The Chicago Bears’ board of directors has voted to advance the NFL team’s stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana, with the exact site to be selected.
In a statement, Bears chairman George McCaskey and president and chief executive Kevin Warren said that a “world-class stadium project” in Hammond will transform the region and connect Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago.
Thomas McDermott Jr, the Mayor of Hammond, welcomed the news, stating that the city and the entirety of Northwest India will benefit from the “transformative investment”.
The Bears have not provided details of when a site will be selected, or when the new stadium could open. The team has moved to press ahead with a relocation across state lines to Indiana after efforts to keep the franchise in Illinois stalled.
Last week, the team said it would be sticking to its original timeline for selecting a site for its new stadium, after the Illinois legislature did not include a stadium bill in its latest budget. The Bears had previously welcomed the House’s approval of an economic development bill that could have led to a new stadium being built in the village of Arlington Heights, Cook County.
The Bears currently play at Chicago’s Soldier Field (pictured), which has a capacity of 61,500 – the smallest in the NFL. The team’s lease at Soldier Field expires in 2033.
In April 2024, the Bears announced plans for a new fixed-roof stadium south of Soldier Field but work on this project has not progressed. The Bears have attracted interest from Indiana, and in February state governor Mike Braun signed a bill to establish a stadium authority to lure the team from Illinois.
Hammond borders Chicago and Lake Michigan, and Warren has previously discussed the possibility of moving the team to Indiana amid frustrations over a lack of progress over a potential project at the former Arlington International Racetrack site, which the Bears acquired for $197m (£148m/€171m) in 2023.
