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The Ballers Map · Illinois

Youth football in Illinois

188 programs in 140 cities. The most are in Peoria Hts, Chicago, Springfield. OpenStreetMap also maps 1,850 public football fields in Illinois.

Search near a ZIP in IllinoisAll youth sports in Illinois

Illinois at a glance

Programs listed
188
Cities with programs
140
Most programs
Peoria Hts (14), Chicago (7), Springfield (4), Aurora (3), Elgin (3)
Mapped to a street address
59% (the rest at ZIP or city centre)
Public football fields (OpenStreetMap)
1,850
By type
Club 116 · League 71 · Training 1

Statewide organizations

  • High school sports

    Illinois High School Association

    State high school athletics association (NFHS member): school sports, eligibility, seasons and state championships

    Website (opens in a new tab) ↗

Names and links from public directories: NFHS member state associations, USA Swimming LSC websites, USA Wrestling state associations, US Youth Soccer state associations.

City guides

Peoria Hts 14

Chicago 7

Springfield 4

Aurora 3

Elgin 3

Morris 3

Alsip 2

Braidwood 2

Crystal Lake 2

Downers Grove 2

Evanston 2

Frankfort 2

Gurnee 2

Hinsdale 2

Lansing 2

Mendota 2

Metamora 2

Mt Prospect 2

Naperville 2

More Illinois cities

Youth football: ages and seasons

Typical starting ages
Flag football programs often start around age 5 or 6. Tackle leagues usually group players by age and, in some leagues, weight.
Seasons
Tackle football is mainly a fall sport. Flag football runs in fall and spring in many areas.
National organizations

General orientation only. Every program sets its own ages, fees and calendar.

How to choose a youth football program

  • Clubs and travel teams usually hold tryouts or evaluations. Ask about the total season cost (dues, uniforms, travel and tournament fees), how often they practise and compete, and how playing time is decided.
  • Leagues and rec programs register by season, often several weeks before play starts. Ask whether teams are balanced by skill and whether every child gets playing time.
  • For trainers and academies, ask for a sample session plan, the group size, and how progress is tracked.
  • Check that coaches have passed background checks and current safety training (for example SafeSport and concussion awareness).
  • Confirm the age or grade rules and any birth-year cutoff before paying.
  • Listings here are unverified. Contact the program directly, and if you run it, claim the listing to fix the details.

About these listings. Listings come from public sources. IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File: nonprofits in the recreation and sports group with a recent filing, whose registered name identifies them as football programs. Their city is the registered mailing address, and their category is inferred from the name. Every listing is unverified until the program confirms it, and none is an endorsement. Always confirm ages, fees and tryouts with the program.

Data: IRS EO BMF and U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, Geocoder), public domain. Places-to-play data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map tiles OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles. Nonprofit records link to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

Neighboring states

For high school athletes & families

The Recruiting Playbook

A recruiting toolkit for grades 9–12 and their families: a recruiting calendar, school-fit scorecard, outreach templates and a 90-day plan. Built as a soccer recruiting toolkit.

Get it on Gumroad · $29 (opens in a new tab)

Run a program?

Make sure families find you.

Listings are free. Claim yours to correct the details.

Add or claim a listing