The program is geared towards 5-7 year old boys and girls with a natural coordination and affinity towards sports.  We will also look at 4 year olds who show early and natural athletisism.  Sometimes the U7 and U8 teams will be combined, but the U6 teams are kept separate.  Each team consists of 6 - 8 players.

The program includes a fall and spring season league consisting of about 10 games each season.  The games are played in the Sandy area on Friday evenings and Saturdays.  There are usually two divisions, a higher and lower, per age group. This allows skill levels to be most appropriately combined.  The games are structured with small goals, no goalies, on a 20 x 40 yard field.

Practices takes place year round, with short breaks throughout the year for holidays and season transitions.  Practices are a minimum of once a week for hour long sessions.  Some coaches have offered a second optional practice for certain stretches of the season for those interested.  Attending at least 1 practice a week is the minimum requirement, with communication when events cannot be attended.  This is above and beyond the 1 games (occasionally 2 games) a week that are played for the 6-week Spring/Fall 4v4 league and any winter indoor league.  All games are generally Fridays and Saturdays at various times of day.

With the demand of the Elite Academy program it is suggested to withdraw your child from recreation soccer teams, but, if time allows, the boy or girl can continue to participate with their rec team.  If there are overlapping time commitments, it is expected to have the child attend the Academy event.

Tryouts are held during the summer to determine player placement.  We do make every attempt to place every interested boy or girl on a team, but occasionally cuts are required.  In age groups where multiple teams are formed, there will be a 1st and 2nd level team in order to place similar skill levels together for optimum individual and team development.  We cannot promise to place friends together on the same team.

All teams have an assigned, licensed, experienced coach. It is Impact's firm belief that the earlier kids are exposed to quality coaching the easier it will be for them to transition to a competition team environment. Our coaches quickly instill crucial fundamentals tactics and techniques, and more structured practice formats.

Annual cost for the Elite Academy has been around $500, payable as a 1-time fee or through 3 installments. This includes coaching fees, 4v4 league fees, and training facilities.  This does not include any indoor winter league fees that some coaches choose to participate in.  It also does not include the uniform.  Parents are expected to purchase 2 jersey's that can be picked up from Soccer International.

There are generally 3 to 4 different locations used for practices and games. For outdoor practices, the fields are generally at Bonneville Junior High School or the nearby Spring Lane Elementary. On occasion, coaches use the fields more central in the valley around the Murray/West Jordan area. Practices during the winter have been held at Riverbend Sports Complex off California Avenue in west Salt Lake City. The 4v4 league games are held at an elementary school in the Sandy area. 

Impact will provide all practice equipment, including a ball to use while practicing.  It is highly encouraged for each player to have their own ball to do at-home training, but it is not required to bring for practices or games.  The player will need to provide their own soccer cleats and shin gaurds, along with practice wear and game uniforms.  Game uniforms are purchased separate from the main program fees. Details will be provided.

Q. What days will practices be?
A. Will depend on coach schedule, TBD

Q. How long will practices run for?
A. 1 hour

Q. What other equipment do teams need?
A. Teams will need benches and canopy but will be determined on a team by team basis based on pre-existing equipent parents may have.


Q. How extensive of a management structure do these teams need compared to competition teams?
A. Minimal. Best practice is to have one team manager to help with schedule coordination and team communication

Q. How do I register for a team once assigned?
A. We will have a registration link and player assignment code once teams have been selected. Payment will be made online similar to recreation and competition fees

Q. Are there tournaments?
A. No. We may organize a winter indoor round robin if there's enough interest

Q. What if I'm out of town for 2nd tryout?
A. When we assign players we'll work with coaches to follow up with any out of town availability

Q. Will there be cuts so that we won’t have a team at all to play on?
A. We will attempt to place every player but due to some of the team sizes not everyone will be assigned a team...we'll form as many teams as makes sense provided there is a commitment from players