Confession: I put off making this list of women’s sports teams in Chicago because I figured that it must already exist elsewhere and I didn’t want to duplicate efforts.
Yeah, not so much.
I don’t know why I’m surprised: Female athletes make less money, get less exposure and are less likely to get lucrative sponsorship deals than their male counterparts. Even when they’re winning more games and doing more in their communities. In fact, of the 100 highest paid athletes in the world in 2023, none were women. None. So, yeah, no list.
Until now.
It’s up to all of us to turn this runaway train around, and I hope to see y’all at an upcoming match (I’ll be the one yelling “Go Sports!” at the top of my lungs).
Let the games begin!
Chicago Red Stars
Sport: Soccer
League: Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPSL)
Where they play: Toyota Park
Season starts: March 14, 2025, at Orlando; home opener is at 4 p.m. on March 23
Chicago Sky
Sport: Basketball
League: Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Where they play: Wintrust Arena
Season starts: May 17, 2025, at Indiana Fever; home opener is at 7 p.m. on May 22
Chicago-Style Roller Derby: a merger of The Chicago Outfit and DuPage Derby Dames
Sport: Flat track roller derby
League: Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)
Where they play: Coachlite Skate Center in Roselle, 1291 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
Don’t miss: Recruitment night, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 10, 2025, at Coachlite Skate Center
Season opener: TBD
Chicago Tempest
Sport: Rugby
League: Women’s Elite Rugby (WER)
Where they play: TBD
Season starts: March 2025
ICYMI: We’ve been keeping an eye on the team since it was announced in August 2024.
Windy City Rollers
Sport: Flat track roller derby
League: Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)
Where they play: Max McCook Athletic & Expo, 4750 Vernon Ave., La Grange
Playoffs: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, February 8, 2025
Final event of the season: Ivy King Cup Roller Derby Championship, 6 p.m. on March 1, 2025, at UIC Credit Union 1 Arena
Don’t miss our ode to roller derby here.
Teams no longer with us:
Chicago Bandits
Sport: Fastpitch Softball
League: National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
Where they played: Chicago Bandits Stadium in Rosemont
NPF Champions 2008, 2011, 2015, 2016
The team folded in 2021 when the NPF disbanded.
Chicago Force
Sport: Women’s Tackle Football
League: Women’s Football Alliance
Where they played: Lazier Field in Evanston
The team ended operations in 2018 with an overall record of 123-29.
Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers
Sport: Arm Wrestling
Where they played: Logan Square Auditorium
Curious about CLLAW? Check out our feature story.
The league held its final bout online in 2020.
Is there a team out there that we’re missing? Let us know!
