Chicago City Soccer Club

What the club offers

The recreational side includes Mini City for ages 5–7 and Rec City for ages 7–10, both focused on fun, fundamentals, and small-sided play. Club programming serves ages 7–19 with single birth-year teams for girls and boys at multiple competitive levels (Academy 1, Academy 2, and Team I–V). Each club and academy team works with a full-time, licensed coach who is background checked, SafeSport certified, and trained in concussion awareness and first aid.

Girls academy teams run from ages 8–19: younger academy groups play locally in IWSL; U11–U12 sides play Pre-ECNL with a club partner; U13–U19 teams compete in the Development Player League (DPL), which feeds the broader Girls Academy platform for clubs that meet performance standards. Boys academy programming spans ages 8–19: U9–U10 teams play in YSSL with Pre-NPL participation planned starting fall 2026; U11–U12 teams play Pre-ECNL, with additional Pre-EA programming being added; U13–U19 teams compete in ECNL Regional League, Elite Academy, and the IYSA National League, with promotion possible into higher national environments for strong performers.

Club teams play locally in IWSL, YSSL, NISL, and NPL. The club also offers supplemental training in goalkeeping, camps, tournaments, international events, college pathway support, and video-based analysis for players who use those add-ons.

Calendar, training load, and player support

CITY treats the year as one development arc: a club-wide fall kickoff in mid-to-late August, outdoor training through Thanksgiving with club assessment games, a December recovery window with optional fun sessions, and winter work from January that keeps a lighter schedule so athletes can stay multi-sport when that helps long-term growth. Individual Development Plans and twice-yearly IDP conferences help staff and families align on progress.

Session frequency rises with level: Mini City and Rec City use about one session per week in fall, spring, and summer and one in winter; club U7–U14 uses two sessions per week in the main seasons and one in winter; academy groups use three sessions per week in fall, spring, and summer and two in winter. Across those levels, the club runs club festival games, schedules a set number of league fixtures by age format, includes tournaments for club and academy tiers, provides mental health coaching support and a free wellness app for club U9 and older, integrates goalkeeping into team training, offers financial aid, and adds college or high school player support starting at club U9–U14 and continuing through academy high school teams.

Where CITY trains and competes

Practice neighborhoods for city teams include Montrose, Wilson, Roscoe Village, Old Town, Lincoln Park, West Loop, Pilsen, Bronzeville, Edgewater, River Park, and Old Irving, with academy high school girls often centered on River Park, Montrose, Wilson, Roscoe Village, Old Town, Lincoln Park, West Loop, Pilsen, and Bridgeview Sports Complex, and academy high school boys heavily at Bridgeview Sports Complex. Regional hubs extend the network: Loop and Pilsen corridor sites; northern suburbs Glenview and Skokie in partnership with Croatia Chicago FC; western communities such as Batavia, St. Charles, Geneva, Elgin, and Carpentersville; southern suburbs anchored at Bridgeview Sports Complex with ties to Midway, La Grange, and Orland Park; Kankakee at 315 Sports Park with CITY Kankakee FC; New Lenox at Providence High School; and Crown Point, Indiana, with Indiana United FC as CITY Indiana. Partner clubs also create guest-playing opportunities across the region.

Mission and community

CITY exists to expand access to high-quality soccer and to grow young people as athletes, teammates, and community members. The CITY Care model stresses kindness, compassion, and empathy alongside competitive standards. The club won the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago 2023 sports and recreation poll recognition, reflecting strong family participation across the program.

How to reach the club and register

Call (773) 661-2317 or email store@chicagocitysoccerclub.com. Tryouts and many programs register through PlayMetrics; Glenview and Skokie programming with Croatia Chicago FC uses that partner’s tryout and registration flow, and Indiana programming with Indiana United FC uses the partner league registration path. The main Chicago office sits at 1414 W Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 60613. Families can also use the contact form on chicagocitysoccerclub.com for general questions.