A Message From Our Founder
Dear MIR97 family,
In January of 2023, we had an idea to build a fan-focused website to cover the Fire and Chicago soccer. We were starting from scratch - needing to do everything from building the website to making logos to building a team of writers and creators – with only about a month to go before the season began.
On opening day 2023 we launched MIR97 Media with absolutely no clue what the future would hold. Would we be able to sustain the schedule needed to make content throughout the year? Would we find our audience? Would anyone care enough to read what we had to write, to listen to what we had to say?
We created this site to be a place of community, where Chicago Fire fans from around the world can join together in unison as we scream, cry, yell, celebrate, and rejoice as one. Every success is sweeter, and every moment of sadness easier to bear when shared together.
Today, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the birth of MIR97 Media and I am eternally grateful to this community and to the team for the endless support, love, and passion they have shown towards this organization. I am grateful to you for choosing to spend time with us, whether on our website, listening to our podcasts, or following us on social media.
I am proud to say that we have an incredible writing team, two interesting and dynamic podcasts, and a plethora of social media content – we are committed to continuing to build a space where Chicago Fire fandom can grow and prosper, where all feel welcome.
A special thank you to everyone on the MIR97 Media team who has contributed their time and resources into helping build this special organization. The output over the past year has been astounding: over 500 posts, over 50 podcasts, an amazing array of beautiful graphics.
To everyone who has read, listened, liked, commented, or subscribed to a MIR97 channel – THANK YOU! We cannot do this without you, and DO NOT want to do this without you. You are part of the team, you are part of the MIR97 family.
This organization was built BY THE FANS – FOR THE FANS.
And we truly are just getting started! Our plan is to continue to grow and create more content, from articles to podcasts to video, and find new ways of engaging and connecting with you. We remain committed to fan-focused coverage that meets the highest standards of journalism – you deserve nothing less, this team deserves nothing less.
The future is bright for our club, for our city, for our fanbase, and for MIR97 Media.
Truly, thank you for all you do,
Matt Shabelman,
Founder & CEO
