About Us

Where Did We Come From?

Windy City Wanderers FC (Football Club), affectionately known as 'WCW', started off with humble beginnings in August 2006.

Matt Rosine’s simple idea was to create a club where a group could get together at least once a week, and always be guaranteed that enough people would turn up and get a good game of soccer going. 

Many groups had existed before where some weeks ten people would show, other weeks only three, some weeks none. WCW wanted to be the first place that Chicago could rely on to always be playing soccer, week in week out.

August 13th was WCW's inception, and nobody knew how many people would show up to “Our First Kickabout in the Park”. As a few people started to trickle into our designated meeting place, our first home at Grant Park, Matt was happy that there would at least be enough people for a small game. Mission accomplished! Eventually, 25 people stood there, waiting to play. At that time, this was an overwhelming number! Thinking fast, several smaller games of individual skill level were set up (beginner, intermediate and advanced), and the very first WCW games began. This method of dividing people up still exists to this day.

Photo taken on Day One of WCW - The Original Group

As the summer of 2006 continued, word spread that around the city that a large group of people where playing regular soccer in Grant Park. People told their friends, who told their friends. Not only were these people playing fun soccer, but they were actually friendly! Plus, females could show up and play with other females, and not be intimidated by all-male groups.

As attendance grew, so did the need to establish more of a structure. Timed games were introduced, as were mass half times and water breaks. This also enabled everyone to get to know each other more and make new friends.

By the first spring game of 2007, over 100 people were regularly showing up to play organized Pickup soccer. Midweek games were added and a small WCW branch was established out in the near west suburbs. By now, just eight months later, hundreds of people were playing with WCW in games 6 days a week, costing just $1 per game - and the club was able to purchase it's first goals (up to now, trash cans had been used!), pinnies, cones and balls. 

With so many people playing every week, Matt decided that the club could attempt to use the numbers as a force for good. In August of 2007, WCW hosted it's first charity tournament in aid of the Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. Many teams played over the course of 12 hours competing for the Trophy. The Chicago Fire were in attendance with two of their players, and also Sparky the mascot! At the end of the day, WCW had raised nearly $10,000 for BBBS of Chicago, and it was a huge success.

This 'Big Tournament' was the pinnacle moment in the history of WCW. It was realized that maybe, just maybe WCW was sitting on something huge - the possibility of being at the forefront of soccer in Chicago and providing amazing soccer playing opportunities as a full time venture.

In October of 2007, Matt Rosine incorporated the club, now Windy City Wanderers FC, LLC, and quit his marketing career in downtown Chicago to work on WCW full time. Everything you see on this website is a result of everything that happened between then and now. 

To find out why WCW exists, click here.