2018-2019 Illinois Fire Juniors Annual Tryouts

May 29 to June 7
Community Fields, Ireland Grove Road, Bloomington
For players interested in competitive soccer born between 2011 and 2000.

Full details can be found here https://www.illinoisfirejuniors.com/tryouts

 

More about IFJ
We have been involved in the Bloomington/Normal community since our inception in 2007. We are a “not-forprofit” 501(c)(3) association. Illinois Fire Juniors began when multiple soccer clubs dating back to the late 1990’s merged. As of June 1, 2017, Illinois Fire Juniors is officially part of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club and will be known as Illinois Fire Juniors. We provide training for boys and girls from ages 4 through 19. Our focus is on total player skill development in a competitive and fun environment. Our success can be seen through the accomplishments of our athletes at the high school and collegiate levels. We have many players who have advanced to NCAA Division I, II & III schools. Illinois Fire Juniors is able to provide an exceptional experience at a reasonable cost through the volunteer support of our membership. We are staffed with coaches who have diverse experiences at the player, collegiate, and coaching levels. We strive to meet the needs of soccer athletes and their families who desire a competitive travel soccer experience combined with comprehensive player-focused soccer training in the central Illinois soccer community.
Illinois Fire Juniors (IFJ) accepts the responsibility of teaching life lessons to our athletes. We are committed to making soccer a pleasant, safe and rewarding experience for everyone involved regardless of age or ability.

Through quality coaching, sound leadership and guidance from Major League Soccer, IFJ will work to become one of the best soccer clubs in the United States of America.
Our U8 & U9 Youth Academy program is designed to be a stepping-stone from recreational soccer to competitive soccer. We design our training sessions with the latest youth development research from across the globe in mind. Our professional staff strives to create a positive environment where boys and girls can learn and experiment with new soccer skills in various activities and competitive match settings. Players will experience what it is like to be with other players who are interested in playing competitive soccer. Players are organized into teams and train twice per week with their team and coach and have an optional third night of training were they can continue to work on their craft. Players will have a chance to experience league games and tournaments throughout the season and have opportunities to play in different positions on the field. Our program builds on the child’s love of the game and prepares them for the upcoming challenges of competitive soccer.

Competitive/Travel soccer starts for our players at U10 and progresses through Under 19. Players will attend a tryout and then be placed onto a team that matches their current skill level.
For our club we want to push our players to “the next level”. The “next level” may be different for every player.

Players that have consistently proven to be the best in the club have the opportunity to play/train with the Chicago Fire Development Academy (boys) or be selected for the Chicago Fire Affiliate Select teams that compete with and against the best players in our eleven affiliate programs (girls).
Recognizing that each player and teams needs are different we will tailor our programming to meet the needs of those players and teams. In simple terms this refers to the type of training that is offered and the type of leagues, tournaments and showcases we will enter our players, teams into. If there is something that your player needs, reach out to us, we are here to help.

Our Club also offers the following Additional Programs throughout the Year:
Futsal
Juggling Club
3v3 Play/Tournaments
Home Tournaments
Technical Training
Goalkeeping Training
Fitness Training
Extreme Technical training
Summer Soccer Skills
Little Sparks
7v7/11v11 Summer League
Super Y league-and all the programs that come with that
College recruitment seminars
Parent education related to soccer
Summer Camps
Competitive tournament and league play
College Showcase events
Player evaluations
Winter training
Premier Camp-Functional Training
PCSL Clinics/Preseason camp
Chicago Fire Soccer camps
Chicago Fire Player/Coaches Clinics
Emerging Talent Program-residential program and tournament play
Guest Play with other club teams and Fire affiliates
Access to Chicago Fire games
United States Soccer Federation Nationally licensed coaches

IFJ is proud of its tradition of being a club that develops players to become better soccer players and outstanding citizens. Our coaching staff is consistently evaluated and is licensed by the United States Soccer Federation.

Who are the Chicago Fire?
Founded on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire on October 8, 1997, the Chicago Fire Soccer Club enters its 20th Major League Soccer season. The Fire won the MLS Cup in its inaugural campaign in 1998 and was crowned champion of U.S. Soccer’s national tournament, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006. The Fire play at Toyota Park, a world-class soccer stadium, located in Bridgeview, Ill. For more information on the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, please visit the club’s official website at www.chicago-fire.com. A key feature of the Fire is its extensive player development system consisting of Chicago Fire Academy (U13-U19), Fire Juniors Youth Clubs (U6-U19) and Soccer In The Community Camps and Training (U4-U18)

What are the Fire Juniors?
The Fire Juniors are the youth club affiliate of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, with local branches in North Chicago, South Chicago & North West Indiana; regional branches in Mississippi and national branches in Louisiana and Florida. First established in 2004, the original Fire Juniors were formed by the combination of two existing youth clubs in Wheaton, to serve as the initial Chicago youth soccer flagship as a program of the Wheaton Park District. They then absorbed the Naperville Lightning, a successful, existing club in Naperville. The Fire Juniors Technical Director is Academy Director Larry Sunderland and Affiliate Manager is Brian Roberts.

The Fire Juniors is the first of its kind program in Major League Soccer (MLS) and creates a true player development “pyramid” from the beginning recreational player to the professional level. This “pyramid” creates a progressive developmental structure providing players the opportunity to move from introductory play, competitive play and elite youth play into professional academy formats (Fire Academy U16, U18) and professional development programs (Super 20, PDL) – finally, onto the Fire MLS team. The Fire has two current players who have come through this ‘Home Grown’ player pathway: Victor Pineda (Bolingbrook, IL) and Kellen Gulley (Jackson, MS).

Why choose the Fire Juniors?
The Fire Juniors is a first class, professionally run organization that produces teams and develops players for consistent high-level competition. The Fire Juniors maintains the infrastructure for player and team development that produces the highest quality player and team results. As part of the Chicago Fire Player Development Program, Fire Juniors players have access to unparalleled opportunities for soccer development — opportunities that no other club can provide. Youth to professional, top quality leadership and coaching, always ahead of the curve and leading the way in the evolution of youth soccer.
The Fire Juniors believe in the Pyramid of Player Development. From the base of the pyramid, where one finds the greatest number of participants from the recreational and beginning player, to the top of the pyramid, where we find our first division professional player – our program has the capacity to meet every player’s goals — male or female. Our professional coaching staff is equipped to meet every player’s developmental needs – from bottom to top. We follow a curriculum that is both age and ability-based and allows the flexibility to accommodate those who are excelling as well as those who need additional help. Because of our soccer club’s unique distinction as the first program to follow a professional soccer club model – one club, from youth recreational teams to our elite teams and Academy teams – finally to the ultimate, Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire.

The VISION of the Fire Juniors is “To foster a culture of excellence both on and off the field of play. To create an environment that develops players from grassroots through to college, MLS and National Teams”.

Who are the Fire Juniors
Built with the goal of leading the evolution of youth soccer.The Fire Juniors is the official youth soccer program of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, currently consisting of 12 clubs nationwide and more than 8,000 travel players and 8,000 recreational players. Each club receives the the support of the Fire’s professional club structure while maintaining a local focus that meets the needs of all youth players in the community.

If you have any questions, please contact Illinois Fire Juniors Director of Coaching, Myron King, at Myron.king@illinoisfirejuniors.com or 309-807-7870

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