Fire owners Andrew Hauptman stands on a turf field under the Fire Pitch dome as youth players run through a practice session last week. (Chronicle Media photo)

Fire Pitch may be tricky to locate, tucked along the east bank of the Chicago River just north of Addison Street on the city’s North Side.

But officials of the Chicago Fire soccer club expect that seclusion won’t last as their new indoor/outdoor complex becomes a hot spot for soccer in the city.

They also hope to stoke more interest in the Fire, a Major League Soccer team that plays at least 17 home games a season at suburban Toyota Park.

“The concept is like a (soccer) community center of sorts,” said team owner Andrew Hauptman, the Los Angeles-based investor who has owned the team since 2007. “We’re able to use this facility to market the first team. … But it also binds us together and stands for certain values and makes a difference in the community.”

Last week the Fire hosted a series of dedication events at the $20 million center, officially called PrivateBank Fire Pitch, including a Thursday gathering for season ticket holders and other fans.

A exterior view of the The PrivateBank Fire Pitch brick-and-mortar building featuring a restaurant/bar, team merchandise story, offices, meeting space and a workout facility. (Chronicle Media photo)

Hauptman was convinced his dream of a city facility for instructional, recreational and competitive amateur play would work. And he shepherded Fire Pitch through a complicated process from concept to reality.

“To see a vision come to life, that’s been really thrilling and exciting,” he said.

The best part for the Fire is operational control of all aspects of the center, unlike current lease arrangements for the pro soccer team and ancillary operations at Bridgeview’s Toyota Park.

Located on a five-acre site between the North Branch of the Chicago River and North Talman Ave., The PrivateBank Fire Pitch is located halfway between Wrigley Field and the Kennedy Expressway. Lane Tech High School, Chicago Park District facilities and the Kerry Wood Cubs Field complex are just a few hundred yards away.

The PrivateBank Fire Pitch has been open for soccer games and training for months. But the full center only recently came on line with completion of a brick-and-mortar structure featuring a restaurant/bar, merchandise store, team offices and meeting space plus workout and locker facilities.

“It’s been about 18 months in the making,” said Atul Khosla, the Fire’s chief operating officer who also oversees  The PrivateBank Fire Pitch. “You spend so much time picking materials and looking over drawings and changing them about 100 times. To finally see this come together is fantastic.”

A variety of Chicago Fire team merchandise is available inside the The PrivateBank Fire Pitch building. (Chronicle Media photo)

The top tier Fire team has struggled on the field in recent years. They went 8-20 with six ties — worst in MLS — this past season. But Fire Pitch appears to have all the makings of a hit.

The organization projects more than 250,000 annual visitors to the year-round facility, which features indoor soccer under an inflatable dome in colder months and outdoor competition the rest of the year.

“We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of people (coming through) every year, it’s sort of the scale of a museum in the city,” Hauptman said.

Even as the team hosted parties last week in Pub97 — Fire Pitch’s spacious restaurant/bar — a steady stream of kids and coaches took to the nearby artificial turf fields for training and games.

“What’s been most exciting is the reaction of kids coming in, of parents coming in, of rec league players coming in,” Khosla said. “Everyone takes a step in and says ‘Oh my God, wow,’ and that is probably the most fulfilling reaction.”

The Fire say field time is filling up and now ponder if perhaps the center could have been even larger.

Atul Khosla, the Fire’s chief operating officer, also oversees The PrivateBank Fire Pitch. (Chronicle Media photo)

“We’ve had this place open for only a few weeks and in those few weeks we effectively book the entire year of prime time hours,” Hauptman said. “If we had the space, we could have had triple the size of this.”

The PrivateBank Fire Pitch currently features varying sizes of brightly lit artificial turf fields beneath a 100,000 square-foot inflatable dome.

During warmer months, Fire Pitch will have a footprint of up to 125,000 square feet of playable outdoor space, including two full-size regulation fields.

The center had a soft opening earlier this year and the MLS team held some early season indoor practices. The Fire’s Academy and Fire Juniors City teams are using it as home base.

The organization hopes The PrivateBank Fire Pitch’s acceptance and success will have a ripple effect that also builds interest in the MLS team.

“This is our home in the city, we get an opportunity to engage with the soccer community in the heart of the city on a year-round basis,” Khosla said. “(And) if you’re not a fan or not a supporter or not a season ticket holder, you get to spend some time with us. My hope is very simple, that you like us and enjoy spending time and you come out to Toyota Park and watch the team play.”

All or parts of  The PrivateBank Fire Pitch are available for rental for parties, games or corporate functions.

More information is available at fire-pitch.com or by calling (773) 327-3473.

— Chicago Fire return to city with new North Side soccer complex —