JOLIET, IL — Last week, the higher-ups with Joliet Catholic Academy gathered along Ingalls Avenue to mark the ceremonial groundbreaking for one of Joliet's most monumental construction projects in decades: JCA's new football stadium project, known as the Legacy Campaign.
Back on April 10, 2025, Joliet Patch broke the news revealing Joliet Catholic Academy's grand plans to build a new football stadium on the property where the former Our Lady of Angels retirement home was located off Ingalls Avenue and Wyoming Avenue. Joliet Catholic Academy will renovate several existing fields, while making substantial improvements to the Our Lady of Angels property for construction of a new football field and eight new tennis courts. JCA's new multipurpose athletic field will have a capacity between 6,000 and 7,000 people, with 5,500 seats.
The start of JCA's football stadium construction, coupled with the fact that the Joliet Park District canceled its annual three-day-long Taste of Joliet food and music festival in June, prompted Joliet Patch to contact Joliet Park District Executive Director Brad Staab.
This week, Joliet Patch sent him a series of written questions related to the future of the Joliet Park District's Memorial Stadium. The following questions and answers, unedited, are published below:
Joliet Patch: Will losing JCA football be an enormous, crippling setback for the Joliet Park District? If not, why not?
Staab: First and foremost, the Joliet Park District is very proud of the partnership we have enjoyed with Joliet Catholic for over 60 years. The memories and traditions built from this partnership are such an important part of the history of Joliet. We wish Joliet Catholic the best as they move forward into this new chapter. With that said, we are confident that we will find users to replace the 4-5 regular season game slots that were filled by JCA.
Joliet Patch: How many more years is Joliet Catholic Academy committed to playing its home football games at Memorial Stadium under its current contract with the Joliet Park District?
Staab: The Joliet Park District and Joliet Catholic operate on one-year contracts for stadium usage. JCA is committed to play at Joliet Memorial Stadium for the 2026 season.
Joliet Patch: In terms of top-attended sporting events at Memorial Stadium, how far is the drop-off from JCA home football games compared to everything else?
Staab: Joliet Memorial Stadium hosts a number of well-attended events, with JCA football games on the list. American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Special Olympics, and University of Saint Francis athletic events all draw substantial crowds to the stadium throughout the year. Youth football, school track and soccer events bring young athletes and their families to the stadium throughout the year.
Joliet Patch: Aside from JCA football, please highlight some of the biggest uses of Memorial Stadium as far as the various teams, special events, schools and sporting contests that Memorial Stadium is used for in 2026.
Staab: University of Saint Francis Athletics: Football, Soccer, and Track, Youth Football: Team Zone, Tri City Wolverines, Joliet Ravens, M2, Bolingbrook Buccaneers, Parkview Christian Church. American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Special Olympics, 4th of July Fireworks. Youth/Grade school track events: IESA conference track meet, Joliet Montessori School, St. Ray's field day, St. Mary's field day.
Special events: District 86 soccer tournament, Steel City Soccer, Local soccer club rentals. Joliet Park District Summer camps. Miscellaneous events like: Park District youth sports classes, Park District T-ball league, Agility and Speed trainings, Park District Boot Camp, Trunk or Treat Event: Field of Fright, Movie in the Stadium, Police SWAT training and Joliet Police Department National Night Out.
Joliet Memorial Stadium is open for public use from dawn to dusk daily. Reserves/Armory Training. Corporate Rentals.
Joliet Patch: Is it correct that there are no plans to tear down or repurpose the Memorial Stadium property once JCA opens its new on-campus football stadium?
Staab: This is correct. Joliet Memorial Stadium is an important part of the Joliet community and a special place for many residents. We intend to preserve that legacy.
Joliet Patch: Please discuss the future use of the Memorial Stadium regarding the Taste of Joliet event. Does the Joliet Park District still plan to hold a different kind of community special event or festival in 2027? If the answer is yes, will it continue to take place inside Memorial Stadium, or would it be moved somewhere else in the city?
Staab: The Joliet Park District is working on plans for a special event in 2027, with more details to follow. At this point in our plans, Joliet Memorial Stadium will host the event.
Joliet Patch: What else would you like Joliet residents to know regarding the present-day and future status of Memorial Stadium?
Staab: Since 1950, Joliet Memorial Stadium has hosted our community — ranging from Friday night football to midget car races to the Taste of Joliet, from an appearance by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 to the Beach Boys concert in 1974. The Stadium has been home to the annual 4th of July fireworks show for over 70 years. Countless youth, high school and college athletic teams have played at the stadium. The Joliet Park District believes Joliet Memorial Stadium is an important landmark in the community, and we look forward to making memories at Joliet Memorial Stadium for years to come.
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