Rosemont breaking ground on Bandits stadium

Rosemont will begin construction Friday on a $5.5 million stadium that will serve as the new home of the Chicago Bandits professional fastpitch softball team.

Rosemont Mayor Bradley Stephens, Bandits owner Bill Sokolis and Olympic gold medalist Jennie Finch will cut the ribbon Friday for the stadium's groundbreaking and dedicate Jennie Finch Way.

“It's been a long time coming,” Sokolis said. “We've tried different locations, and Rosemont really stepped up to make us feel like this should be our home. It's beyond words how great this is for the team, the (National Pro Fastpitch league) and the sport as we plan to use this new facility to continue growing the sport of softball.”

The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. at the stadium site on the northeast corner of Bryn Mawr Avenue and Pearl Street. The land, donated by the village, sits just south of I-190, east of O'Hare International Airport and west of the Tri-State Tollway.

The stadium is expected to be ready for the 2011 season.

Rosemont officials hope to eventually expand the site into an athletic facility with several ancillary fields and a youth academy focusing on sportsmanship, life and leadership skills, according to a news release.

A sports aficionado, Stephens has wanted the village to become a hub for regional sports teams. Rosemont already is home to the DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team, the Chicago Wolves and the Chicago Sky.

The Bandits, one of four teams in the NPF and the 2008 league champions, played three seasons at Judson University in Elgin. Finch was among the team's star players until her retirement last year.

Declining attendance and Elgin's budget woes shelved plans for a new stadium there, which led Sokolis to consider other options.

Sokolis previously said proposed tollway ramp improvements and Rosemont's plans for a 550,000-square-foot, high-end outlet mall abutting the Tri-State Tollway should make it “a happening area.”