Understanding USA Soccer Camps

Coaches run soccer camps to make money...sometimes, lots of it.
Fortunately, there are other motivations, too. But you need to the know the
organizing principle of the camp to select the right camp ... and enjoy
the best camp experience.

There are five types of coaching arrangements that create the U.S.
soccer camp "system":

(1) Local coaches (e.g., high school coaches or "premier team" coaches),
assisted by local/college players, conduct camps for local players and
teams. (Note: local youth soccer associations will sometimes host a
Type 1, 2, or 3 camp.)

(2) Regional teams (e.g., MLS and A-league), sports complexes and even
equipment suppliers will conduct camps to strengthen relationships with
the community and to earn extra money

(3) National or regional professional soccer camp business conducts
camps as a money-making enterprise.

(4) College or university coaches conduct camps to earn money over the
summer and to raise profile of their program.

(5) State Youth Soccer Association or Olympic Development Program
conduct camps as part of their soccer development program to identify players
and as a source of income for affiliated coaches. But often the most
intensive training is done at special camps for select players and teams
A sixth-type of arrangement is becoming more common, whereby
international coaches set up a camp in the U.S., or international camps or soccer
tours are set-up for U.S. kids. In 2003, Manchester United's "soccer
schools" made a big impression in the U.S.

The type of camp and its quality are two different things.

For example, a "lesser" Type 1 camp may be run by USSF A-licensed
coaches who use high school players that may have a good rapport with
kids--or not. But a "higher level" regional or national camp may simply trade
off the name of a coach or player, who "directs" the camp by remote
control.

Big camps may provide resources smaller camps don't have, like fitness
or mental- performance training. But check them out carefully. The
actual coaching staff may be "hired guns, whose motivations will vary
depending on their stake in the camp's success, their salary, and their
burnout level, particularly at the end of the camping season. Similarly a
camp you liked last year may reprint their brochure, but the camp could
be significantly worse (or better) due to changes in ownership or
personnel.

There may be some benefit attending a university-based camp to expose
yourself to the school--and to a prospective coach. But basically
coaches rely on recruiters who observe players under actual game pressure,
rather than the less-pressured camp environment .


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