Windy City Wanderers FA

I’ve played with WCW for only a season and a half, but if it were solely up to me, my team wouldn’t play with any other soccer organization. You can definitely tell that WCW pays attention to every detail of organizing soccer leagues, as their facilities have been impeccable, officials fair (and actual certifed refs versus the randoms that just show up and have no idea about rules) and competition has always been formidable. And, they don’t waste their time with any other sport, unlike other sports groups.
If anyone has concerns about a call made by the official or general gameplay, the league organizers are always available to hear about/​address our concerns, which is also contrary to other leagues, who rarely have anyone representing the organization onsite. Not to mention, these guys are awesome — they know the game, they care about the game, and they want everyone to have a good time and great experience.

This is a review for the bus trips they organize to Chicago Fire games.
I purchased a bus ride with beer and a ticket to the Fire game through a groupon. It was one of the worst organized events I have ever been on. First, beer on the bus meant they handed you a can of miller lite when you walked on. No refills. They were very unorganized in making the stops and getting everything together. It took forever at each stop. The woman at the front who was an organizer actually denied having anything to do with the cluster F the ride was turning in to. They got us to the game late, and we missed the first goal. The Fire game was good, but they don’t have anything to do with that.
The bus ride home was just as bad. They driver got going the wrong way on the expressway. Then he was wandering around bridgeport for a while trying to get us back on track. Meanwhile the bus is making a clunking sound, and I’m thinking it sounds like a U-​joint about to go. He then is lost or taking the dumbest route I can imagine back to the first stop when the U-​joint completely lets go and the bus is DOA at Michigan and Randolph! I couldn’t believe it. It was kind of the cherry on top! At that point half of the bus just piles out like it’s on fire to get away from this mess. I’m sure the other half didn’t realize that bus wasn’t going to be fixed anytime soon.
So yeah, I seriously think this was the worst organized event like this I have ever attended!

This review is based solely on WCW FA Chicago Fire bus trips they organize, or don’t, rather.
We were supposed to take off from the first location at 4:45 p.m. We didn’t depart until after 5 p.m. And just like that — the whole shebang turned into a shit show.
Each stop (four total) became longer and longer. People wandered on and off of the bus searching for seats but were eventually forced to stand in the aisles because every spot was taken.
Then, the beer… I agree with Jason J’s review wholeheartedly, but since we got on at the first bar/​location, we had plenty of Miller Lite…
Until they ran out of it.
And when we finally approached Toyota Park… we were late (missed the first goal, even!)
The WCW FA page says, «These buses are 100% reliable. As soccer fans ourselves, we know how important this is.»
I kindly disagree, sirs, for this experience was more like 20 percent reliable.

I play both in their womens and co-​ed leagues, and this league is definitely a class act. If you want to play GOOD soccer, you go to WCW. The refs are the best and the staff listens to player feedback. To run a good league there are a lot of costs, so the high price is a big down-​side, but with so many bars sponsoring leagues these days, there are certainly ways to soften the blow.

Chicago LFC have been playing with Windy City Wanderers since the Winter of 2008 and we’re still with them because the WCW pitches, venues, variety of competitions, events and the fun games are what we still enjoy week in week out!
When I first started the team, in addition to the Chicago LFC Supporter’s Club a couple of friends and I formed (
), I called every league there was in Chicago and although some other organisers were helpful it was only Matt Rosine who showed me how much he cared by actually following up and helping me put together a team of Liverpool fans that has stayed together all this time.
Matt has helped us out when we needed more players, tried to work the schedule so we can watch the real LFC and play too and is always following up with us and the rest of the league captains to get our feedback and answer any questions we may have.
Ultimately the thing we enjoy most is the fun spirit that the beautiful game is played in against WCW teams. The refs are of a very high standard and so are the pitches and facilities we play on (YMCA Rauner and Chicago Indoor Soccer).
Definitely a great place to play your football in Chicago — new teams are always forming and looking for new players too! There were 6 teams in our outdoor league last year, this year there is 10!

I first started playing in the WCW in December 2008 a few months after I moved to Chicago. I didn’t know barely anyone when I moved here and was under a stressful job situation, so I felt I needed an outlet to release some stress.
I joined an indoor team of individual players and while we lost almost every game that season, I had a real blast. Since that time, a core group of that original team has stayed together and continue to play as one of the mainstay teams in the league. I know this has been the case with a few other teams of individuals as well. I’ve played every co-​ed indoor and outdoor season since that time and have really enjoyed it.
Matt, the league’s organizer is great and very accessible and open to feedback, unlike a lot of the other leagues in the city. The people who play in the league are also genuinely cool. The organization is definitely a little community.
During the winter, the Friday night indoor mini-​tournaments are always good time, though unfortunately I wasn’t able to play as much this winter as last.
The one criticism I would have is field location. The facilities are of high quality, but some (NOT all) are really far away and pretty difficult to get to if you don’t have a vehicle. Most of the time you can manage to get a carpool from someone on your team, so it turns out not to be a problem.
All in all, really well run and enjoyable league.

Very good soccer league organization. Good competition, sufficiently organized, slightly more expensive than other leagues, soccer focused.

This is a review for their men’s league. It is probably the best soccer league in Chicago, if you’re looking for 90 minutes of competition. There are a lot of division one players here, people who are serious about the game and who play team ball. I played on a team with a guy who was semi-​pro in Spain! They have 3 refs per game and they are good referees, especially compared to Sportsmonster, which is a joke. They play at Hawthorne (near Midway airport) and the Rauner YMCA in Pilsen, both FieldTurf and in good shape. I hear they have indoor leagues too. The only problem — they are expensive, and my knees aren’t getting any younger…