Spartan FC Earns 5-Star Competitive Club Recognition

Northbrook Program Becomes 3rd To Earn Prestigious Distinction

Spartan FC of Northbrook has become the third competitive club in the state to earn the prestigious Illinois Youth Soccer 5-Star Competitive Club Recognition. Since 2008, Spartan FC has provided club soccer, camps, and community events to thousands of Northbrook area families.

“Spartan FC is honored to be a recipient of Illinois Youth Soccer’s prestigious 5-Star award,” said Yianny Caparos, Director of Soccer Operations at Spartan FC. “We strive every day to be a leading youth soccer club in Illinois, and this recognition reinforces that we are moving in the right direction. We are proud of the culture we have created at Spartan FC, and look forward to continuing to grow the club by implementing progressive strategies, while keeping our primary focus on the continuing education of our outstanding coaching staff, and the proper development of our youth soccer players.”

“Our tremendous leadership at the board level, and the dedication of our coaches and member families are responsible for creating and embracing a winning culture on and off the field,” said Spartan FC Director of Coaching, Chris Berena. “This ‘seal of approval’ from Illinois Youth Soccer confirms that the Spartan FC experience is about much more than just playing soccer.”

“Spartan FC is a very progressive club that emphasizes quality coaching, risk management, referee development and parent education,” said Mary Jane Bender, Illinois Youth Soccer Executive Director “They take coaching education and player safety seriously and the direct beneficiaries are the players. We congratulate the Spartans FC for achieving the 5-Star Competitive Club Recognition.”

“It is an honor for our young club to receive this award,” John Soltani, Assistant Director of Coaching and Administrator for Spartan FC said. “It validates our commitment to excellence and a place where player development is the staple of our success. We appreciate that our leagues, our state, and our peers in this industry acknowledge our progressive growth and seriousness to player development.”

With a focus on the U8-U11 age groups, Spartan FC brings a competitive soccer environment focused on the development of technical proficiency, tactical understanding, and the physical well-being of their players in a constructive atmosphere. The organization is passionate about being a community driven program to increase the love for the sport within the community, and provide players with opportunities to play together throughout their youth and high school soccer careers.

“The leaders at Spartan FC care about each player within its system,” Soltani said. “It is important to us that we have quality coaches at each team teaching the game. We acknowledge every human being matures and develops at different times on their life. Our objective is to assure each child is provided the tools to learn and succeed in this beautiful game.”

Clubs that have also earned the 5-Star Recognition are Ela Soccer Club& FC Barrington/FCX

To earn the 5-Star Competitive Club recognition, a club must meet all of the requirements showcasing their dedication both on and off the field. The 5-Star Competitive Club Recognition requirements are:

Illinois Youth Soccer Membership & Support
All of the Club’s competitive teams/players and recreational program teams/players, with the exception of the Club’s US Soccer Academy primary teams that are excluded from participating in any other program, must be registered with an Illinois Youth Soccer member league.

The Club must actively support Illinois Youth Soccer programs and encourage their players to participate in the Illinois Olympic Development Program.

The Club must place Illinois Youth Soccer logo and link on its website.

Coaching Education
All the Club’s competitive coaches must have the following US Soccer Federation licenses:

All U9-U12 coaches must have at least an ‘E’ License
All U13 and up coaches must have at least a ‘D’ License
All Directors of Coaching must have at least a ‘C’ License AND a National Youth License
Referee Development
All referees including assistant referees that the Club assigns must have a US Soccer license

Risk Management
The Club must meet all of the following Illinois Youth Soccer risk management criteria:

All goals used by the Club, whether they are in use or not, must be anchored and stored according to the goal manufacturer’s safety standards. All fields, nets and equipment must be safe.
All coaches, assistant coaches, administrative staff, board members, referees and all affected persons 18 or older must submit a background check.
All coaches must submit a certificate to the Club showing that they have successfully completed the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Heads Up Concussion test.
All coaches must use the Illinois Youth Soccer Concussion Notification Form.

Parent Education and Sideline Behavior
The Club must certify and document that it has a parent behavior program in place.