The Orland Park Soccer Club (OPSC) was founded in 1976 by a group of parents and soccer fans that wanted to augment the existing Orland Park Recreation and Parks Department soccer programs. This group sought to improve the Recreation and Parks Department programs to better serve the needs of the children of Orland Park, and to provide a structured environment that fostered each child's soccer skills and enjoyment of the game. The club was organized as a non-profit community organization, and still remains so today. Managed by an all-volunteer board of directors, the club is organized into two groups: recreational and competitive. This grouping recognizes the individual skills of the player, and provides an opportunity to further develop a player's skills and the opportunity to play soccer at the appropriate competitive level.
The various programs offered by the OPSC have provided many of the local high schools with a pool of talented, experienced soccer players. In fact, the vast majority of the members of the 1993, 2001 and 2002 Carl Sandburg High School's boys state champion soccer teams grew up in the Orland Park Soccer Club.
The OPSC competitive teams play in the Northern Illinois Soccer League and the Illinois Women's Soccer League. They have consistently played in the most competitive divisions of these leagues.
The OPSC has been committed to providing educational opportunities for players and coaches since its inception. Training programs are provided for all skill levels, from the first-time coach or player to the more experienced. Annually, the OPSC sponsors IYSA coaching certificate seminars when coaches can earn their certification. The OPSC has been dedicated to the training of referees by sponsoring annual Illinois Referee Association classes for new referees and on the ongoing certification of referees.
The OPSC, in cooperation with the Village of Orland Park Recreation and Parks Department, has developed facilities that are considered to be the best in the southwest suburbs. This united effort has lead to the development of a state of the art indoor soccer arena. This facility opened in 2002.
Working closely with the Village of Orland Park, the founders' objectives are still being pursued by the board of directors of the OPSC. Simply stated:
" To provide the best facilities and programs for the children of Orland Park to play soccer."
Revised 12/19/2006