Red Stars announce full promotional schedule

Earlier today, the Chicago Red Stars made the official announcement of their full promotional calendar for the 2018 season, with themed nights ranging from the ever-classic Pride Night on May 26th to a dog-centric Bark in the Park event on July 1st.

Promotional nights are always a fun way to differentiate each home game from one another, and the Red Stars definitely run the gambit here trying to pull in a wide range of demographics with the promise of good times and, more importantly, an abundance of free swag. They’re hitting the youth athlete market with Youth Soccer Night on May 12th, that will let young players get a taste of Toyota Park with a halftime ceremony on the pitch, as well as a celebration of the LGBT community on Pride Night (exclusive Pride Night T-shirts are like the Pokemon of the NWSL, gotta catch ‘em all).

They’re also tackling more traditional and family-oriented events like #Sheinspiresme night on on July 14th focusing on the achievements of organization that serve women (that name, it sounds..oddly familiar) and a Salute to Service Night on July 28th.

I think the real winner of the schedule, however, is the brand new Australian Celebration on June 16th, when the Red Stars will host a re-match of Week 2 against the Portland Thorns. Chicago’s going all-in on new star Australian striker Sam Kerr, and are honoring the Aussie players from Portland, Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso, and Ellie Carpenter along with Kerr. The night is definitely an oddly specific move, but the un-official connection between the NWSL and the Australian W-League has been a boon to players from both countries for a number of years, and it’s cool to see the Red Stars acknowledging that.

Full Schedule Below:

Supernova’s Birthday Game, presented by WintrustSaturday, April 21 vs. Sky Blue FC; 7 p.m. CT

Youth Soccer Night Saturday, May 12 vs. Houston Dash; 7 p.m. CT

Pride Game, presented by IBJI Saturday, May 26 vs. Orlando Pride; 2:30 p.m. CT

Australian Celebration Saturday, June 16 vs. Portland Thorns FC; 2:30 p.m. CT

Bark in the ParkSunday, July 1 vs. Washington Spirit; 5 p.m. CT

#SheInspiresMe NightSaturday, July 14 vs. Seattle Reign FC; 7 p.m. CT

Salute to Service NightSaturday, July 28 vs. Sky Blue FC; 7 p.m. CT

Fan Appreciation Night Friday, August 10 vs. North Carolina Courage; 6:30 p.m. CT