CHICAGO(January 31, 2015) — On every pitch, a different story.
That was the scene Saturday afternoon at The PrivateBank Fire Pitch (3626 N Talman Ave.), where Chicago soccer athletes of all ages and ability levels convened to launch the new landmark, year-round facility, and to celebrate its impact on the city and its residents.
Athletes participating in various leagues and clinics Saturday were joined by the owner of the Chicago Fire, Andrew Hauptman, and other club officials who were able to witness what is the end result of months of planning and anticipation: a true soccer hub for a diverse range of community members.
“It’s just fantastic to be in this facility, inside Chicago, and it’s really just about celebrating soccer and celebrating the community,” Hauptman said. “You see the demand and the desire for the sport, and it fills you up when you see what the possibilities are and the impact [The PrivateBank Fire Pitch] can have.”
Those sentiments were echoed by special guests representing the City of Chicago who were in attendance Saturday, including Scott Waguespack, Alderman of the city’s 32nd Ward and a loyal supporter of the Chicago Fire.
“I think Chicago’s been waiting a long time for something like this,” said Alderman Waguespack of The PrivateBank Fire Pitch. “It’s going to really be the glue and the anchor for the community to build on the sport of soccer and the Chicago Fire.”
Running concurrently on each of six indoor pitches Saturday were leagues and instructional programs that demonstrate the breadth of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club’s many community initiatives.
On two fields, members of co-ed adult recreational leagues competed with a fast-and-furious intensity typical of Chicago Fire Recreational Soccer leagues. On another, onlookers watched up-and-coming athletes participating in the Premier Skills program—a global youth development initiative stemming from the Premier League and British Council—which since last June has worked hand-in-hand with the Fire to make a difference in the lives of Chicago teens.
Elsewhere, youngsters in the Chicago Fire Foundation P.L.A.Y.S. (Participate, Learn, Achieve, Youth, Soccer) Program were receiving fun and personalized instruction from coaches drawn from the club’s Soccer In The Community roster of trainers. The P.L.A.Y.S. Program, which engages children for five out-of-school hours per week for 10 weeks, uses soccer as a touchpoint for fostering academic achievement and key social and emotional skills among elementary school students.
On still another field, high school students from nearby Carl Schurz High School battled it out, watched and cheered by corps members from the City Year Chicago program. City Year, a non-profit for which Hauptman serves as a national board member, works to combat America’s dropout epidemic by uniting young people of all backgrounds for a full year of full-time service in high-need schools. The Chicago Fire Soccer Club proudly sponsors a team of City Year mentors at Schurz High School, joining such major corporations as Microsoft, Deloitte and Wrigley as site-specific City Year sponsors in Chicago.
Collectively, Saturday’s non-stop action at The PrivateBank Fire Pitch offered a glimpse of the facility’s limitless potential, which will only grow with the addition of a 12,500-square foot permanent structure in the year ahead. The venue will provide users with restaurants, locker rooms, meeting spaces and other amenities to improve their soccer experience.
Even in its nascent stages, The PrivateBank Fire Pitch has caught the attention of not only recreational users but also the stars of the club’s First Team, many of whom—including Jeff Larentowicz, Mike Magee, Shaun Maloney, Kennedy Igboananike and Harry Shipp—were on hand Saturday to enjoy the space with members of the community.
“In just the first week of preseason, the First Teamers are telling me, ‘Man, we love it, we want to use the facility,’” Hauptman said. “Yesterday, they were here scrimmaging, we opened it to the public and many of our supporters came to watch. It’s all a part of building that connectivity with the City of Chicago and with those people that love the world’s game just as much as we do.”
