Welcome To Queer Soccer Club!
Queer Soccer Club Chicago is a community for queer, trans, and gender-expansive footballers. Our weekly pick-ups are volunteer-led, free, and open to all levels.
QUEER SOCCER MXNIFESTO & BASICS
Queer Soccer Club Chi is a community for queer, trans, and gender-expansive players built on connection and sport that is completely volunteer-run, free, and open to all skill levels and abilities.
We center community over everything, keeping the game fun and safe for new, long-time, and reengaged players alike.
You don’t have to sign up in advance to play, and there is no cost to join. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, cleats, or sneakers; shinguards are optional. Make sure everyone is taken care of, bring extra water and supplies, give rides when you can. If you play with us regularly, help and volunteer where you can.
We either don’t have fields reserved or a park is kindly donating the space to us, so we’re not always guaranteed space and have to remember the fields we play at are for everyone in the community. We hope to have pick-ups all over Chicago, encouraging our players to bring queer soccer to lots of our local parks.
Are you a soccer jock looking to play? Follow @queersoccerclubchi and join our club on Discord here!
PICK-UP GUIDELINES
Our priority is to build a space that is safe and accessible to all skill levels. We pass frequently, play no-contact, and challenge others according to the skill level of the whole group, even when this means we have to stop ourselves short, miss out on goal opportunities, or play below our skill level.
We believe that the level of play is better when we prioritize footwork and ball control over brute force. Remember that some of our players may not have health insurance, some are recovering from injuries, and others may be on the field for the first time. If you’re experienced, slow down, pass, and help your teammates with communication and encouragement.
- Please respect pronouns & no gender policing! Players will never be asked to share their gender identity to play.
- No tackling for the ball, just intercepting passes; no shoulder/hip checking, no pushing/shoving, no slide tackles, no blasting the ball within short range of other people, no high kicks, and keep your cleats pointed down.
- Take a touch of the ball to control it before kicking it; keep passes short and low to the ground.
- Take headers conservatively.
- Give players on your own team space to minimize collisions.
- Give new players space before safely challenging them.
- Don’t assume everyone knows soccer jargon.
- Use inclusive and gender-neutral language on the field.
- If you get hurt, let a captain know if you need first aid. If you hurt someone, please check in on them!
- Play through handballs, feel free to use your hands and arms to protect any part of your body.
Our guidelines/format is informed and influenced by Swish, Dyke Soccer, Women+ Soccer Detroit, and many other queer and trans sports collectives.
