Exceptional Fire Academy players are designated as Fire homegrown players and are eligible to be signed directly to the first team. Since the Academy was formed in August 2007, 10 products have been signed to Fire first team contracts. Bollingbrook native Victor Pineda became the first Academy product to sign a homegrown contract in 2010, followed by Kellen Gulley, Harrison Shipp, Chris Ritter, Collin Fernandez, Patrick Doody, Joey Calistri, and current first team players Drew Connor, Djordje Mihailovic and Grant Lillard.