It's been a looonnng time since I last stepped foot in Welsh-Ryan Arena, and it was a blast to return. I think I was last here back in the day when my son was captain of the NU cheerleading squad, and doing his/their thing here for NU basketball games. And now this arena has undergone a major $110 million renovation that was completed back in 2018 and it's now a modern, luxurious, airy, and classy sports venue. The side court seats now all have backs, but end court seats are still bench seating. It's still a smallish but also intimate venue with a capacity of 7,039. The occasion for returning was to watch NU women's volleyball and it was a Saturday nite match against Ohio State. NU was to lose 3 sets to 1 and it took 2 hours 15 minutes of virtually non-stop action. One of the grand-darlings is in a volleyball program and this was an opportunity for both of them to see what the end game looks like. It was a treat to see these powerful athletes with lightning quick reflexes in action. The strongest impression on the grand-darling: they are powerful! One pro-tip to leave: the waffle fries are pretty dang good and addictive here and go for just $4.99. Dipping dots are pricey at $7.50, but oh well it's still a ball park sort of. read more

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This place is a great venue and if you live in the area it's a top notch experience. There isn't a bad seat in the house, the competition is amazing. Getting to watch big ten basketball is a treat and such a nice luxury! Compared to driving over an hour to the united center to watch a mediocre Bulls team this is Chicagos team! read more

If you haven't been to Welsh-Ryan Arena in a while to watch Northwestern play, you might not recognize it! It has been completely renovated, and it doesn't even look like the same place. It looks much smaller and every seat is a good seat, really nice sight lines. We sat in section 217 row 2 and the seats were excellent! (See below for pics) The place was super clean, feels new, though the renovation took place a couple of years ago. Seemed like helpful ushers we're just around every corner, ready to help you, and the concession stands were very reasonably priced. Great venue for watching basketball : ) read more

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PURPLE REIGN Northwestern University's home for hoops is a pretty nice place to see a game. First thing you need to know is that my dad was an NU alum, making me a Wildcat by birth. I practically knew their college fight song at age 8, and despite graduating from Purdue in 2012, I still attend an average of 2-3 football games every year at the neighboring Ryan Field. Basketball is a different story, however. Only twice have I been inside Welsh Ryan Arena (coincidentally, both for Purdue vs. NU matches), with the most recent visit coming on 2/1/20. The multi-function indoor venue opened as part of McGaw Memorial Hall in December 1962 and is used for men's/women's b-ball, wrestling, and volleyball. With a seating capacity of just over 7000, Welsh Ryan is the smallest indoor arena that's part of the Big Ten conference. Yep, even Rutgers can fit more fans inside their stadium, which is a real head-scratcher. Prior to gaining access to the concourse you'll pass through a light security checkpoint. Once inside, I saw ads for gyros, pot stickers, deep dish pizza, and even SmashBurger. Their variety of food options was much better than expected, but Northwestern has a 'no alcohol' policy in effect at sporting events, so you'll either need to pregame elsewhere or stick with fountain drinks. The renovation that took place from 2017-2018 saw concourses widened, bleachers replaced with chairback seats, and suites updated (which will likely please Northwestern's wealthy benefactors who live along Chicago's North Shore). 'Cats fans are friendly enough people and they'll put entertainment on the central jumbotron between periods. Staff are willing to help you and tickets are fairly easy to come by, moreso than at other schools. * TL;DR * NU seems to be a believer in 'less is more': just look at how tiny their sports stadiums are in comparison to the rest of the B1G T3N. They like to keep things intimate, which pairs up nicely with their small yet devoted purple & white-clad fanbase. I'm not a big basketball guy, but I had a fun time here nevertheless. I read somewhere that Welsh Ryan Arena was given the adorable (though not very intimidating) nickname "The Litter Box", which makes a lot more sense when the Wildcats are playing like total sh*t. They should come up with a better slogan and install some freeflowing beer taps before my next visit. read more

