Chicagoland Soccer began in 2009 when local freelance sportswriters Gary Larsen and Curt Herron decided that high school soccer deserved more coverage.
The new venture was named West Suburban Soccer, and the response from local high school programs was positive and immediate. For the site's maiden voyage in the 2009-10 school year, the boys' side started with 25 teams. Larsen changed the site name to Chicagoland Soccer in the spring for the inaugural girls' season, which featured 35 teams. Throughout the history of the website, member schools have included many of the top programs in the Chicago suburbs.
Chicagoland Soccer made a huge impact on the local high school soccer scene. That point was illustrated when the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association named the venture its "Soccer Person of the Year" award winner in its first two years of operation. The award honors an individual or media entity for "contributions to the high school soccer community."
After a successful run, Chicagoland Soccer ceased publication after the boys season in 2013.
Former Chicago Tribune sportswriter Dave Surico rebooted the website for the 2014 boys' season. The site provided coverage for 41 teams and covered 176 games. After that successful run, the decision was made to once again cover the spring high school girls varsity season.
The site expanded its reach throughout Illinois with the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Team which began with the girls season in 2016. The Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year, Special Mention and All-State Watch List (for underclassmen) complete the honorary coverage package. Players from all high school varsity teams are eligible for those honors.
That year also saw the inaugural polls on the site. The Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 ranks the top local teams; an additional 15 teams received recogniton on an honorable mention list. The Illinois 10 poll ranks schools from outside of the Chicagoland area.
Chicagoland Soccer continues to grow. The site set a record for school subscriptions in a season with 59 boys teams in the spring of 2021, and the Twitter account now sits above 6,600 followers as of June, 2022. Chicagoland Soccer tweets drew a high mark of 12.158 million impressions in 2021.
It's easy to become one of Chicagoland Soccer's subscriber teams. For more information call 847-452-5313.
The new venture was named West Suburban Soccer, and the response from local high school programs was positive and immediate. For the site's maiden voyage in the 2009-10 school year, the boys' side started with 25 teams. Larsen changed the site name to Chicagoland Soccer in the spring for the inaugural girls' season, which featured 35 teams. Throughout the history of the website, member schools have included many of the top programs in the Chicago suburbs.
Chicagoland Soccer made a huge impact on the local high school soccer scene. That point was illustrated when the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association named the venture its "Soccer Person of the Year" award winner in its first two years of operation. The award honors an individual or media entity for "contributions to the high school soccer community."
After a successful run, Chicagoland Soccer ceased publication after the boys season in 2013.
Former Chicago Tribune sportswriter Dave Surico rebooted the website for the 2014 boys' season. The site provided coverage for 41 teams and covered 176 games. After that successful run, the decision was made to once again cover the spring high school girls varsity season.
The site expanded its reach throughout Illinois with the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Team which began with the girls season in 2016. The Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year, Special Mention and All-State Watch List (for underclassmen) complete the honorary coverage package. Players from all high school varsity teams are eligible for those honors.
That year also saw the inaugural polls on the site. The Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 ranks the top local teams; an additional 15 teams received recogniton on an honorable mention list. The Illinois 10 poll ranks schools from outside of the Chicagoland area.
Chicagoland Soccer continues to grow. The site set a record for school subscriptions in a season with 59 boys teams in the spring of 2021, and the Twitter account now sits above 6,600 followers as of June, 2022. Chicagoland Soccer tweets drew a high mark of 12.158 million impressions in 2021.
It's easy to become one of Chicagoland Soccer's subscriber teams. For more information call 847-452-5313.