We are very excited to have such a great turnout of young
girls who want to develop their soccer skills! We hope to see these girls learn
and grow together for many years to come. One of the wonderful things about
Lightning Soccer is how it brings kids together from all over the Upper Valley
who share a love of the game. This team has girls from Enfield, Hartland,
Hanover, Lebanon, West Lebanon and Norwich! They will wind up on different high
school teams certainly, but we hope they will always enjoy the fun of coming
back together to play with their Lightning friends and to compete against girls
from around the state and across the region.
RSVP:
The next step is to accept
your position on the team by December 15, 2009. To do this you must go to our website and follow the Registration Link for Spring 2010.
If for
some reason your player decides not to accept the position offered, please let
us know ASAP by emailing us at
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Thank you!
Head Coach:
The head coach for this team has yet to be named. We are
talking to a number of exciting and qualified candidates. We will let you know
once someone has been named.
Parent Roles: Team Manager -
Every team needs a Team Manager and we are happy to announce that your team
already has one! Lisa Kable, veteran Lightning parent and Lightning board
member, has offered to fill this role. Team Managers work with the coaches and
with the Lightning organization to provide answers to any questions families
have. A Team Manager is key to keeping everyone informed and organized, at the
right place for practices and games, and with the right gear. We are very
grateful to have such a competent Team Manager already identified. If you have
questions, Lisa’s email is:
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Assistant Coaches
- We encourage parents with a soccer background and with interest in coaching
to volunteer to be Assistant Coaches. It is very helpful to have another set of
hands/eyes/feet at practices and games to assist the head coach. Some parents
have very impressive soccer/soccer coaching backgrounds and can take on more
responsibility in terms of managing games or practices if the head coach has a
conflict, others just love to get out and run around and help. If you are
interested in helping out as an assistant coach, please contact us at
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Team Information:
We have combined the U8s and 9s into one team for this
spring. They will be considered a U9 team so far as the league is concerned. In
this age group only 12 players are permitted to “suit up” for any given game.
Therefore we will divide the team into balanced thirds and only two groups will
attend each match. This will give each player a 6 game schedule, a few home, a
few away, and will result in plenty of travel for parents and players who are
just starting “travel soccer,” as well as a healthy practice-to-game ratio. The
coaches will divide the group into balanced thirds after they have had a few
practices together.
League Information:
Most of the teams in our club compete in the Granite State
Youth Soccer League (GSYSL), and this team will as well. All U8 and U9s are in
the “EDP” division of the league which
stands for “Early Development Program.” This means that there are certain rules
governing the match format. Each game day begins with a mandatory round of 4 v
4 (four players vs. four players) for 30 mins. and then, if the coaches wish,
the format can be switched to 6 v 6 for the next 30 mins., or remain 4 v 4. The
purpose of this is to ensure a lot of playing time for each player and many
touches on the ball. The League does not post standings for this age group and
there are no end-of-season play-offs.
Practice Schedule:
Practices begin in late March at Grantham
Indoor (once per week) and move outside once the turf at KUA
is cleared of snow (end of March) for a couple of Sunday practices. Regular
outdoor practice schedules begin after the April break. At that time practices
will be twice per week, either Mon/Weds or Tues/Thurs. The time and location is
not yet set but is likely to be Huntley Meadows in Norwich, VT or Fullington
Field in Hanover, NH. Practice schedules for spring should be completed by
mid-February.
Game Schedule:
The league sets the game schedule by approximately April 1st;
it is an 8 game schedule. They try to schedule most of the EDP
games on Sundays with games on Saturdays only as needed. Games begin in
mid-April (the 2nd weekend of break) and conclude about when school
is over in mid-June. In addition to the regular league games we may schedule a
few friendlies with other teams if players want more games. This team will not
be enrolled in a tournament over Memorial Day Weekend, although we may poll the
team for interest in participation in a mini one-day tournament.
Spring 2010 Lightning
Fee:
The fee for the spring will be $275, which
includes league fees, field rental costs, coaching fees, referee fees and
soccer kit.
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