Heart of the City

Heart of the City offers Grassroots Community Outreach Clinics with free introductory soccer experiences for boys and girls ages 4-14. It also offers a Recreational Soccer Academy for boys and girls ages 4-14 that teaches soccer fundamentals and includes teamwork, communication, and decision-making. HOTC Elite Academy offers competitive travel soccer for boys and girls ages 12-19 with academic support, college prep, career readiness, leadership and mentorship training, college soccer recruitment, and other youth development programming.

Programs

• Heart of the City Grassroots Community Outreach Clinics — Boys & Girls ages 4-14 · Free introductory soccer experiences at no cost; focused on player development and fun, free-flowing activities.
• Recreational Soccer Academy — Boys & Girls ages 4-14 · Designed to teach youth the fundamentals of soccer in a safe, supportive environment with an emphasis on social-emotional skills such as teamwork, communication and decision-making.
• HOTC Elite Academy - Travel Soccer and College & Career Readiness — Boys & Girls ages 12-19 · Competitive travel soccer with academic support, college prep, career readiness, leadership/mentorship training, college soccer recruitment and other youth development programming.
• HOTC Elite — boys and girls from U8 to U19 · Competitive travel soccer program for the 2026-27 season.
• HOTC Academy Satellite Soccer Programs

At a glance

• Ages: 4–18 years old
• General schedule: Elite 2026 Fall Practice Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday with listed age-group practice times; HOTC Academy Satellite Soccer Programs sessions on 9/8/2026, 9/9/2026, 9/10/2026, 9/14/2026, and 9/15/2026.

About the provider

Heart of the City was founded by community members in 2014. The organization says it serves the Lake County community, including Waukegan, Gurnee, Zion, North Chicago, Round Lake, Highland Park, Highwood, and other nearby communities. Its leadership team includes Director of Sporting Operations Letisia Gutierrez and Sporting Director Dean Smith. The organization states that it uses experienced USSF licensed coaches, including former college players and ODP coaches.

The organization states affordable fees, scholarship opportunities, and flexible payment plans. It also states that the program has a positive and inclusive learning environment and emphasizes health & wellness, social-emotional learning, post-secondary readiness & workforce development, college soccer recruitment, and family engagement.

What families say

“My favorite part of being with Heart of the City is that they truly care about their players. They want us to be successful on the field, but also in life and help prepare us for the future. The fact that they care has been the most impactful for me because no other team I know cares enough to think about their players once they get off the field.” — Mariana Tejeda, Heart of the City Athlete

“I love what y’all do here. It’s not about winning at all cost. My son was playing at a different soccer league and he would say ‘Dad this isn’t fun’. Here the coaches are a lot more involved teaching all the players and moving them around in different positions. You can see they care about developing players.” — Brandon K., Soccer Academy parent

Last updated August 24, 2026.