The Celtic SC competitive program provides a player-centered pathway to develop and inspire intelligent, respectful, and competitive young players. We provide a unique soccer learning environment tailored around how young players learn, so we can produce better players and even better people for our community. Our player-centered approach molds the Celtic player with the skills needed to succeed in competition and the soccer intelligence to make the best decisions possible. Our staff is invested in every player in the club and held to the highest of expectations to provide the best learning environment possible. 

If for any reason you can’t make one of our tryout dates, please let us know you’re interested and we will arrange for you to come for a player evaluation at another time.

All tryouts will be at CELTIC PARK - 1351 N ROHLWING RD

TRYOUT PROCESS

• REGISTER FOR TRYOUTS: All interested players must fill out the tryout registration. Registration LINK
• CELTIC SC EVALUATION: It is recommended, but not required for each player to attend all tryout evaluation nights. Our staff makes all decisions regarding player placement.
• CELTIC SC TEAM FORMATION: Each tryout player is evaluated by staff members (current tryout evaluation staff and previous team staff) and then reviewed at the post tryout meetings. Each coach gives their evaluation on the player followed by team placement decisions.
• CELTIC SC TRYOUT COMMUNICATION: Email invitations will be sent to most players after the final tryout date. Parents and players will have 24 hours to ACCEPT or DECLINE their placement with Celtic SC. Rosters will be sent out once they are finalized. Coaching staff will be announced once all teams have been finalized. If no decision is made in 24 hours, your spot on the team may be offered to someone else. 

If you have any questions regarding the Celtic SC tryout process, please contact Angie Song.

Hi everyone, I’m Andy McDermott, the Director of Soccer at Palatine Celtic Soccer Club.  I’ve been on soccer fields most days for the past 40 years – as a player, coach, and executive in youth and professional soccer – but my most important role is a soccer dad!  All of these experiences and perspectives have combined to motivate me to make Palatine Celtic the best possible soccer environment for each player in our club – from the beginner on their first day, to the advanced player who has earned a scholarship to play in college!

I am very excited to be a part of this bright future.  We have almost 1000 players involved in our Recreational Program, and I am expecting our Competitive Program to grow over the next couple of years to include - at every age group on both the boys and girls sides - a First Team, Second Team, and hopefully a Third Team.  This will allow us to provide the best possible development environment for each player.

With player evaluations and 2023/2024 team formations coming up, I wanted to share a few thoughts on our continued focus on Individual Development in a Successful Team Environment.  We are determined to find the right situation for each player in our club, and we’re committed to offering each player the right combination of Athletic, Technical, and Tactical training to help that player reach their full potential.  This individual emphasis means that we are NOT focused on “winning at all costs.”  I’ve coached all over the country, and I’ve seen countless times how a coach can pick the biggest, fastest players and win games by teaching that team the wrong way to play.  Unfortunately, this leads to two negative outcomes: first, the smaller, “later developers” may walk away from the game because some narrow-minded coach sends them the message that they aren’t good enough.  Second, the “early developers” never acquire the skill and knowledge of how to play the right way, and eventually they get left behind when all the other kids catch up to their early growth rate.  The right answer, of course, is to guide each player in developing the skills and abilities of high-level soccer players, while helping them all to fall in love with the game!  And yes- we will always try to win, but winning should be the result of positive play, not the sole mission of the coaches and parents.

So, what does this mean at Palatine Celtic?  I’d like to share my list of some of the benefits that Celtic has to offer:

• First, I’d put our staff of professional, licensed coaches up against any club around.  As coaches, they’ve led players at all levels, and as players, they’ve been Celtic players themselves, high school varsity state champs, college scholarship earners, and professional players! I love working with these men and women, and I’m honored to have my own children be coached by them.
• Did you know we are one of the only youth soccer clubs in Illinois to have our own lighted soccer facility with FIFA-sized turf and natural grass fields?  It’s even called Celtic Park!
• Our Athletic/Technical/Tactical mindset is not just something we talk about.  Our club training philosophy is built upon it.  Each training session includes:
  • Athletic: our custom-designed Celtic Athleticism Program (CAP) takes each one of our competitive players through the nuts and bolts of running faster, increasing quickness/agility, and developing injury prevention.  It’s not just taught once or twice, but it is practiced and developed in every training session.  I have a lifelong obsession with Performance Training, and did my Mentorship Training at EXOS in Arizona.  Our goal is to maximize the athletic ability of every player at Celtic.  
  • Technical: the second phase of each training session is focused on Ball Mastery.  This includes learning and practicing the ability to control the ball, pass the ball, and shoot the ball.  Our goal is for every player in our club to become so comfortable on the ball that they are able to solve their own problems, work their way out of trouble, and have the confidence to take risks on the field.  NOTE: We are also creating a video series on Celtic Soccer Homework, which will be extra 10-15 minute skill acquisition challenges that Celtic players can complete at home.  Spending time with the ball is critical for young players, and we want to enable them to develop as quickly as possible.
  • Tactical: the third phase of each session will be teaching the knowledge and ability of players to interact with other humans on the field- teammates and opponents.  Our mission here will be to increase the “Soccer IQ” of every player, so that they are prepared and confident in unpredictable situations.
• Winter Training.  Moving forward, our winter training will be designed specifically for the individual development of each player.  This will consist of three main focuses:   
  • Futsal Training, led by Coach Philip Surprise, who along with playing professionally in the MLS and MASL Indoor Soccer, was a member of our US National Futsal Team.
  • Speed and Strength Training – led by me and our trained coaching staff, to increase athleticism and strengthen bodies for performance and injury prevention.
  • Ball Mastery and Small-Sided Games - We have a professional-level 180’ x 90’ turf fieldhouse at Falcon Park Community Center for small-sided games and training.  We’ll have dedicated game, finishing, and goalkeeping sessions each week, along with our futsal and speed/strength work. 
• We compete in the top leagues and tournaments available, and we’re always evaluating new opportunities to see what is the best environment for each one of our teams.
• Lastly – I’ll invite you to compare the costs of joining Celtic with the costs of any other club in the area.  I think you’ll agree that we offer incredible value as we are less expensive and we offer top-level coaching, facilities, and opportunities for all levels.  I know how important this value is to many families; I have four young soccer players myself! 

Thanks for considering Celtic.  We are not just a soccer club, we are a community with a positive culture.  We’d love for you to join us!