
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 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 Managment
All competition in leagues/divisions affiliated with the NISL is governed by regulations approved by the NISL and the league office.


National Premier Leagues Announces 2022 Postseason Dates and Locations
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Nov. 18, 2021) – With US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues (NPL) season in full swing, the league has officially announced the dates and locations for the 2022 NPL Finals and NPL Boys Playoffs next summer. Once again, the Boys and Girls NPL Finals will be held at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, July 7-11, 2022, in Commerce City, Colorado.
This year, the NPL Boys East Playoffs and NPL Boys West Playoffs, for U-13 through U-17 age brackets, will take place on June 24-28, 2022. The East Playoffs will be located at Truist Sports Park in Advance, North Carolina, while the West Playoffs will take place at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
The 2022 NPL Girls postseason structure remains the same as years past, with qualifying teams from the U-13 through U-18/19 age brackets participating in a single stage post season event, the NPL Girls Finals, where qualifiers from member NPLs throughout the country will compete for the national title.
Additionally, the 2022 Boys NPL postseason will have a similar structure as last season, which will include two-stages for U-14 through U-17 age brackets of the NPL Boys East and West Playoffs in late June followed by the NPL Boys Finals in mid-July. The U-13 and U-18/19 boys age brackets will have a single stage post season. Same as last season, the U-13 East and West finalists will play at each respective playoff site. Unlike last year, the U-18/19 boys direct finals pathway will be hosted the same weekend as the NPL Finals, July 7-11, in Commerce City, Colorado.

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 42 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.
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.
US Soccer
Coaching Education
Right Level of Play
Premier League
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 Addreess