The Illinois State Cup is the most prestigious tournament in Illinois and the official state championship tournament of the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series.Don’t be confused by similarly named league tournaments claiming to be a "state cup" championship.
Since 1966, even before its incorporation, Illinois Youth Soccer has been conducting this official annual state competition that is part of the national US Youth Soccer National Championship Series. The Illinois State Cup provides an opportunity for approximately 350 teams in the under 12 to 19 age groups to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition. Winners of the Illinois State Cup advance to the US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Tournament and have the opportunity to qualify for the US Youth Soccer National Championship Finals. The national finals are a culmination of a year-long series of competitions at the state and regional levels providing approximately 185,000 players on 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer’s 55 State Associations to compete against the best teams in the nation. The Illinois State Cup is one of the largest State Cup competitions in the United States.
Illinois State Cup winners advance on to the US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships, June 23-28 in Sioux Falls, SD.
Group Play Weekend will be held October 1-2 at Sportscore One in Rockford.
The Sports Authority Presidents Cup provides Illinois Youth Soccer teams in the under 13 – 18 age groups an alternative to the Illinois State Cup and an opportunity to advance and compete against teams from across the country in the regional and national competition. Region II has expanded to include 18U for the 2017 Midwest Presidents Cup.
The US Youth Soccer President’s Cup offers an alternative opportunity for teams to compete in a state, regional and national competition. The President’s Cup is a progressive, competitive experience (just like the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series) for teams that might not otherwise get the opportunity to participate in a Regional or National tournament and have the unique experiences from the competition and camaraderie that a state to regional to national US Youth Soccer tournament offers.
U13-18 Presidents Cup state champions advance on to the US Youth Soccer Region II Presidents Cup June 15-19 in Overland Park, KS.
Group Play Weekend will be held October 1-2 at Sportscore One in Rockford.
The 1998 (U19) Illinois Cup will is an in-state only event that follow the same format as the group play portion of State Cup, offering teams with players born in 19998 but still in hight school the opportunity to compete in a state-wide competition.
The Illinois Women’s Soccer League is the premier amateur women’s soccer league in the state. The IWSL is a member of Illinois Youth Soccer and currently supports over 1200 teams for youth and adults.
Fall 2016 U15 Groups In order to assist and coordinate the registration of U15 (Birth Year 2002) teams for Fall 2016 we will provide the following options for team registration:
U15 - 8G: will be for those teams comprised of all 8th grade players who will be playing in both Fall and Spring (10 games Fall & 8 games Spring). The fee for these teams will be $1343.00
U15 - Mix: will be for those teams comprised of all High School players or a mix of High School and 8th Grade players who will be playing in only the Fall season. The fee for these teams will be $1088.00. These teams will also have an option at the time of Spring registration to add Spring season play for a $350.00 addtional fee.
The rules that currently apply to U14 Spring Only will convert to U15 Spring Only for Spring 2017. Prior to Spring 2017 registration we will also monitor what, uf any, further modifications may be needed for the U15 (Birth Year 2002) teams for the Spring Season play. An example would be possibly playing a 9 v 9 format in the Spring due to size of rosters.
Partnership Includes Launch Of Mobil Apps For Organization & Events
Illinois Youth Soccer is excited to announce our newest sponsor, Team App, the worldwide leader in effective digital team communication. This partnership will provide a communication platform that not only will be FREE (forever) for Illinois Youth Soccer members but also offers new sources of revenue for
any organization in our association that creates their own Team App.
“We discovered Team App at the NSCAA conference in Baltimore,” Chris Jamrozy, Illinois Youth Soccer Marketing Director said. “After talking to some of the US Youth Soccer state associations that use the Team App platform, we decided to give it a test run at ODP Nationals and for the ODP teams participating
in the Puma Cups. We got great feedback from coaches and parents and are excited to use it for other programs. Currently, sixty five (65) soccer Team Apps are being used by members of our association with over 1500 members benefiting. All at no cost. We are proud to join the other state associations that use Team App partners including Tennessee, Michigan, Alabama, Missouri, Ohio North, Indiana and Rhode Island. We are also excited to add Team App to our dedicated list of sponsors.”
Dan Dougherty, GM for Team App USA adds: "The Team App platform sells itself. A strong group of executive leaders across youth soccer have found and learned that Team App offers the best next generation communication platform and they are referring it to their peers" We are glad to add Chris and Illinois Youth Soccer to our growing list of promoters we call "Team App Medalists".
To create your own app for your league, club or team go to https://www.teamapp.com/clubs/new You can also search “Illinois Youth
Soccer” to find our apps.
If you need help on setting up your mobile app for your club, team or league contact Dan at dan@teamapp.com
The St Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) has joined Illinois Youth Soccer as its newest member competitive league. As a member of Illinois Youth Soccer, Illinois teams can now compete in SLYSA while keeping their eligibility for Illinois Youth Soccer member events such as Illinois State Cup, Sports Authority Presidents Cup, Wintrust Illinois Cup and more.
