the last two games of the 2003 MLS regular season. The events will be held in early October and will include a Soccer Ball Relay from Naperville to Soldier Field and a reception at the renovated venue the night prior to the Fire's expected first match back at its original home. Additional events will be announced later.

The team's return to Soldier Field will mark a historic event, as the Fire played its first four seasons (1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001) there, garnering the 1998 and 2000 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Championships at Chicago's lakefront landmark. The team was forced to find a new home after renovations to Soldier Field began in late 2001, and the Fire moved its home games to suburban Naperville's Cardinal Stadium on the campus of North Central College, where it has played since April 2002.

"The return to Soldier Field is a very significant time in the history of the Chicago Fire," said FWFK CEO Donald Ortale. "The FireWorks For Kids Foundation is proud to produce two events that will assist in making this return memorable for everyone who participates. The relay event and the dinner at Soldier Field will allow Fire fans from throughout Chicagoland the opportunity to be a part of the next era of Chicago Fire soccer."

To kick-off "Fire Week" celebrations, the Fire will be sponsoring a Soccer Ball Relay on Sunday, October 5. The relay will consist of 200 participants, each of whom will dribble a soccer ball for about 400 yards of the route from Naperville to Chicago - covering a total of 13 communities - and relay the Fire's commemorative game ball to be used for the Fire's first match back at the new venue, tentatively scheduled for Friday, October 10 against the Columbus Crew at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Soccer Ball Relay participants will receive a club level ticket to the first game at Soldier Field, a Fire Soccer Ball Relay T-shirt, a collective commemorative replica game ball, and a spot on the field to be a part of the human tunnel for a pre-game ceremony in which the official game ball will be brought into Soldier Field by a celebrity to be named later. Proceeds from the event will benefit FWFK. For more information on the Soccer Ball Relay or to register, please visit www.chicago-fire.com/community/relay.asp.

The second event, a "First Look for Soccer," will take place on Thursday, October 9 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. CT at Soldier Field. For $100, fans will enjoy food, beverages, a limited stadium tour, speakers, and Fire highlights. Players and coaches are scheduled to appear. Proceeds from the event will also benefit FWFK. For more information, please call 312-705-7218.

"We are very excited to return to Soldier Field and 'Fire Week' allows us to build the excitement and share the celebration in the days leading up to soccer's expected return to Soldier Field on October 10," said FWFK President and Fire GM Peter Wilt.

Currently in its sixth MLS season, the Chicago Fire was founded on October 8, 1997 as an expansion team. The Fire has captured three major championships, including "The Double" (MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup Championships) in its inaugural season in 1998 as well as a second U.S. Open Cup title in 2000. The Fire also captured the 2000 and 2001 MLS Central Division titles. Soldier Field officially opened on October 9, 1924-on the 53rd anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire-as the 45,000-seat Municipal Grant Park Stadium.

Within a year the venue was renamed Soldier Field and dedicated on November 11, 1925. It was formally dedicated during the Army-Navy game on November 27, 1926. The new Soldier Field is scheduled to open on Monday, September 29 when the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers at 8:00 p.m. CT.

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 25, 2003


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