On September 7th, the Chicago Stars, a professional women’s soccer team in the NWSL, played their first game in their new home in Evanston. The Stars defeated the Orlando Pride 5-2 in a game dubbed the “Wintrust Lakefront Faceoff,” a one-off regular-season match at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium that previewed their permanent move for the 2025-26 season. The game drew over ten thousand fans, a massive increase from their season average of around four thousand, while playing on Chicago’s south side. The Chicago Stars’ move to Evanston highlights the benefits for teams in lesser-known leagues to relocate from big cities to smaller towns.
The biggest reason for moving to a small town is that fans want to watch games close to home. This explains why so many people in Evanston support Northwestern sports teams, why college sports powerhouses are rarely located in major cities, and why some high schools invest hundreds of millions in stadiums with thousands of seats. Competition in big cities can shatter small sports teams. Few follow Chicago’s lacrosse, rugby, field hockey, or ultimate frisbee teams when major franchises like the Cubs, Bears, White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, and Fire dominate attention, but find a market where these teams are out of the picture, and it’s a whole new ball game. English soccer represents a prime example of the small-town sports experience.
Teams from smaller cities and towns in England, like Bournemouth AFC, show how strong community support can be the backbone of a club’s success. Jeff Mostyn, the former chairman of Bournemouth, whose team now competes at the top of the Premier League in a stadium smaller than the Stars’ new home, emphasized the importance of the community in an interview with Biz News.
“We have an immense amount of pride, but we’re still a community club. Our roots are still in the community. That’s where our heart lies,” said Mostyn.
Burnley FC offers another example of a club thriving thanks to its integration with the local community. In a 2024 press release, the club stated:
“In Burnley, the town is integral to the football club, we know the football club is the heartbeat of the town, and the club recognises its position and ability to really change lives.”
This close-knit, passionate support has helped these teams compete at the top of professional soccer. Alongside teams from even smaller towns in English soccer’s lower tiers, they contribute tens of millions of dollars to local economies by creating jobs, boosting spending at nearby businesses, and attracting tourism. Similar principles of communal support and economic togetherness can benefit smaller teams in U.S. communities, though on a smaller scale initially.
While the effects of moving from a big city to a small town are most visible in developing leagues, these principles can also apply to larger professional leagues. Expansion or relocated teams could thrive in smaller cities with fewer major franchises—cities like Louisville, Albuquerque, or Austin—rather than becoming another New York or Los Angeles team. This is illustrated by the difference in support that NFL teams receive as the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills fans are far more engaged than those of the Los Angeles Chargers or Jacksonville Jaguars. More teams ought to follow the lead of the Stars and move away from massive markets. In fact, teams like the Stars should go one step further and rename and rebrand themselves to the new community to further build that relationship that could transform both the team and the league.
