Chicago, Il. – The Chicago Red Stars have announced the formation of a women’s amateur reserve team for the 2014 season. The Red Stars Reserves will compete in WPSL (Women’s Premier Soccer League) over a 10-game schedule from May through July, in the Midwest-Central division.

The Red Stars Reserves have come to light through the collaborative efforts of the Red Stars along with the Illinois Youth Soccer Association and the Illinois Women’s Soccer League, who have both come on as sponsors of the team. Illinois Youth Soccer serves approximately 75,000 youth soccer players in Illinois, making them the largest youth soccer state association in the country. IWSL, a member of Illinois Youth Soccer, currently supports over 20,000 soccer-playing females in the state of Illinois. The relationship between the Red Stars and these two soccer bodies is one of the first developmental team partnerships of its kind in the country.

“We found ourselves a really unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the huge support we receive from youth teams through to our professional team,” stated Red Stars General Manager Alyse LaHue. “Having a development team comprised of many female players from Illinois gives us a chance to keep the massive amount of talent we have in this state nearby.”

“The support we have received from Illinois Youth Soccer and IWSL shows their continued commitment to the development and sustainability of the women’s game at all levels.”

The Reserves team will be coached by Chris King, a recent transplant from Ohio who has had tremendous success developing young players after serving as technical director of Ohio Premier for over a decade. Jennifer Pfeiffer, the IYSA Assistant Director of Coaching, will serve as the team’s Assistant Coach.

The team will play three of their five home matches at the team’s training grounds in Oak Brook at the Oak Brook Polo Fields, located behind the Oak Brook Public Library. Two matches will come as double-headers with the Red Stars pro side taking place at their home field the Village of Lisle – Benedictine University Sports Complex at 5700 College Road in Lisle on June 4 and June 15. Matches taking place at the Polo Grounds will be free and open to the public. Admittance to either of the double-headers is by purchasing a ticket to the Red Stars NWSL match on that day.

Full Schedule:

To purchase tickets for either of the double-headers, visit the Red Stars Tickets page. For more information, contact the Red Stars at [email protected].