The PLL’s weekend at Northwestern shows that Martin Stadium is ready for the big stage

With a Final Four on tap next spring, Northwestern proved that it’s the perfect place for high-level lacrosse.

“People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.”

The late, great James Earl Jones is describing a baseball field in the middle of Iowa in that quote, but I like to imagine it’s equally applicable to all sports. From a baseball field in Iowa to a basketball arena in New York City to a football stadium in Los Angeles, the venues where sports are played become almost as iconic as the sports themselves.

And next May, Martin Stadium has a chance to enter that iconography for lacrosse fans. The picturesque venue on the shores of Lake Michigan played host to the Premier Lacrosse League over the weekend. The four contests (featuring all eight PLL teams) marked the first time the PLL played in the Chicago area since 2019. If the reviews from players and coaches are any indication, Martin Stadium is more than ready to hold lacrosse’s biggest stage when the women’s Final Four comes to Evanston next May.

“I thought the atmosphere was great, the fans were awesome. I thought it was a top-notch venue, one of the best we’ve had all year,” Carolina Chaos long stick midfielder Troy Reh said. “I’m super impressed with this stadium and I hope we definitely come back in the future.”

Martin Stadium was already near the top of the list in terms of lacrosse venues around the country, but the additional seating put in for football purposes has brought it to another level. Northwestern women’s lacrosse set an attendance record during April’s “Lacrosse Night in Chicago”, with an eye-popping 3,503 fans streaming through the gates. While the PLL has not released attendance figures for the weekend yet, 4,000 fans per game would be a fairly conservative estimate.

And while the audience for men’s professional lacrosse may not fully overlap with fans of women’s college teams competing on championship weekend, the demand for the sport in the Chicago area is clearly present.

“I thought it was awesome. The stands were full,” Boston Cannons head coach Brian Holman said. “That lineup of the kids waiting for the guys to come in, I haven’t seen anything like that since Boston, and that was incredible. Kudos to Chicago for turning out.”

The mention of Boston is interesting because Beantown is not only the Cannons’ home base, but also a lacrosse hotbed. Chicago, though, isn’t typically considered to be a strong base for the sport. Northwestern is still the only school west of the Appalachian Mountains to win a national championship in women’s lacrosse, and only Denver (2015) has accomplished that feat on the men’s side. But the Final Four is crossing the Appalachians next May, and the crowded stands over the weekend made it clear that lacrosse fandom has deep roots in Evanston.

“I think this is probably my favorite stop to date, just based on the setup here. I think the league did an incredible job,” California Redwoods head coach Anthony Kelly said. “I think it’s proven that this is a lacrosse town. There’s tons of programs up here, and I think this is an outstanding spot.”

And not only is Chicago an outstanding spot to play, but Martin Stadium is an outstanding spot to play in. Players and coaches alike raved about Northwestern’s facilities, praising the lakeside venue’s lacrosse infrastructure.

“This is one of the best places that I think we’ve played,” Denver Outlaws coach Tim Soudan said. “The facilities here are incredible.”

The facilities are incredible, and so are the fans. Chicago lacrosse fans are used to great lacrosse, with Northwestern capturing eight titles since 2005. With the Final Four coming to town next May, last weekend was the first opportunity for many local fans to watch high-level lacrosse that wasn’t being played by the Lake Show. Those fans took full advantage.

“The energy was great. That was, like, the most kids begging for autographs that I’ve ever seen,” California Redwoods long stick midfielder Jared Conners said. “It was super awesome playing here, I hope we can come back.”

Many aspects of the PLL’s showcase can also be seen as potential learning points for Northwestern next May, such as a “fan zone” taking up the parking lot of Lakeside Field.

Next year’s Final Four will be the first time that the event (women’s or men’s) will be in the Central Time Zone. However, that lack of hosting experience didn’t stop the Chicago fanbase from putting on an impressive show, one they’ll surely repeat next May.

“Walking out to the field, I was like ‘Oh my god.’ The stands were packed, and fans are going crazy,” Philadelphia Waterdogs attacker Kieran McArdle said. “It just speaks about the growth of the game, and hopefully we’ll be back.”

High-level lacrosse will certainly be back on that turf next spring (Kelly Amonte Hiller will make sure of that). But last weekend’s hosting duties showcased that Martin Stadium is ready to break beyond the bonds of hosting conference tournaments or early-round NCAA Tournament games. It’s ready for the big stage. Scratch that, it is the big stage. It’s already been built. And people will most definitely come.