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The Ballers Map · Illinois

Youth youth sports in Illinois

246 programs in 151 cities. The most are in Chicago, Springfield, Evanston.

Search near a ZIP in IllinoisAll youth sports in Illinois

Illinois at a glance

Programs listed
246
Cities with programs
151
Most programs
Chicago (36), Springfield (7), Evanston (6), Champaign (5), Galesburg (4)
Mapped to a street address
93% (the rest at ZIP or city centre)
By type
Rec & community 134 · YMCA 59 · Boys & Girls Club 17 · Youth sports 36

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

Chicago 36

Springfield 7

Evanston 6

Champaign 5

Galesburg 4

Oak Park 4

More Illinois cities

Youth youth sports: ages and seasons

Typical starting ages
YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs and city recreation centers serve a wide range of ages; most youth sports start around age 4 to 6.
Seasons
Community programs usually run by season (fall, winter, spring and summer camps).
National organizations

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

How to choose a youth youth sports program

  • City and county recreation centers often run low-cost seasonal programs. Check the parks and recreation department for registration windows and fee assistance.
  • Many YMCAs run youth sports, swim lessons and camps, and many offer financial assistance. Programs vary by branch.
  • Boys & Girls Clubs often include sports in low-cost memberships. Ask which sports, ages and seasons your local club offers.
  • 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.
  • 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 multi-sport youth organizations. Their city is the registered mailing address, and their category is inferred from the name. OpenStreetMap: YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, Police Athletic Leagues and public recreation and community centers; offerings vary by location, so check that they run youth youth sports. 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. YMCA, Boys & Girls Club and rec center data and 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.

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