Introduction
Chicago is one of the only ten cities in the United States to have teams from the five major American professional team sports leagues (soccer, baseball, football, basketball, and hockey); it was also selected as the best sports city multiple times by Sporting News. Chicago Fire FC, a team part of Major League Soccer, have won one MLS Cup and four U.S. Open Cups since they entered the league in 1998. The Fire won their sole MLS Cup in 1998, their inaugural season, led by head coach Bob Bradley, who later became the manager for the U.S. men’s national soccer team. Having their stadium located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the fan base is strongly built around both the young and old generation of the windy city. And, with these fans, the Chicago Fire have historically brought an attendance average of over 15,000 fans per game, which is one of the top attendance numbers in the MLS. This alone shows the love Chicagoans have for soccer; the city and the suburbs offer many locations for soccer. We searched through the Chicago area and picked five locations for soccer (this was extremely hard for there are so many options; we might extend the list by writing another post).
01. Senn Playlot Park
One might think that it could be hard to find a well maintained pitch dedicated for soccer in such a metropolitan area, but Chicago really had multiple places that were perfect for soccer and very close to the bustling streets. Senn Playlot Park is one of them. The part is already a very clean and safe park and residences say that it is subtly divided for adults and kids. Both sections are equally safe however. The turf field is home to some rec leagues in the summer and fall. The park hours are from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm everyday.
Address
5887 N Ridge Ave
Chicago, IL 60660
Contact Information
(312) 995-3858
02. Harrison Park
Harrison Park is a beautiful park in the Pilsen neighborhood that is well maintained; it’s open with a lot of sports activity options such as baseball, running, and basketball, but, moreover, the spacious grassy areas for soccer and a turf field is the most popular spot in the park. The view of the downtown skyline is a bonus to the players at this park. There are groups that play late at night on weekdays (we’ve seen people schedule pickup games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:00 pm or 9:00 pm), so if you’re available late at night after work, this place would be a good option to look for games to join. The park hours are from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm everyday as well.
Address
1824 S Wood St
Chicago, IL 60608
Contact Information
(312) 746-5491
03. Lake View High School
We included Lake View High School because the Lake View School Park is actually open for soccer groups to utilize their turf field and an active group in ENDALGO hosts co-ed pickup games at this field. They completely renovated this field in 2018, so it’s close to being brand new. Lakeview High School Pick-Up Soccer Group (https://www.endalgo.com/groups/703) plays here on Thursday and Saturday nights at 7:00 pm. The photo really says it all; it’s an awesome pitch.
Address
4015 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60613
Contact Information
(773) 534-5440
04. Clark Playlot Park
Clark (Richard) Playlot Park is another gem for Chicagoans that love staying active. The park comes from an old amusement park grounds, with a dock, a dirt bike-riding area, and most importantly a turf soccer field. The large grass area is spacious enough to have multiple 7v7 games, so, if the turf field is occupied, there is plenty of space to still play at the park. The park and field are well lit, clean, and residents state that it’s a safe place for people to enjoy outdoor activities. Again, the park hours are from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm everyday as well.
Address
3400 N Rockwell St
Chicago, IL 60618
Contact Information
(773) 248-3966
05. Quad Indoor Sports
Lastly, we wanted to include an indoor place for soccer for Chicago can be a bit windy and chilly (more like freezing) during the winter season. The Quad Indoor Sports is a state of the art sports facility located in the Greater Evanston area, which is just north of Chicago. The full-sized pitch is often cut into three or four sections for more small sided games. Quad Indoor Sports offer their own youth and adult leagues and weekend pickup games. When you’re dying to play soccer, but it’s snowing outside, this location would be a great place to visit to play. The facility hours are from 9:00 am to 12:00 am everyday.
Address
2454 Oakton St
Evanston, IL 60202
Contact Information
(847) 864-0995
Conclusion
The most distinct characteristic of the soccer fields in Charleston was that they really don’t have an open and close time stated, which got us thinking that perhaps it means it’s literally always opened for soccer. ENDALGO plans to work with active soccer teams and groups in the Charleston area to make local soccer information be more easy to access. If you live in the area and play soccer, feel free to reach out to us about sharing your group’s soccer activities. Try exploring local soccer information with our app (www.endalgo.com/apps).
