The Chicago Fire are in the midst of a fight for ninth place as they look for their first playoff appearance since 2017. The Fire, who burrow Soldier Field from the Bears and compete with the White Sox and the Cubs for the heart of Chicago.
This has forced the Fire to reinvent new ways to get fans involved and interested in the product that is put in front of them. Step one is getting fans into the stadium. The Fire will have its own stadium a few years down the line in an area they will develop.
With that solution down the line, there remains one problem: how do you get fans to watch at home for the first time with a pay wall blocking them?
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How the Chicago Fire Plans to Grow their Fan Base
A Deal that is the First of its Kind
The Chicago Fire announced on September 18th that they will be giving fans a deal that we have never seen before in the MLS. They are providing fans with one month of free access to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
No matter if you are a new fan or a die-hard Fire fan, you’ll be able to watch Chicago battle for the last playoff spot in their last five games of the season. The Fire reached out to the MLS and Apple TV, gaining permission to give out this one-of-a-kind promotion.
The MLS is hard to get into for potential new fans, as almost every single game is behind a paywall on Apple TV. Giving fans a code to access the season pass is a great new way to not just grow the Chicago Fire and their supporters section, but also gain new soccer fans in the Windy City.
Chicago is one of the biggest sports markets in America. It is the biggest city in the Midwest, while also being in a central location where most Midwesterners have been before.
Unfortunately, the team’s lack of success has prevented this Club from becoming the major brand that it has the potential to become. New York and Los Angeles are similar markets with two teams splitting the fan base apart.
Chicago only has the Fire; this gives the Club a unique chance to get the largest market in the region to come together under one banner to support the Fire.
This deal only helps that, five competitive games with everything on the line and major stakes across the league, is the best time to start watching. American sports fans want high stakes in their games, and that’s what these last five games will be for Chicago.
How to activate the Subscription
According to the press release from the Fire, fans have to text “FIREUP” to 24258. This allows fans to watch all Chicago Fire games who do not already have an MLS pass subscription with no blackouts.
You then should be able to watch the last five games of the season through Apple TV and the MLS Season Pass.
More teams could adopt this method of trying to get more eyes to the MLS and their clubs. This is also a positive for Apple and the MLS as it will get fans exposed to the application and season pass.
This could then drive subscriptions going into the playoffs and into next season, where the Fire hopes to add to their young club. If the Club continues to better themselves on the field as the organization try’s to bring more eyes to the beautiful game the sky will be the limit for the Chicago Fire.
Main Photo
Credit IMAGO / SOPA Images
Recording Date 26.07.2025