As soccer continues to become a growing trend, not only worldwide, but right here in the United States as well, Havre continues to take big strides in advancing the sport's participation and popularity.
This summer the five-day British Soccer camp returned to the Hi-Line. The camp ran Aug. 8 through Aug. 12 at the Havre High soccer fields, with two sessions a day. The morning session brought in 6-14 year old campers, while the evening session brought in 14-19 year old campers for a more advanced routine.
Challenger Sports is responsible for the worldwide soccer camp, and 950 coaches travel the United States alone, putting on over 2,500 camps over the summer months. And while the British Soccer camps hit cities such as Boston, New York and Seattle, Havre is just one of the many stops along the way.
But whether the camp is held in a town with a population in the thousands, or a city with a population of people in the millions, the goals are all the same. The British Soccer camps take kids who are interested in the game of soccer and develop their skills in way that is both rewarding and fun.
Each day of the camp focuses on a different routine, teaching a different aspect of the game. The newly made over criteria for the camp focuses on dribbling on day one, passing on day two, shooting on day three, heading and volleying the ball on day four and defense on the final day of camp. And while every day is different, both the morning and evening sessions learn the same things. The morning session may be at a slower pace so that newcomers can grasp a hold of the concept, but the evening session with older, more experienced soccer players moves forward quicker and with a much more competitive tempo.
The British Soccer camps are just five days out of the summer, but that doesn’t mean kids have to stop getting better, especially with the drills learned each year.
The drills are meant to improve skills, but to also make the camp fun. And while the camp may come to an end, the drills are also meant to give each soccer player something to do throughout the remainder of the offseason. Each drill can be done in groups at practice, but can also be done alone in the backyard in a place like Havre, where a pickup game is not a normal occurrence.
It may take first time campers a while to decode the difference in the field and pitch, pennies and bibs, jerseys and shirts, or the difference between boots and cleats, but the goal is to always teach soccer skills. And even if you are a soccer veteran just brushing up on what you already know, there is something for everybody at the British Soccer camps.
