NORTHERN ILLINOIS SOCCER LEAGUE

Founded in 1975
Competitive Youth Soccer League for Boys and Girls
49 Years Serving the Communities in the Chicagoland Area

Latest News

Latest News

Wednesday, 18 June 2025 10:19

  Age group cut-off update for 2026-27 season   CHARLESTON, S.C. (June 10, 2025) – US Club Soccer, US Youth Soccer and AYSO have announced an...

Wednesday, 28 May 2025 10:11

The NISL is excited to announce its first ever Final 4 Championship. This event brings together the top-performing teams from every Club and Conference U11 to U14 division, and the U12 NPL...

Thursday, 27 February 2025 14:49

The Northern Illinois Soccer League recently introduced the inaugural NISL Women's Leadership Committee, dedicated to enhancing the experience of female players within the league. Following its...

Wednesday, 26 February 2025 16:00

  February 2025 – The Northern Illinois Soccer League (NISL) proudly announces the launch of the NISL Women's Leadership Committee, a dedicated initiative designed to empower women in soccer...

Wednesday, 12 February 2025 15:27

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Important Dates

20 Jun 2025;
12:00AM
USClub Soccer National Cup XXII Midwest Regional Finals
23 Jun 2025;
12:00AM
NISL Spring 2025 CLUB & CONFERENCE Awards Mailed Out
20 Jun 2025;
12:00AM
USClub Soccer National Cup XXII Midwest Regional Finals

Calendar

Last month June 2025 Next month
M T W T F S S
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week 24 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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week 26 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
week 27 30
Important Dates PDF
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History

The Northern Illinois Soccer League / N.I.S.L. was founded in 1975 as a competitive youth soccer league for Boys and Girls ages U8 through U19.

It provides the day-to-day organizational structure for more than 1,000 teams in over 97 Chicago area communities.

It is one of the largest youth soccer leagues in the state of Illinois.

Our Mission

Our mission is that all soccer related decisions should be made with the player in mind. We are interested in the development of youth soccer, not the politics. Our office staff consists of players and coaches that believe in creating and maintaining a league that is focused on the development of the players at various levels and providing a competitive and equal playing field. We believe the NISL should be governed by simple administrative procedures which provide players, teams and clubs flexibility in the player development process. The NISL will create, develop, and foster the growth of club and community soccer programs throughout the Chicago Metropolitan Area and surrounding states.

Our Vision

NISL will provide a fun, safe and supportive environment, which nurtures and guides children to develop their talents, knowledge and appreciation for the game of soccer.

NISL will provide an equal opportunity to all soccer players, coaches, trainers, managers, administrators and officials to participate in youth soccer competitions.

NISL will provide an equal opportunity to all soccer players to participate in a competitive soccer environment that encourages good sportsmanship, principles of fair play, and the building of good character.

NISL will provide leagues and divisions so all soccer players, etc. can reach their highest level of competition.

League Management

The NISL is owned and operated by Northern Independent Soccer League. Participation in the NISL is governed by the rules adopted by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the United States Soccer Federation (US Soccer), except where modified below.
All competition in leagues/divisions affiliated with the NISL is governed by regulations approved by the NISL and the league office.
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NPL member league qualifiers to converge on Denver, CO for 2025 NPL Finals

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Nov. 20, 2024) – The National Premier Leagues (NPL) Finals will return to Denver, Colorado for the sixth consecutive year next summer, welcoming qualifiers from 18 member leagues across the country. US Club Soccer is hosting the prestigious championship event, July 7-14 at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park.

The NPL Finals is the annual, coveted destination for all NPL participants across all 18 member leagues, and the 2025 edition marks the 13th edition of the tournament. U-13 through U-19 teams qualify through year-long competition within their respective member leagues. The girls schedule spans July 7-11, while the boys play July 10-14.

DICK’S Sporting Goods Park has hosted US Club Soccer members competing for championships – including the NPL Finals and National Cup Finals – since 2019. The complex features 25 fields, including two turf, which surround the home stadium of Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids.

To celebrate the 2024-25 season, US Club Soccer debuted its “Gold Blooded” campaign on social media earlier this year, representing the grit and determination athletes need to win NPL championships. The campaign amplifies players, coaches, clubs and leagues in their title pursuits.

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Who We Are

Starting in 1975, the Northern Illinois Soccer League was initiated with the sole purpose of giving a few local athletes a place to play soccer, which was still considered a niche sport in the US at the time.

NISL’s Early Adoption

Through the NISL’s early adoption of forward-thinking methodologies, the league’s clubs have the opportunity to develop talent through player movement, small-sided games, and various other approaches that proactively enable development, instead of hampering their progress with cumbersome rules and regulations. One of the NISL’s greatest triumphs has been to create an environment where clubs have the freedom to be all that they can be.

Standard of Excellence

With its Premier League as the standard of excellence in the region and soccer clubs flourishing under the league’s umbrella, the NISL will continue its legacy of providing the most innovative and competitive soccer platform possible for many years to come.

Embracing Soccer

By embracing soccer innovations from around the world and empowering its membership to develop club programs without the intrusion of complex bureaucracies, the NISL has grown over the last 49 years into one of the largest and most elite soccer leagues in the United States, with a staggering membership of 18,000 players from over 1,200 teams across 170+ individual clubs.

Club / Conference League

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PETER RICHARDSON

Why Choose Us?

The NISL’s reputation of creating the greatest possible competitive environment has been well established throughout the years. Our Team Ranking System, when in cooperation Directors of Coaching, has proven itself to be the most effective method of placing teams into the best surroundings possible for player talent and enjoyment of the game to flourish.

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US Soccer
US Soccer has begun taking a more active role in the development of new Standards and Technology to help our Soccer Community, and the NISL is enormously excited and grateful to share in this progress. US Soccer and the NISL are now both aligned onto the same “US Soccer Connect” registration platform that will streamline processes between the Federation and our members’ organizations.
Coaching Education
US Soccer has also recently evolved their Coaching Education programs and they have provided the NISL with the opportunity to start teaching their NEW Grassroots Pathway Initiative. Eight new Grassroots Licensing Courses have been created that focus on Coaching Fundamentals with respect to US Soccer’s Player Development Initiatives and the NISL now has the ability to teach these courses directly at minimal cost.
Right Level of Play
For our 8 years of age and under groups, the league has recognized that finding the right level of challenge for these children in particular, most of whom are learning Soccer for the first time, has become increasingly difficult as the number of players participating has grown. It is also coincidentally the time when it is most important for players to be introduced to the game properly.
Premier League
The jewel in the crown of the NISL is our Premier League program, which is the only locally played National Premier League. Widely regarded as one of the most competitive environments in the USA, the Premier League is centralized in location, which eliminates long distance travel and the expensive hotel and transportation fees that normally come with the search for quality games in the Midwest.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS SOCCER LEAGUE

We’re Special, We’re Different.

The NISL began primarily as a Coed league and as the female players slowly began to be segregated into their own exclusive leagues, many clubs have noticed that their Girls programs have not been as competitively challenging as they were than when they were playing Coed. Recent scientific studies and social changes have only reaffirmed our belief that young men and women should learn to respect each other as equals at as young of an age as possible, and there is no healthier way to cultivate this respect than to participate as teammates in the spirit of athletic competition.

OUR ADDRESS

545 Consumers Ave, Palatine Illinois, 60074


Largest & Most Competitive 
Youth Soccer Leagues
in the United States

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The NISL is excited

to announce its

first ever
Final 4
Championship

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