Travel Team Program: U8 – U19

Lightning Soccer Club offers Travel Teams for ages U8 – U18. In the fall season we host teams for U8 - U14. In the spring we add teams for U15 and up. The teams are comprised of the top players per respective age group (18-22 players for 11 v 11 teams, 14-16 players for 8v8 teams, 12-16 players for 6v6 teams).

Travel Teams compete in the Granite State Youth Soccer League in New Hampshire or a premier regional league, the New England Premiership. Teams also participate in one regional tournament in the fall and one in the spring. Highly competitive teams U12 and older are entered in State Cup Tournament in the spring to determine the top club team in the state who will then represent New Hampshire at the US Youth Soccer Region 1 Championships.

Teams practice at least 2x per week in the fall and spring seasons, have games on the weekend (usually 8 games per season – 4 home and 4 away), participate in at least 1 tournament per season, and, if they qualify, in post-season championship matches.

Fall season begins in mid to late August and runs to early November. Fall teams participate in an annual Columbus Day Tournament in October in Nashua, NH. Winter training is an additional training opportunity for Lightning players. Winter training offerings will be posted closer to the winter season. The spring season begins with early season training Feb-March (indoors). Games in the spring season begin in mid-April and run through June. All teams U11 and older also participate in a regional tournament over Memorial Day weekend in Needham, MA. Summer camps and clinics are posted on the website prior to each summer season.

Home games for U13 - U18 teams take place at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, NH. Home games for U8-U12 teams take place in Hanover, NH at Fullington Farm fields, Kimball Union Academy, or Veteran's Field in Sunapee, NH (see Field Directions). Away games in the Granite State League are typically in southeast NH, 1-2 hours away.  Away games for teams in the New England Premiership league may require further travel to neighboring states (VT, MA, ME), but generally are within 2 hours drive.

Tryouts are held in May-June for fall teams, and in Oct-November for all teams. New players should register online and will be contacted via email about the time and location of the training sessions for their age team, and they will receive contact information for the head coach and Team Manager. To learn more about the selection process, go to our FAQ page.

Player Pool is a training-only option offered to motivated players who wish to improve their skills to compete at the travel level. Pool players participate in training but do not compete in games. Many of our older players started their Lightning careers on the Player Pool and through their hard work and effort earned a spot on a travel team.

Depending on the age of a team and the determination of the head coach and our Director of Coaching, a player may be designated as an "Alternate" for a team, which means he/she will participate in training and may be invited to compete in games as space permits (if another player is sick or can not make a game). 

Please refer to the FAQ section for answers to many other questions parents have asked over the years!

Fees: 
Please see our Pricing Page for current season costs.