What makes a Challenger camp special?

My kids on each of their first ever camps and then that ‘after camp’ feeling on the drive home.

I’ve come full circle and hopefully that gives me a unique perspective on what has become the most attended soccer camp in North America. However given the size and reach of our camp program it would be short-sighted to merely give you my opinion, hence I’ve reached out to other coaches, colleagues and crucially fellow parents who have been kind enough to complete our end of camp surveys in the past. Thanks in advance if your words are added below and thanks to anyone else reading this who has attended a camp in the past…

What is a Challenger camp?

The concept of the Challenger camp was always pretty simple- bring coaches over from the UK and Ireland and distribute them all over the US and Canada to run week long day camps. A simple concept, but with a far-reaching effect and in the words of one of our most experienced staff Grant Hall (Denver, CO) we have produced:

“A wonderful social and cultural experience that makes it so much more than just a soccer camp”

Oh, and there’s been one slight change in recent years; we have expanded to include coaches from all over the world whilst really focusing in on the fundamentals needed to help grow the same from the base up, hence the name change several years ago from “British Soccer Camps” to how we are known today: “Foundational Skills Camps”.

On the field

The phrase ‘sessions for all ages and ability’ is something I have written a zillion times during my role with the company but it really is true. The ability to work with and coach the individual child in a group setting was the first thing I learnt- I’ll never forget my debut in Fort Wayne, IN- and as a manager you know that whatever age or ability level you have each week on your camps, you’ll be able to find the right coach from our wide and hugely impressive range of staff.

Nowhere is the unique skill set of the Challenger coach more on display than when they are working with our youngest age group, TinyTykes (ages 3-5) , as is shown by the comments of Desirae from VT:

“Coach Sal and Coach Rez were so kind and patient with these young campers. They were especially helpful and encouraging to my son, which I greatly appreciated. He barely turned three two weeks before the program started, and he has never done anything like this before. He wouldn’t have been as successful without their help!”

It’s a camper’s enthusiasm and pure love for the game that we foster at such a young age that leads to many of them ‘’graduating'’ to the most popular half day group (ages 6+). It’s here where the true impact of what we do (excuse the pun) kicks in….

"What I love about the Foundational Skills Camps is the diversity of play. I talk to my children so much about learning many different styles and having them in your tool belt. My son also loves the World cup which is a great way to finish each day of camp and incorporate the international flavor of the game" (Alex Green, Company VP/Father, Providence, RI)

Additionally we understand the needs of a working parent in the summer (I truly do now I have my own kids!) and therefore offer both a Full Day Program as well asan extended day “Overtime” option. All sessions include a ball and a jersey. We continue to update our curriculum to keep it modern and relevant and one of the team responsible for that, Kate Gedzielewski (Denver, CO) believes that we will continue to offer “a combination of age appropriate activities for players to hone their technique and skills in a fun and challenging learning environment"” as part of our “holistic camp experience”.

Off the field

I feel like this is the KEY part of this article….the stuff on the field that we’ve covered above makes us great, but it’s the stuff off the field that truly sets us apart

Put simply, it’s more than JUST a soccer camp.

Thanks to Paula from NM who summed this up nicely for us:

“Super happy with the camp. When we started my child was not so enthusiastic about soccer. By the end he said that was the best camp he ever attended! He had a wonderful time, learned soccer skills but also sportsmanship. Great balance between learning skills, playing games and coming together as a whole group. I am really impressed.”

Analyzing that, I believe that there’s one ingredient that all of our staff need to create that kind of feedback…..and that’s passion. Passion for the game, passion for education and also a passion to drip feed a little cultural exchange into a day camp setting.

As alluded to earlier, we started out as a “British” coaching staff but the switch to include coaches from quite literally all over the world has only enhanced the off the field enthusiasm our staff create, resulting in kids going home wanting to do their “soccer homework” and return the next day to earn those magical World Cup Points. I challenge other camp companies to provide feedback like that provided by Whitney from TX or Ruschelle from KS, below, which shows how we bring everything together to extend the education process beyond the field:

“Our director (Coach T from Sri Lanka) was fantastic. The “homework” every night was fun and motivated my kids to stay involved. Easy checking/out. Friendly, communicative, fun, in control.”

“The two coaches were fantastic with the children, and through the camp my kids fell more in love with the sport while also learning about other cultures.”

Our mission statement is to ‘ignite the passion’ and perhaps our proudest achievement is the knowledge that most kids will keep playing once our staff have left town. My eldest son has done 6 years on camp now and every year he’ll be talking about the other kids and coaches on camp with such familiarity and excitement as if he’s known them all his life. That feeling of belonging to a ‘camp community’ is exactly what summers for our kids should be all about!

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