Tryouts for 2025-26 are May 19-21,2025.  Click here for more information about 2025-26 tryouts.  

Any player whose birth date falls in 2016, 2015, 2014, or 2013 are eligible to play in the 9U-12U program age groups for the 2024-25 seasonal year.

Most Academy teams train 3 times per week on weekdays for 75-90 minutes per training session. Typical times are from 5:30pm to 7:00pm or 7:00pm to 8:30pm at either McCurry Park or Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Field in Fayetteville, or the Peachtree City Athletic Complex in Peachtree City. Training days, times, and locations may vary from time to time depending on the schedules of the coaches and field availability.

In addition to goalkeeping, striker, and other supplemental training opportunities, AFC Lightning's Academy program has an open training policy for those player who desire to train more frequently. We also have many staff coaches who hold individual and small group training sessions for an additional fee.

Academy games are voluntarily scheduled between youth soccer clubs in the Metro Atlanta area. Games are typically held on Saturdays and Sundays during the Fall season from early September through mid November and the Spring season from early March to mid May. Generally teams play one-two games per week.

In addition to regular season games, Academy teams will participate in 3-5  tournaments per year.

Players are selected and teams are formed through an evaluation process that takes place prior to the beginning of the fall season. Our coaching staff evaluates players based on the four components of soccer:

1) Technical  2) Tactical 3) Mental 4) Physical

Players can earn a position on a Lightning Academy team under the following conditions:

Players must possess a minimum level of skill and a maximum level of desire and determination to improve. Players must have regular attendance to training, games, and tournaments.

For training and games, players are placed in pools by skill and ability. This allows for player movement between pools as a player's performance and skill level increases. Training pools will be based on a player to coach ratio in order to provide the optimal environment for proper player development. The pool selection process will be guided by the player’s attitude towards the staff and fellow players and by performance in all games and training sessions. This will be decided at the coach’s discretion and is subject to change from week to week.

The emphasis in training will be on the technical development of the players. This will be accomplished by each player getting a signficant number of touches on the ball, getting players comfortable with the ball at their feet, the encouragement of players to be creative and take opponents on, a development of a passion for the game through a fun training environment, and age appropriate tactical knowledge.

Deciding whether or not your child should play recreational soccer or competitive (“select”) soccer is often a daunting task for parents not familiar with the world of competitive sports. The primary deciding factor that parents should consider when making the select verses recreation decision is whether or not one wishes to accelerate a child’s soccer development in a professionally guided training environment.

In recreational soccer, the focus is most often on social interaction, “having fun” with friends, which often comes at the expense of instruction. In select soccer, the focus in on teaching in an enjoyable manner that is appropriate for the child’s age level. Individual skills and team tactics are taught by high-level, professionally licensed coaches in order to more fully develop the child’s level of play. When it comes to playing at a select level, the end result is young athletes that know how to play soccer at a much higher level than corresponding recreational players.