Many soccer parents and their children spend hours in the car during the winter driving to indoor soccer venues so that players can keep their skills on par before the upcoming spring season. But most of the time, that means driving to Tukwila, Kent or Redmond. This year, though, Islanders don’t have to venture so far to find a indoor program designed to help players get better.

Jennifer Kaye, a mom whose son loves the game, has partnered her organization, Performance Soccer, with the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club to offer an indoor soccer program at the PEAK gym during the school district’s winter break.

“I thought it might be nice to have something to do in the winter,” she said, especially if it means not having to drive down to the Starfire Complex.

During the program, which is open to players ages 5 through 18, there will be four different clinics running in the gym, which is large enough to give everyone plenty of space.

Players and coaches with plenty of experience are coming from the United Kingdom to teach the students, including Stephen Potter, Chris Sheridan and Mark Logue, who have all played at a semi-professional level in England.

Logue plays for his university team, as does Sheridan, while Potter is a coach for the women’s team at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Kaye said she worked with some of the trainers earlier in the year who helped her son learn more about the game.

“My son loved it,” she said.

The program, which also offers team training for groups that will be competing in the spring, is already registering. Kaye said if all goes well, she expects it to be back in the spring.

Students in the 5 to 8 age group will practice from 9 a.m. to noon, Dec. 20-23, and Dec. 27-30, while students ages 9 to 12 will go from 1 to 4 p.m. on the same days. Players ages 12 through 18 will be in an evening clinic from 7 to 8 p.m. The clinic is $165 or $200 for teams in the 12 to 18 age group. Drop-ins for the oldest age group are also possible, Kaye said, at $25 an hour.

Private sessions are also available for players and teams by calling (206) 432-1104.

Anyone interested can register online at mi.positiveplace.org or by calling (206) 232-4548.