ISC Lightning
Intermediate Youth Soccer Program
Ages: 6 to 8 years of Age

Purpose of the ISC Lightning Program:
The ISC Lightning program is one of the ISC's intermediate soccer programs.  Our primary goal is to make sure that all of the kids have fun in a healthy and age appropriate environment.  For players that want to continue to play soccer beyond the recreational level, players need to be challenged to to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to enjoy the game.  If players don't continue to learn new skills, they won't have fun playing soccer.  This is a very important age for players to develop the skills necessary to be competent at the game.  If players do not receive the proper instruction and motivation at these ages or if they are not presented with the appropriate activities at practice, players will miss an important window of time in which they can develop the skills that will allow them to grow with the game.  Our coaches are expert coaches and they will help the kids grow and improve while still having lots and lots of FUN at every practice.

Goals for the Program: What will players get out of participation in the program?

• Fun
• Exercise
• Social Development
• Soccer Skills Development (Under the direction of expert and experienced coaches)
• Athletic Development under the direction of expert and experienced coaches
• Foundation necessary to thrive at the game of soccer

Age Requirements:
Players must be at least 6-8 years of age to register.   You must be six years old by January 4, 2012 to register for the second session of the ISC Lightning program.  If your child is older than 8 years of age at the time of the start of the second session, which is January 4, 2012, and you want them signed up for an intermediate or advanced ISC program, please contact the ISC Coaching Director, Jon Cook, at jon.cook@iowasoccerclub.com.


Who is this program best suited for?

Any 6-8 year old that enjoys soccer and would like to improve and learn new skills.  We do not require that the participants in our ISC Lightning program have played in our recreational/beginner program called the ISC Academy prior to joining the Lightning program.   Although the ISC Lightning program does teach concepts and skills that are more advanced than what is covered in the ISC Academy program, the program is open to all children 6-8 years of age that are interested. 

Although we believe that the program does prepare young kids for our advanced year round programs, most 6-8 year old children aren't thinking about preparing for anything, they just want to have fun.  This program will teach the skills of soccer in a fun way that all kids will find enjoyable, but at the same time, parents should feel comfortable knowing that we will be preparing those kids that might want to move on in the future to our Advanced Year Round programs. 

How many players can we accept for the Winter/Spring 2012 Session?
20

Why do we only accept 20 players for this program?
For players 6-8 years of age, the number of coaches to players needs to be greater than we would need with players 9-10 years of age.  In the ISC we feel that for the youngest ages, such as 6-8 year olds, the player to coach ratio needs to better than we would need with older players due to the attention span of young children and due to the stage of devolpment in terms of cognitive, social, and motor development.  In order for the kids to get adequate attention and to receive the proper instruction we need to cap the numbers that we can accept for this program.   

Coaching:
The Iowa Soccer Club was started in 1997 to provide expert soccer coaches for ALL of our soccer programs.  Whether your child plays in our recreational, intermediate, or advanced programs, our goal is to provide the best and most experienced coaches.  We take great pride and we devote considerable resources and time to hire, train, and develop coaches who are qualified to work with young soccer players.  Too many sports organizations put very little emphasis on the youngest players, in the ISC we believe that the youngest players need excellent coaching.  We demand a high standard of teaching and coaching from our professional staff in order to ensure a positive and healthy experience that is developmentally appropriate for the Lightning kids.

Cost for Program:
$220

Duration of the 2012 Winter and Spring ISC Lightning Program
January-May 
(One practice per week except for two weeks in March)

Number of Winter/Spring 2012 Lightning Sessions:
20 Practices

Practice Schedule
January 4, 11, 18, 25
February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
March 7, 28
April 4, 11, 18, 25
May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Practice Times:
All practices will run from 5:15 to 6:30 PM.


Practice Locations:
January-March:  Practices during January through March will be held indoors at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center located on Prairie Meadow Drive on the west side of Iowa City.

April-May:  Practices during the months of April through May will be held outdoors at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields on Hawkeye Park Road off of Mormon Trek Road on the west side of Iowa City. 


To Register for the Winter/Spring 2012 ISC Lightning Program, please click here: