The largest watch party for the world’s premier sport came to Lincoln Park this weekend.
Thousands of current and prospective Premier League soccer fans descended upon the fields between The Honeycomb and Lincoln Park Zoo for Premier League Mornings Live, a studio-style outdoor NBC broadcast featuring expert panelists previewing the weekend’s matches.
The broadcast was the centerpiece of the larger Premier League Fan Fest, a free event that opened early Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22 mornings for fans that registered in advance. Registration closed nearly a month prior due to high demand.
“I am honored that our community was chosen to host this event,” 43rd Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen said in an email. “As fans worldwide tune in to watch the matches being played in London, they will also be treated to beautiful views of our community as the international broadcast pans to the Fan Fest.”
This was the 10th Fan Fest in the United States, with other cities like Nashville and Los Angeles hosting similar events in the past. Fan Fest is part of a larger initiative by the Premier League to promote English soccer across the pond in America.
There were eight games broadcast from the venue on Saturday and two on Sunday, headlined by Sunday’s match between defending champion Manchester City and projected contender Arsenal.
Besides the main stage where NBC’s Rebecca Lowe headed a panel that included analysts and former Premier League stars, there were nine large-screen TVs fans could choose from to watch games.
Supporters tended to congregate based on which screen was showing their favorite clubs, one screen filling with yellow jerseys for Wolverhampton fans next to a sea of white and teal for Newcastle’s supporters at another screen.
“The environment felt like it was home,” DePaul freshman Eric Serrano said. “It was really interesting because of the mix of both English and American football culture, but it felt very natural at the same time.”
The world’s most global professional sports league continues to establish itself in the U.S., with opening weekend drawing in a single-game record of 1.85 million U.S. viewers for Chelsea vs. Manchester City on Aug. 18.
Chicago, represented by Major League Soccer’s Fire and National Women’s Soccer League’s Red Stars, proves a desirable place for prospective Premier League fans.
For some Lincoln Park residents and DePaul students, the visibility of the neighborhood on national TV was highly anticipated.
“They chose (Lincoln Park) because it’s beautiful here,” DePaul junior Demitri Hylton said. “It’s so friendly. Everybody here today is such a big fan.”
The U.S., Canada and Mexico are set to host the 2026 World Cup, but Chicago was not selected as a host city. Nevertheless, the city’s soccer community proves to be ever-expanding as it anticipates the arrival of the world’s largest tournament for the first time since 1994.
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