Evaluating and Selecting a Soccer Camp

Bob Collins

When choosing a soccer camp, there are several things you should think about to make sure you have an enjoyable week. Many camps that are very popular still may not be exactly what you are looking for this season. Every year your requirements change, especially in your sophomore and junior years. For example, if you are going to be a junior in high school and are a candidate for playing in college on a soccer scholarship, then you should choose a camp that has a lot of college coaches. A camp with no college coaches, no matter how famous the staff is, won't get you noticed by the college coaches you might play for in two years. Of course, the best camps to attend are those operated by the coaches whose teams you are most likely to join. If you are younger, or you don't really have an interest in playing soccer in college, then a camp with a great group of staff coaches is fine.
In the United States, it is very common for the soccer camps to bring in foreign coaches for the summer. These coaches are, generally, very good. There is no question that you will learn a lot at these camps, but will you be noticed by college coaches at these camps? How will this camp help you? There are also camps that offer other attractions as well. This is very common in scenic areas of the country. These camps hire a temporary soccer staff. You play soccer three to four times per day, and the rest of the time you are boating or fishing. This is fun, but you have to decide if this is what you want to do. Parents often ask us to comment on the value of attending camps abroad, hinting that they would love to visit England or Brazil. We feel that American soccer has matured and good programs are now available here, and we remind them there are no U.S. college coaches recruiting in Europe or South America. We recently read a camp brochure that sums it up perfectly. On the first page, the camp director says, "I want you to think about your goals in soccer." That's what you must do when choosing a camp. Is your goal to play better? Is it to be noticed and play better? Is it to play soccer, and do other fun things for the week? Once you have chosen what type of camp you are going to go to, it's best to find out what the daily activities schedule is, to see if this fits your goals.
If you want to get noticed by a lot of college coaches, then try to attend a camp where you play more than one game per day. The more full-sided (11 v. 11) games you play, the better your chances to be noticed. If you don't want to live and breathe soccer all week long, see how much free time you have to do other activities. This should be a good indicator for you. If there isn't a daily schedule on the brochure, then call the camp and ask about the daily activities.

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Dave Clarke-Quinnipiac College (Women-Div 1)