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I was at the northwestern - ohio state game this past Wednesday and I have to say I came away impressed. The first thing that impressed me was how many employees were there to help with any questions. Also some other impressive stuff is the comfortable seating where ever you sit in the arena. Also plenty of clean bathrooms and places to get affordable priced food. The only complaint i have is as you get closer to the court the worse the WiFi signal gets. But over all this is a great place to watch basketball. read more

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Beautiful arena. Wish the wildcats used some fire from the baskets when the lights go out though

I came here to watch #2 ranked Michigan destroy Northwestern a couple of days ago! This gym/alleged arena is slightly bigger than my high school gym. As Dennis S said, this is a Big 10 School and they charge the students up the ass in tuition so you would think they would be able to pony up the dough for a collegiate style "arena". I guess they don't have people working the stands as so many people were lost in finding their seats and no one was around to help. I would probably come back to watch them get their ass beat by another major squad. read more

The new remodeled Welsh-Ryan arena was opened last year for the 2018-19 season. It's all new and modern, with a friendly accommodating staff. Docked one star because this place is way too small to be a Big 10 arena. read more

Welsh-Ryan Arena - Renovated arena. October 2019 - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

This seems like a high school basketball court!! I was sitting with friends all the way on the top (section 306) which has limited visibility. Additionally, there is no sound up there....so, there's no way of knowing what's going on the court. I love basketball games and especially ones where my team wins! but if you can sit near the court, that's about your only chance of seeing anything. Bathrooms are lacking based on the fact that the men's room like had about 50 people in it..and the woman's room had about 4....I'm not sure how this happens, but it seemed to be an issue for the men. The building seems like it's had plenty of good times, but could use a refresher. read more

Just fantastic. It has the feel of a theatre, not a gym. Great sightlines. Seats are comfortable. 1st class!! Concessions are completely upgraded. A wonderful sports venue for Northwestern. read more

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As many have stated I would liken Welsh Ryan more of a gymnasium over an arena/stadium. Which is a good thing imo. I t's a small school, by comparison, and this place seems to fit well with that. Big stadiums/arenas have their place, and they are great in their own way but there is just something about a throw back/High School/Hoosiers type of environment. That said, I believe they are renovating/building a new arena so this review will be rendered irrelevant very soon. We came for a Conference match-up with Minnesota and the place was packed and rocking. We adults had about Six 8-12 yr. old boys in tow and they were beyond excited and were treated to a great game. I've taken my 9 yr. old to Hawks/Bulls/Cubs/Sox games and it's always fun, but i've also taken him to my old HS (football/basketball) games and he's equally pumped. For that, this place completely works and priced right. Check it out, it is strictly no frills, all about the game, which i love. read more

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I was here to cover the Ohio State basketball game and it's the first time I was in it with the new renovations and they nailed it! They did a great job, I love it! I even wrote an article about it. I'm very impressed. You can check out my article at Midwestsportsnetwork.com read more

Welsh-Ryan Arena - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I love this place. Welsh-Ryan Arena is a very small gym. And as most other reviewers have noted it is not much bigger than a high school gym. I like this though. It has a very nostalgic feel to it almost like Wrigley Field. It being connected to the football field with the original scoreboard and lighting makes it a traditional venue. For a Big Ten school it is quite small so I'd imagine tickets can get pricey. But it can also be a gift in disguise. For Chicagoans that went to any other Big Ten school this offers them the opportunity to see their team play close to home for a reasonable price. read more

Like going to a high school basketball game. This is Big Ten basketball??? An area that seats 8,000 at capacity? No parking to accommodate that crowd? Quite an experience! We went for the Illinois/Northwestern basketball game, a key game for both teams this year. Illinois played horribly, but pulled off an unbelievable upset, coming from 11 behind with three minutes to go and 6 behind with 0:59 to go. So we were happy with the outcome. But this is not a major university gymnasium. It's a nice high school gym. Blocked views everywhere, lousy concessions, halftime entertainment that was a joke. Where are the Jesse White Tumblers when you need them? A great university, but a lousy sports facility. read more

