Host a tournament in Chicago
Three Chicago grounds each need a home: North/North-West, West Metro and South Metro. Whoever takes one stages the entire Pitch Round for as many as 128 amateur sides, from 9 April to 9 May 2027, while MCC brings the format, the draw, the entries and the $20,000 Pitch Champion prize. Operators of park turf, fieldhouses and domes across Cook County and the collar counties are the audience for this page.
What taking a Chicago ground means
A Chicago venue gives the ground its pitch time. Group matches fill three April weekends, playoffs follow from 30 April, and the final closes the round on 9 May. Every match has a forty-minute slot, and the ground itself holds anywhere from 64 to 128 teams. MCC brings the format, the draw and the entries; the venue brings the pitches.
Which area a Chicago venue fits
North/North-West is the lakefront north side with Evanston, Skokie and Park Ridge, stretching to Schaumburg. West Metro is Oak Park, Cicero, Oak Brook and Naperville. South Metro is Hyde Park, Bridgeview, Orland Park and the south suburbs. A site belongs to whichever area it stands in, and the live cards on the Chicago page tell an operator whether that ground is still open.
How to apply from Chicago
Chicago venues apply through the pitch owner application. MCC then confirms a single venue for each ground and signs an agreement with it. The venue's name goes up on the Chicago page only after that signing, and the live cards there show which grounds are taken and which remain open.
Questions from Chicago venues
Which dates does a Chicago venue have to host?
Matches run from Friday 9 April to Sunday 9 May 2027: group weekends from 9 April, 16 April and 23 April, playoffs from 30 April, and the ground's final on the last day. A slot is 40 minutes long.
Does the venue need to be inside the city limits?
No. The grounds cover the metro area, so a suburban site in Naperville or Skokie fits its ground as well as a city park. Teams will tend to pick the ground closest to them.
Who provides referees and teams at a Chicago ground?
Neither comes from the venue. A referee, two assistants and a fourth official, plus the crew, are recruited through MCC's join page, and teams register on this site. A venue provides the pitches and the hours for the fixtures.