Madonna University Football to Kick Off at The Hawk in 2026: What It Means for Livonia

Madonna University football will play its home games at The Hawk in Farmington Hills beginning in 2026, not at the private university's Livonia campus. Madonna University Athletics and the City of Farmington Hills finalized the agreement July 14. For Livonia neighbors, the promise of a higher-profile athletic program comes with a practical question before the first home kickoff: Who gets the game-day benefits, and who pays when traffic, upkeep and public-safety bills arrive?

The Hawk, at 29995 W. 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills, is a 245,000-square-foot multipurpose facility operated by the City of Farmington Hills. Madonna University, a private Catholic university, sits at 36600 Schoolcraft Road at the intersection of Schoolcraft Road and Levan Road in Livonia. The agreement between the university and Farmington Hills does not disclose specific cost-sharing terms or public infrastructure funding amounts.

Students, staff, and fans traveling between campus and The Hawk would follow the most direct route east on Schoolcraft Road, north on Middlebelt Road through central Livonia neighborhoods, then east on 12 Mile Road into Farmington Hills. Madonna has not announced ticketing details or costs for the 2026 season, so residents do not yet know how many visitors, cars, or potential customers game days could bring.

The bigger unanswered question is financial. Farmington Hills authorized $6.5 million in capital-improvement bonds in February 2026 to finance various public facility projects, including drainage and site improvements. The city also announced in July 2026 that its construction season will include about $30 million in road and infrastructure improvements throughout the community. Those investments may be needed regardless of football, but the public deserves a clear accounting of whether Madonna football will add to maintenance, traffic management, public-safety, or facility costs—and whether the university will pay its share. Public records and reporting do not show whether the City of Livonia has negotiated any community benefit agreements, facility-use fees, or infrastructure cost-sharing with Madonna University regarding campus operations, student traffic, or use of city services.

Madonna competes in the Mid-States Football Association under the NAIA and offers athletic scholarships for football. NAIA national championship football games have drawn attendance ranging from 1,183 fans in 2023 to 5,917 in 2011—a range that illustrates how widely college football crowds can vary without predicting what Madonna home games will look like. The program secured its first on-field victory on September 13, 2025, defeating Olivet Nazarene University 45–28 at the Cutler Athletic Complex.

For local businesses, the upside remains a possibility, not a documented result. No public studies or reports have been published quantifying the economic impact of Madonna's football program on Livonia businesses or restaurants. Because the home venue is in Farmington Hills, spending tied to games at The Hawk will not automatically flow to Livonia restaurants, shops, or workers.

Families should also look closely at the opportunity question. Madonna does not offer scholarships specifically for Livonia residents; instead, it provides general athletic scholarships and merit-based financial aid open to all students. Until community benefit commitments—covering jobs, internships, facility access, or local hiring—are made public, residents have little way to judge whether the program will expand opportunity for local families or mainly advance the university's athletic ambitions.

Before the first Madonna home game at The Hawk, residents in both cities can ask to see the terms that will determine who bears the costs and who shares the benefits. Livonia residents can attend City Council meetings to ask whether the city has negotiated or will negotiate community benefit agreements with Madonna regarding campus operations, student housing, traffic impacts, use of city services, or requirements for local hiring and scholarships. Farmington Hills residents and taxpayers can attend council meetings and file public records requests to demand disclosure of the full agreement terms, including any public subsidy, facility upgrades, infrastructure cost commitments, maintenance costs, public safety expenses, or revenue-sharing arrangements.