What the other reviews say is true....it is very much like a high school gym. I went to a smaller and much less wealthy school and our arena was better!!! Over half the seating is really uncomfortable, closely pack benches. About 30% are individual chairs. The only upside is that the stadium is so small, you are pretty close to the floor. But we had fairly close seats too, so I'm not sure about the ones really high up. Almost everything about the arena is very outdated including the scoreboards and speaker system. Overall, really needs an update. I would not come back unless I had a individual seat so I'm not getting kicked, bumped and pushed by other fans around me.` read more

I couldn't disagree more with the previous assessment of Welsh-Ryan. I went to the University of Arizona, one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country. I have been to many arenas around the country and W-R and Pauley Pavilion are my two favorite arenas. To compare W-R and NU to the other Universities and Arenas in the Big Ten is totally unfair. NU is a much smaller school and attracts smaller crowds. NU draws well for Big Ten games (usually outdrawn by the other team mind you) and it gets loud during those games. It's an intimate setting and the vast majority of the seats have great views. One side of the stadium even has theater style seats (mostly, if not all for season ticket holders). This was definitely a rarity when W-R opened in 1984. I love going to W-R and look forward to the 2009-10 season when Northwestern should have one its most competitive teams in decades. Maybe even a chance at its first NCAA appearance. read more

I love this place. As an NU grad and a season ticket holder I might be biased, but I have been to a ton of college gyms and this place is one of my favorite. The student section (when they show) is right on top of the court and the place gets loud. I love that it has the feel of a high school gym. The could use some renovations, but the last thing that NU needs is another cavernous monstrosity of a stadium. read more

I went to the NW and IU basketball game in late January this year. I attended IU and although it's not fair to compare Welsh Ryan Area and Assembly Hall in Bloomington, this is basically a large high school gym. We had seats in an upper corner of the area near the highest rows of seats and we all had an obstructed view where it was difficult to see exactly what was going on in the near corner of the arena. Having said this, the atmosphere was awesome (not sure if it's because IU was in town or if NW was able to consistently fill their arena) and it definitely makes for a unique stadium experience. Wouldn't want to see a game there again but glad I was able to get there regardless. read more

Welsh-Ryan Arena - Tom Ricketts with The Cubs' WS trophy (vs. IU - 1/29/17) - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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NU not being the powerhouse of college basketball you will find that many high schools have better facilities. On a positive side because the gym (this is not an arena) is small you are pretty close to the action regardless of your seat. Tickets are cheap and like NU football, the basketball team draws the families from the area. While NU may not be a consistent winner, you do get the opportunity to come here and see some the of the elite Big 10 teams. read more

May be one of the smallest Big10 venues however, there really isn't a bad seat in the house unless you get stuck in a upper-level corner. Not known for their sellouts, that shouldn't be a problem. read more

This gym is reminiscent of your local high school. About 70% of the crowd was cheering for the visiting team and the student and alumni section (I'm guessing that was the section with actual seats) were more than half empty. Probably the best option near Chicago to see your favorite B1G team. Most of the "arena" seemed to have bench seating and was fairly cramped. I will probably pay more money and drive to U of I next time. read more

Great place to watch a basketball game. Definitely has a bit of an old school feel to it. Game presentation was stellar, good enough to keep the fans entertained without being a distraction, and featured some fresh takes on contests from years past. Two gripes -- cabs in Evanston are hard to get and crazy expensive ($8 in extras? Really?) and the bathroom situation...well if the place is packed, the lines are ridiculous. Other than those relatively minor gripes, I'm more than happy to return for a Wildcats basketball game. read more

attended mens basketball game against rutgers last nite. the arena is beautiful good seats everywhere. however the food service needs major upgrade. i expect relatively high prices all considered but the choices and quality are poor. read more