CHICAGO
(March 21, 2018)
- The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Wednesday a strategic partnership with Evanston Soccer Association to bring numerous programs, services and supplemental playing opportunities to ESA and its players.
As a result, ESA will rebrand its boys and girls Under-13 through Under-19 age groups to Chicago Fire Juniors North Shore. ESA’s U-6 to U-12 players will remain under the Team Evanston name.
“We are excited to welcome Eleven United to the Fire family,” said Paul Cadwell, Chicago Fire vice president of soccer business. “We look forward to working together to grow the game throughout the North Shore and enhance the overall soccer experience for the community.”
Through the partnership, CFJ North Shore will serve the current U-13 to U-19 membership of 250 players with continued high-level soccer programming, enhanced by the resources and programs brought by the Chicago Fire. CFJ North Shore will also collaborate with Chicago Fire Juniors City and other affiliate clubs on core and supplemental programs for players. These offerings will provide an ideal environment for player development as well as the ability to compete and play together in additional local, regional and national events.
“We are thrilled to become part of the Fire and look forward to collaborating with their soccer leaders and fellow affiliates to help take our program to the next level,” said Rich Gallun, ESA board president. “This affiliation will help us thrive as a competitive, community-based organization, leveraging the resources of a much larger entity and yet one with a similar mission and values.”
CFJ North Shore becomes the 12
th
Juniors club in the Fire network, which currently spans six states with clubs in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana and Michigan. More than 16,000 players represented the Fire Juniors during the 2017-18 season.
For more details on the club or to obtain tryout information, please email
firejuniors@chicago-fire.com
.
