CAFC is a high-level amateur football club looking to create an atmosphere of accessibility and inclusion within the footballing community by fielding both a pre-professional and developmental team.
The First Team will be comprised of current and former collegiate players, former professionals, and aspiring youth looking to make it in the professional game. The First Team will be competing in the Midwest Premier League (MWPL), a highly competitive regional league affiliated with the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), giving players exposure to professional scouts and competition. The Developmental Team will be comprised of those players who aspire to compete in the First Team, but still need time to work on their skills. These players will develop by training amongst First Team players and competing in the best local leagues Chicago has to offer, such as Chicago Premier and Chicago Champions League.
During the preseason (March-April), trainings occur 2-3 times a week while during the season (May- July), the weekend training session is replaced by one match day per week. Training sessions will be around 2 hours long and will take place in the evening during the week and in the morning on the weekends. Being that the MWPL is a regional league, the majority of our games will take place within 1.5 hours of Chicago. In the event that an away game is greater than 1.5 hours from Chicago, a travel plan will be coordinated between the players and staff.
While community accessibility is our main mission, we are still an amateur club and fundraising is our main source of income. All players who accept a position in the team will be required to pay $150 season dues that will go towards things like venue rental, league fees, equipment, and kits.