With roughly a year and a half remaining before the next presidential election, soccer moms generally are being overlooked by politicians and the national media.

But, that's not the case at Marquette University.

The Golden Eagles men's and women's soccer teams are presenting the first "Soccer Mom" Camp. Proceeds from the event, which will be held at Valley Fields, will benefit KICKS against Breast Cancer.

Stan Anderson, the associate men's coach, said the idea was hatched during lunch.

"We were down at Sobelman's and we were talking about our camps and different things and we decided 'What about this?'" said Anderson, whose sister is a breast cancer survivor.

"One thing led to another. Within five minutes, we ran it past their wait staff and we had the soccer mom camp."

The camp includes two tiers. For $50, moms (and women over the age of 18), can attend a two-hour session on Friday night April 27 that will include a soccer clinic and tournament, boxercise / aerobics, competitions for a spa gift certificate and a T-shirt.

For $135, campers can show up on April 27 and the four Friday nights during May. All sessions will run from 6 to 8 p.m., and the focus will be on participation, camaraderie and the battle against breast cancer.

"This is something that I hope can take care of some people," Anderson said. "There are other people who have been affected by breast cancer."

Anderson said the event will be "soccer-based," but also fun for participants, who are invited to bring their children to the sessions in May. "We'll put them through a warmup and they're going to play small-sided (five-on-five and six-on-six) games," he said. "Their kids will be with our players and they'll be reading and playing games of their own.

"It's going to be a lot of fun."

As of last week, 50 people had signed up for the camp, which is endorsed by former U.S. National Team star and current L.A. Galaxy player Landon Donovan.

"Though I've been fortunate enough to not have anybody close to me affected by breast cancer, I believe it's very important to be aware of the dangers of this terrible disease," Donovan said. "I was raised by a single mother, I have a twin sister and I am recently married, so I am very conscious about the health of the important women in my life.

"I completely support the efforts of the Kicks Against Breast Cancer campaign and I am proud to be a spokesperson."

"The response has been great," Anderson said. "The community has hopped behind it tremendously. We've got sponsors giving things away to these ladies every night."

On the last night of the camp, there will be a cookout and campers will experience a "game night" atmosphere complete with a public address announcer, music and the like.

"This is going to be a good time," Anderson said. "Kudos to (assistant coach) Khaled El-Ahmad, EC Miracles and his staff of volunteers who have done a fantastic job organizing this festival."