Last week, the Northwestern Wildcats opened their season against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in front of a sellout crowd of 12,023 fans. That is not a typo. Northwestern's temporary, lakeside football stadium – dubbed Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium – was one of the biggest stories of Week 1 of college football.
It will be the Wildcats ' residence for two years as the school works to build a new, permanent home for the team. The roughly 12,000-seat stadium opened its doors to fans for the first time last Saturday for the Wildcats' 13-6 win over Miami. USA TODAY asked fans and Northwestern team personnel about their experiences at the temporary field before, during and after the game.
NORTHWESTERN FOOTBALL STADIUM: How Northwestern turned lacrosse field into unique 12,000-seat, lakeside field Northwestern's new (but temporary) gameday experience Unsurprisingly, the first thing fans will realize as they arrive at Martin Stadium is that it's small. Compared to the football stadiums of other Power 4 programs – which can range anywhere from about 50,000 to over 100,000 people – the 12,000-seat capacity at the Wildcats' temporary home field is noticeably smaller. "It feels like a high school football game," said Will, a Northwestern alum who attended Saturday's game.
There are a few tell-tale signs that – despite its size – Northwestern Medicine Field truly is a college football stadium. There are Big Ten logos on each 25-yard line, luxury seating options be.