Girls Development Program

LSC is introducing a new innovative club soccer program to the Upper Valley, with a focus on high-quality training, local competition, and thoughtful exposure to the college recruiting process. The GDP will be co-led by Lucas Richardson, Girls Varsity Soccer Coach at Kimball Union Academy, and Sasa Cirovic, LSC’s Director of Coaching. 

Eligibility

The Lightning GDP is open to high school-age girls born between 2006 and 2009. While participation is open to all, the goal of the program is to support the development of girls for whom soccer is a primary or close secondary sport and who are playing at a high level in high school and/or considering playing in college. To create a strong training environment, we will form teams of mixed ages based on ability. 

Structure 

  • Dates: The GDP season will run from January 13th to May 18th. The standard routine is two 1.5-hour training sessions per week, most likely Tuesday and Thursday from 6-7:30 pm, and one competition day over the weekend, typically Sunday from 1-3 pm. 

  • Location: The majority of training and competition sessions will be held at the Kimball Union Academy Barn and Pope Turf Field. We will set consistent times once those are scheduled. 

  • Format: 

    • Training: Sessions will focus on technical player development and tactical situational awareness through an intense, scaffolded structure that centers individual growth and healthy competition. 

    • Competition: The weekly “game day” will feature a mixed format, with team composition and size varying between 8v8 and 11v11, with small-sided tournaments mixed in. We may invite high-quality players from outside the club to play and support a strong competitive environment.

    • Tournament Play: The group will participate in two tournaments (most likely one in March, one in April, TBA early 2025): 

Additional Benefits and College Prep: 

  • As part of the GDP, players will have access to game tape and video review sessions using Lightning’s Veo camera, supporting player’s tactical development

  • We will include an injury prevention “pre-hab” program as part of our dynamic warm-up and weekly training routine

  • We will provide guidance and information to players interested in playing college soccer. We are working on inviting college soccer coaches based in New England to visit us in the spring to observe training and competition days. We will also schedule a College Recruiting Q&A session with current college coaches.

Tryout: You must attend the tryout to be selected. The link to register is below.

  • Saturday, December 7, 2024, from 2:00-4:00 pm at Kimball Union Academy Pope Field (Barn as backup for foul weather). 

Program Cost

  • Program Fee: $1,100 

  • Uniform Fee: $175