Chicago Stars FC, Wintrust Extend Partnership Through 2027
The Chicago Stars and Wintrust Financial Corporation announced today an extension on their partnership that will see Wintrust continue as the club’s front-of-kit partner for the Stars.
“We are incredibly happy to continue our partnership with Wintrust,” said Chicago Stars Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, Sara Arnold. “Wintrust has been a true partner in our efforts to grow women’s sports by not only supporting the Stars, but by supporting our efforts to give back to women and young girls in our community. We look forward to continuing this partnership and building on the impact we can make together.”
“Women’s soccer is on the rise and Wintrust is proud to be the front-of-kit partner for Chicago’s hometown team,” said Amy Yuhn, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand, Engagement & Impact Officer for Wintrust Financial Corporation. “As important, though, is the collaboration between Wintrust and the Stars to create access and opportunities in our communities. We are excited to continue this meaningful partnership.
The Chicago Stars and Wintrust originally partnered at the start of the 2024 season, marking what remains the largest partnership agreement in club history. Over the past two seasons, Wintrust served as the presenting partner of the club’s camps and community initiatives helping the Stars reach as many children, especially young women, across the Chicagoland area as possible. Getting girls involved in sports at a young age has shown to be pivotal in encouraging them to pursue becoming professional athletes and has a positive correlation with career success. Studies have shown that women who reach the C-suite learned many of the skills that help them succeed by participating in organized sports.
This past year, the Chicago Stars and Wintrust partnered to host Future Stars Fest, presented by Wintrust. This free multi-day event was hosted at three locations across Chicago over the course of the summer and fall. Children from the North, South and lower West sides of the city came out for Future Stars Fest, presented by Wintrust, to learn or sharpen their soccer skills with Chicago Stars players, explore fun scientific projects, channel their artistic sides and more in these welcoming and encouraging environments. In addition to their support of Future Stars Fest, Wintrust also helped the Stars with their camps and clinics programming, which is curated for young aspiring soccer players and helped the club engage more children in soccer and general physical activity.
Over the first two years of their partnership with the Chicago Stars, Wintrust also prioritized supporting causes that are meaningful to Chicago Stars players. In 2025, the Stars and Wintrust collaborated on a series of player-informed initiatives designed to serve those in need, increase engagement in athletics among young women and support women-owned businesses across Chicagoland. At the start of summer, the Chicago Stars teamed up with Sarah’s Circle – an organization working to help women permanently end their homelessness – to provide and serve food from a local restaurant to residents at Sarah’s Circle. The Stars also worked with the Women’s Business Development Center, providing microgrants to 15 women-owned businesses and inviting the entrepreneurs to an All-In Women’s Business Expo hosted before a Stars match at SeatGeek Stadium. Business owners set up stations at the stadium where they and Stars fans had the opportunity to learn more about their work and foster meaningful community connections.
To help inspire young women to be active, the Stars worked with Girls on the Run an organization that creatively blends running with a curriculum designed to help girls be joyful, healthy and confident. Stars players visited a Girls on the Run practice to meet with the participants, answer questions and distribute new running shoes. In addition to supporting these events, Wintrust also provided grants to each organization helping ensure they continue to serve and expand their reach.
As the Stars and Wintrust extend their partnership, the two organizations will continue to find ways to give back to the Chicagoland community through club-led events, community initiatives, and player-driven programs, reinforcing a shared commitment to empowering women, uplifting communities, and creating meaningful impact throughout Chicagoland.
ABOUT CHICAGO STARS FC: Established in 2007 as the Chicago Red Stars, Chicago Stars FC is the premier women’s soccer franchise in the city of Chicago and one of the original eight clubs to form the National Women’s Soccer League in 2013. The Chicago Stars have made the NWSL playoffs eight times, seven consecutive, for the second highest playoff appearances in the league, and appeared in the NWSL Championship in 2019 and 2021, finishing as the runners-up both times. The club also made it to the inaugural Challenge Cup final in 2020 and currently holds the NWSL single-match attendance record.
ABOUT WINTRUST: Wintrust is a financial holding company with $69,6 billion in assets whose common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Guided by its “Different Approach, Better Results®” philosophy, Wintrust offers the sophisticated resources of a large bank while providing a community banking experience to each customer. Wintrust operates more than 200 retail banking locations through 16 community bank subsidiaries in the greater Chicago, southern Wisconsin, west Michigan, northwest Indiana, and southwest Florida market areas. In addition, Wintrust operates various non-bank business units, providing residential mortgage origination, wealth management, commercial and life insurance premium financing, short-term accounts receivable financing/outsourced administrative services to the temporary staffing services industry, and qualified intermediary services for tax-deferred exchanges. For more information, please visit wintrust.com.
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