Club History
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Team Evanston was officially founded in 1991 through the merger of Evanston’s two premier traveling youth soccer clubs – Gross Point Soccer and Pele Stars. The main purpose of the merger was to unite Evanston club soccer under one umbrella organization, and to improve the overall quality of youth soccer in Evanston. Both clubs had a great tradition in Evanston, but agreed it was time to pool resources and talents to create a better experience for both boys and girls in Evanston.
Named after the landmark Evanston lighthouse, Gross Point Soccer was principally a North Evanston club formed in 1973 by Eric Nygards, a former player with the Swedish Olympic Soccer Team. He had assistance from a fellow European player, Jack Reinhardt. Eric and Jack both grew up playing soccer in their home countries and had met through their involvement with Evanston Youth Hockey. The team colors of the club were maroon and white.
Named after the Brazilian soccer star Pele, Pele Stars was founded in 1977 by two Haitians who had moved to the Southside of Evanston, Francois Calixte and Jean Jacque Gregoire. Known principally as a South Evanston club, François and Jean Jacque were both accomplished soccer players in Haiti and in the United Sates. They wanted to create a soccer team for their children and friends. The team colors for the Stars was blue and gold.
Though the merger did not happen officially until 1991, the first team was an under 12 girls team in 1989. While both clubs were considered co-ed, the vast majority of players were boys. There was an all girls league in the Chicago area, but the handful of girls in Evanston who wanted to play club soccer in Evanston had to play with the boys. Recognizing the growth of girls’ soccer, John Ward put together the first team comprised of girls from both Gross Point and Pele Stars. This club became known as Team Evanston.
The following year the first Team Evanston boys’ team was formed at the U10 level and a second girl’s team was formed at the U10 level. The team colors for these three teams were red, white, and blue. The two clubs officially merged in 1991 and consisted of seven boys teams and four girls teams playing in the U9 through U14 level. The colors switched to navy and orange in recognition of the Evanston High School Colors.
Today Team Evanston consists of over thirty boys and girls team including approximately 400 children playing from U9 through U19. Though the organization is still run by a volunteer board, all teams have paid and licensed coaches. The club also has a paid director of coaching responsible for the hiring of coaches and development of curriculum for all age levels. |
Club Philosophy
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Team Evanston is a competitive community-based soccer club committed to training players to perform at their best in a team environment. This goal is achieved through a partnership among coach, parent, and player. Player development of technical and tactical skills is the focus of Team Evanston for all levels of players' abilities. The club's ultimate goal is to provide the opportunity for individuals to grow and develop into skilled players who love the game of soccer and achieve success as a member of a team. Team Evanston is run by a volunteer board of directors and is a Section 501 (c) (3) tax exempt organization. Team Evanston employs a director of coaching for the purposes of hiring and training coaches and developing instructional curriculum. Financial assistance is available for qualifying families.
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