Chicago KICS Football Club, known as KICS FC, is a Chicago-based youth organization that runs a full ladder from toddler and recreational entry points through club and academy soccer and into 23U men’s and women’s pre-professional programming. The organization emphasizes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging alongside competitive ambition, and it aligns with U.S. Soccer’s school-year-based age groups beginning in fall 2026—confirm each player’s age band with the club’s birth-year chart when registering.
Recreational programming serves ages 2–12 with spring classes and introductory options. Club teams cover roughly 6U through 19U for boys and girls, with a ten-month September–June season for most youth ages, two practices per week in the club curriculum, about sixteen outdoor league games in fall and spring, optional indoor winter league games for an added fee, and optional tournaments at added cost. Girls’ club teams primarily compete in the Illinois Women’s Soccer League with divisions from D through A; boys’ club teams compete in the Young Sportsmen’s Soccer League with divisions from 5 through 1. Academy programming adds higher training volume, national league exposure, required indoor league play and tournaments at many ages, strength and conditioning at older bands, Veo video support, college profiling tools, and access to nutrition and sports psychology resources on the academy side. High school girls’ club and academy seasons run about August through February; high school boys’ run about November through June. KICS also operates 23U summer pre-professional men’s and women’s teams for high school and collegiate players and fields senior sides in UPSL and WPSL.
KICS spreads training and tryouts across Chicago neighborhoods under City, North, and South regional labels. Outdoor and turf sites include Dunbar Park, Bridge Sports, EPCHS turf, Walt Disney Magnet School, Saint Ignatius College Prep, Rice Park, UIC athletic turf, and De La Salle Institute, among others used for Why KICS and tryout programming. Exact field assignments shift by team, age group, and season—use schedule emails and handbook links after registration.
New players complete an online tryout application through the club’s LeagueApps flow. Tryouts are free for new players; families should arrive at least fifteen minutes early, and staff assign date, time, coach, and location after processing the application. Tryouts continue through the summer before an August season start, with rolling placement after August when space allows. Returning players follow internal email instructions rather than open tryout registration. Two tryout paths exist: scheduled open or supplementary tryouts aligned with league windows, and practice tryouts where a player trains with a current team when seeking a mid-year roster spot. If offered a place, families must confirm within forty-eight hours and pay a two-hundred-fifty-dollar non-refundable deposit before the first tuition installment. Detailed tuition appears in the curriculum and costs guide shared after a successful tryout. Financial assistance has a separate LeagueApps application; aid awarded to date exceeds 1.9 million dollars.
The culture stresses hard work, character, passion, and integrity alongside emotional, social, psychological, and physical development through soccer. Coaches hold United States Soccer Federation licenses, many with European professional credentials, plus SafeSport training and background screening. Affiliations and competition platforms include US Club and US Youth Soccer membership, USSSA Elite Academy League and Development Player League participation, USYS National League club membership, US Club National Premier League membership, national cup series, and international travel and cultural exchange.
General tryout questions: karen@kicsfc.com. Open club tryout registration and financial assistance applications run through the Chicago KICS LeagueApps pages linked from kicsfc.com. Handbook and curriculum guides arrive as Google Drive documents from the Club and Academy pages after tryouts.
Compare KICS FC with other youth soccer options in your area before making a decision. These directory links make it easier to review local clubs, broader Illinois programs, and nearby team options in one place.
What ages and program levels does KICS FC offer?Programming includes recreational soccer for ages 2–12, club teams from about 6U through 19U, academy programming that begins at 11U and continues through high school, and 23U men’s and women’s pre-professional summer teams. High school girls’ and boys’ seasons follow different seasonal windows.
Where does KICS FC train and hold tryouts?Training and tryouts are organized across Chicago with City, North, and South regional hubs. Typical sites include Dunbar Park, Bridge Sports, EPCHS turf, Walt Disney Magnet School, Saint Ignatius, Rice Park, UIC turf, and De La Salle Institute among others. Final assignments are communicated after registration.
How do tryouts and registration work for new players?New players submit the online tryout application linked from kicsfc.com. Staff confirm date, time, location, and coach by email after processing the form. Tryouts are free for new players, who should arrive at least fifteen minutes early. Tryouts run through the summer before the August season start, with rolling placement after August when space exists. Returning players follow internal registration instructions instead of open tryout signup.
What does it cost to try out and what happens after an offer?Open tryouts are free for new players. If a player is offered a roster spot, families must accept within forty-eight hours and pay a two-hundred-fifty-dollar non-refundable deposit before the first tuition installment. Full fee schedules are shared in the curriculum and costs guide after a successful tryout.
Does KICS FC offer financial assistance?Yes. Financial assistance runs through a LeagueApps application, and aid awarded to date exceeds 1.9 million dollars for youth tuition support.
What leagues and competition platforms does the club use?Club teams primarily play in IWSL for girls and YSSL for boys with multiple division levels. Academy teams access national platforms such as Elite Academy League and USYS National League for boys and Development Player League and USYS National League for girls, plus NPL and state and national cup series. Senior programming includes UPSL, WPSL, and 23U pre-professional sides.
What is the club’s coaching and development philosophy?KICS emphasizes lifelong love of the game, inclusion, and holistic player development alongside competitive pathways. Coaches hold USSF licenses, many also hold European professional licenses, and staff are SafeSport trained and background screened. Academy programming adds formal evaluations, video analysis, and college support tools.
How can families contact KICS FC?Email karen@kicsfc.com for tryout questions. Use the LeagueApps links from kicsfc.com for open tryout registration and financial assistance applications. Club and academy handbooks are linked from the Club and Academy pages for families after tryouts.
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