Chicago Bears Vote to Advance Stadium Project in Hammond

NFC Divisional Playoffs: Los Angeles Rams v Chicago Bears — Source: Brooke Sutton / Getty

HAMMOND, Ind. — The Chicago Bears announced they’re moving forward with a stadium in Indiana.

The Chicago Bears Board of Directors met Thursday and voted to advance their stadium development project in Hammond. This is the first time the Bears’ board has voted on any stadium site.

“We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” Bears Chairman George H. McCaskey and CEO Kevin Warren said in a statement. “It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”

The Bears said that they were buying a 326-acre plot of land at Arlington Park in 2021. It was finalized in 2023.

Governor Mike Braun welcomed the team to Indiana.

“We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the ’85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for decades to come,” Braun said in a statement Friday. “An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an economic boost to the entire region like we haven’t seen before. Welcome to Indiana!”

Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) called the move a win for the state’s business climate.

“Local elected leadership in Northwest Indiana and their constituents have been tremendous partners in making this happen,” Huston said. “The Bears join a long line of companies and residents choosing Indiana to invest, grow and pursue opportunity.”

State Rep. Earl Harris Jr.’s (D-East Chicago) 2025 legislation, House Enrolled Act 1292, set the groundwork by creating the Northwest Indiana Professional Sports Development Commission. Lawmakers followed that up last session by passing Senate Enrolled Act 27, establishing the stadium authority tasked with backing the project’s funding framework. Harris served as a leading House sponsor for the bipartisan push.

“My late father, Earl Harris Sr., was a champion for bringing the Bears to Northwest Indiana when he served at the Statehouse,” Harris said. “I know he would be thrilled… We were able to bring the Chicago Bears to Hammond only because Indiana legislators were willing to work across the aisle to get this project to the end zone.”