“We are very excited to add SLYSA as a member competitive league,” Mary Jane Bender, Executive Director of Illinois Youth Soccer said. “SLYSA’s dedication to creating a safe, competitive and fun atmosphere on the Illinois/Missouri border will offer teams in the southern part of the state tremendous opportunity to grow the game.”
The St. Louis Youth Soccer Association was founded in 1975 and incorporated as a non profit organization in 1976. SLYSA operates competitive soccer leagues for boys and girls, ages 8 to 18, regardless of race, color, or creed. The major objective of the organization is to develop, promote, and provide top level competition for YOUTH Soccer in the greater St. Louis area.
The league has grown from 500 youth players, U8 through U19 to over 12000 boys and girls representing close to 800 teams.
“We are always looking to service our teams better. Joining the Illinois Youth Soccer simplifies the registration process for Illinois-based teams and allows them to continue to play in Illinois Youth Soccer events such as State Cup,” explains Johann Arnason, Executive Director of SLYSA. “We will offer teams based in Southern Illinois the option to play in one of the largest and most competitive select soccer leagues in the United States. We are excited about the partnership with Illinois Youth Soccer and have no doubt that it will help the league continue to grow."
For more details on SLYSA visit http://www.slysa.org/home . SLYSA fall registration opens May 31st and runs through June 24th. Any questions about the league please direct them to slysa@slysa.org.
State Association Now Becomes Governing Body For Futsal In Illinois
The Illinois Youth Soccer Association has entered into a multi-year partnership with U.S. Futsal, the only governing body for Futsal affiliated directly with U.S. Soccer and U.S. Youth Soccer. Futsal (five-a-side soccer) is played in all continents of the world by over 100 countries with 12 million players. Beach Soccer is a subsidiary of U.S. Futsal.
“Since Futsal is the governing body for Futsal in the United States, we are looking forward to working with U.S. Futsal to increase awareness of the small-sided game,” said Gus Bender, President of Illinois Youth Soccer. “Futsal helps the technical part of the game and the academies require it.”
“This new affiliation will greatly help increase the awareness and development of the sport of Futsal at the player, coaching and refereeing level in Illinois. We are excited to partner with such a highly respected organization with such a rich history in promoting and developing soccer” said Alex Para, President and CEO of U.S. Futsal.
Illinois Youth Soccer is the exclusive representative and official State Association for U.S. Futsal in Illinois. Illinois Youth Soccer is responsible for approving Futsal leagues, tournaments, registering players and coaches with U.S. Futsal, and hosting a U.S. Futsal State Cup in Illinois. The Futsal State Cup champions advance to US Futsal Regional and National Championships. The Illinois Youth Soccer Coaching Education Department will offer Futsal coaching clinics to help educate member coaches on technical and tactical aspects of Futsal.Illinois Youth Soccer will offer Futsal referee courses in conjunction with the Illinois State Referee Committee.
Effective Immediate For All Illinois Youth Soccer Activities
In accord with the recommendations in US Soccer’s Player Safety Campaign, Illinois Youth Soccer has banned heading for players aged 10 and younger for all Illinois Youth Soccer activities including but not limited to Illinois Youth Soccer Member League play, practices and tournaments. Following is US Soccer’s Player Safety Campaign and modified rule.
As part of U.S. Soccer's Player Safety Campaign, U.S. Soccer unveiled the U.S. Soccer Concussion Initiative that provides guidelines that were implemented in January of 2016.
The information contained in the initiative is intended to give U.S. Soccer Organization Members, as well as players, parents, team/club staff and coaches and referees, guidance and direction when dealing with head injuries and potential head injuries during soccer participation.
Included in the U.S. Soccer Concussion Initiative are specific changes to rules on substitutions and heading for certain age groups. Those changes included:
Modify substitution rules to allow players who may have suffered a concussion during games to be evaluated without penalty
Eliminating heading for children 10 and under
Please note that U11 is listed in the U.S. Soccer Concussion Initiative document because U11 players can be 10 years old at the beginning of the season
Limiting the amount of heading in practice for children between the ages of 11 and 13
In addition to the safety initiatives, the following modified rule was published by US Soccer on February 12, 2016:
When a player deliberately heads the ball in a game, an indirect free kick (IFK) should be awarded to the opposing team from the spot of the offense. If the deliberate header occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred. If a player does not deliberately head the ball, then play should continue.
The Coaches Corner is your one-stop spot for exclusive and reliable coaching information that includes Illinois Director of Coaching Rick Flores’ "Moto" Monday, practice session ideas for all levels, videos, coaching resources, meeting info and more. Have anything you think should be added or any question on the content, email Illinois DOC Rick Flores at doc@illinoisyouthsoccer.org. "Dinosaur Coaching is Extinct"
The Illinois Youth Soccer Association has entered into a multi-year partnership with U
Coaching Rick Flores’ "Moto" Monday, practice session ideas for all levels, videos, coaching resources, meeting info and more. Have anything you think should be added or any question on the content, email Illinois DOC Rick Flores at 
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