Mission
Glenview Soccer Club is a community-based soccer program that emphasizes excellence through the development of individual skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship.  Our philosophy is to offer a competitive soccer environment focused on the development of technical proficiency, tactical understanding, and the physical well being of our players in a constructive atmosphere.  Glenview Soccer club expects to have the commitment of the youth soccer players as well as their families.  Players should come with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a solid work ethic.  We expect parents to provide support for our initiatives through positive involvement with the players, coaches, and Board.

Competition
Glenview Soccer Club is a member of the Illinois Youth Soccer Association (IYSA).  Boys compete in the Young Sportsman's Soccer League (YSSL) and girls compete in the Illinois Women's Soccer League (IWSL).  Teams are assigned to divisions based on rankings determined by the league.  Teams compete against other community based teams with similar rankings.  Each team (except the high school age teams) play a Fall and Spring season of ten games.  In addition, teams participate in Fall and Spring tournaments.  Most teams also play indoor during the winter, although indoor leagues are not included in the club fee.

Training
Each Glenview Soccer Club team has a professional coach who conducts twice weekly training sessions and coaches at the games.  Parent volunteers serve as assistant coaches and team managers.  Assistant coaches must obtain a coaching license by attending classes sponsored by the IYSA and passing an exam.  In addition coaches attend clinics sponsored by Glenview Soccer Club and other organizations.  Glenview Soccer Club teams typically practice twice a week during the season, and have multiple practices prior to the beginning of a season.  The club also offers weekly indoor training sessions during the winter and preseason camps in late summer prior to the start of regular team practices, although indoor training sessions are not included in the club fee. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

What age groups play? The Titans typically field two to three boys and girls teams at the U8 (under the age of eight as of August 1), U9, U10, U11, U12, U13 and U14 levels.  There are also usually high school age teams in the fall for girls and spring for boys.  Typically the club will have 2 or 3 girls high school teams and 2 boys teams. 

How many players are on one team? Starting in the fall of 2005, U8 and U9 teams will play 6v6, the ideal team size is 8 or 9 players, up to a maximum of 12.  U10 and U11 teams play 8v8,  team size is ideally 11 to 13, with a maximum of 14.  U12 and older play 11v11, at the younger ages, team sizes are ideally 15 or 16, while for the high school teams it is usually better to have 17 or 18.  The maximum allowable is 18 for all U12 and older teams.

How is a player selected for a GSC team? Each June the Titans hold tryouts.  All current Glenview Soccer Club players must tryout each year.  Players are evaluated by Glenview Soccer Club coaches and independent evaluators on a variety of soccer and physical skills.

Do current Glenview Players get preference for next year's teams? No, the teams are selected based on the coaches and evaluators best estimates of fielding the most competitive teams.  This usually means the best players make the top teams, but not always, as effort, attendence, and attitude are also considered.  Glenview Soccer Club tries to find a team for all players who try out, depending on the number of players at a given age. 

How much time does the Glenview Soccer Club program take? Each Titan team plays a ten game season in the fall and another ten game season in the spring.   Most Glenview Soccer Club teams practice two times each week for 1 1/2 hours per practice.  Most teams also participate in at least one tournament in the fall and one tournament in the spring.  Indoor soccer is not formally part of the Glenview Soccer Club program but players who are not doing other sports in the winter should plan on attending indoor training sessions offered at the Lattof YMCA. 

Who are the coaches and how are they selected? As of the fall of 2005, all GSC teams will have professional coach/trainers for both practices and games.  The coaches are all very experienced in soccer, and many played at professional, semi-pro or collegiate levels.  You can see bios of some of the club's current coaches on the Coach/Trainer page. Trainers are hired by the club following submission of a job application and completion of an interview process.  The Director of Coaching, makes the hiring decisions, with supervision by the the Board of Directors. 

How competitive are the Glenview Soccer Club Titans? Glenview Soccer Club competes against the top youth soccer teams in Chicagoland and Northern Illinois.   All the top youth boys teams in Northeastern Illinois compete in the YSSL or NISL, and all the top youth girls teams in Northern Illinois compete in the IWSL. 

When are games played? Most games are scheduled for weekend afternoons.  The boys usually play on Saturdays and the girls usually play on Sundays.  Typically, half of the games are played in Glenview and the remaining half are played on the road against other teams in the area.  High School age teams usually play on Sunday mornings. 

How much does it cost? The club fees for the 2006-07 season are $795 for both Fall and Spring.  High school teams that only play one season have fees of $450.  For the 2007-2008 playing year, the fees include a new uniform for all players.  In addition, players must purchase their own shoes, shin guards, and soccer ball.  Some Glenview Soccer club teams choose to attend extra tournaments or participate in indoor leagues or training which may result in additional costs beyond the dues.  We have never turned away a player due to financial difficulty.  Please contact us if there is a need for financial assistance.