CHALLENGER SOCCER CAMPS

A GEEK DADDY RECEIVED THE FEATURED PRODUCT FOR FREE TO REVIEW

This is the third summer in a row that my kids have spent a week participating in a Challenger Sports soccer camp and once again they had a great time.  My son and daughter enjoy this camp experience because it provides a different approach than ones run by local youth soccer organizations as Challenger Sports has a focus on teaching soccer skills from an international perspective. They do this by utilizing talented college aged instructors from Europe and South America at Challenger Sports soccer camps.

My kids have been coached by instructors from Brazil, Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales during their Challenger soccer camp experiences. The instructors for the soccer summer camps we've attended have been very good at relating to the kids they are coaching and serve as great ambassadors for the part of the world they come from. It is kind of like having a foreign exchange students serving as a soccer coach for a week. This year's instructor was a very nice chap from Scotland who my son and daughter really took a liking to.

From our experience, attendees at Challenger soccer camps get a lot of one-on-one attention. My son and daughter both have told me the tips they've gotten from their camp instructors have helped them tweak aspects of their game and improve on skills providing a leg up in our local rec league's soccer matches. They also appreciate there is a focus on fun in promoting the fun-damentals of soccer. These soccer camps are aimed at recreational players who are looking to get some exercise and entertainment from a summer camp rather than for ultra-competitive travel league type players. So if you are pushing your kid to get a college scholarship for his or her soccer skills starting at 9, 10, or 11 years old these camps aren't for you.

If you have a kid who plays soccer for enjoyment of the game and to have fun doing an activity with teammates, Challenger Sports soccer camps are what you are looking for. Goofy games, helpful drills that build basic soccer skills, and lots of scrimmage games have my kids looking forward to spending summer days participating in Challenger Sports camps. My son and daughter always have a good time and we wouldn't participate in these camps year after year Challenger Sports wasn't a great program to be involved with. Challenger Sports Soccer Camps have absolutely earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval!

In addition to the camp's activities, your registration fee also includes a soccer ball, camp t-shirt, and an app that highlights soccer training drills kids can do at home. When comparing the cost of this camp to other similar programs, you are essentially getting these items for FREE! Plus if you register for a camp 45 days or more before it begins, they also throw in a really nice Challenger Sports soccer jersey for just the cost of shipping and handling. My kids love these jerseys and wear them throughout the year not just at camp.

To find out more about these soccer camps and to find locations near you, go to challengersports.com. If you sign up, please tell them ageekdaddy.com sent you! They appreciate knowing that this dad blogger shared our Challenger Sports soccer camp experiences with you.

CHALLENGER INTERNATIONAL SOCCER

My kids are excited that they will be going to soccer camp again during their summer break from school. This will be the third year in a row we've participated in Challenger Sports' summer soccer camps. Both of the twins have had a great time in previous years at these soccer camps and were very enthusiastic when they found out ageekdaddy.com had partnered again with U.S. Family Guide to send them to participate in one of Challenger Sports' week long soccer camps taking place near our house.

In past years, Challenger Sports has run two distinct style of soccer camps. British Soccer Camps had instructors from the United Kingdom coach the kids with a European focus to soccer skills. While TetraBrazil featured instructors from South America and had a focus on that region's soccer heritage.

Challenger Sports, the leading camp company in the United States, is refocusing their soccer camps this year merging the most popular elements of British Soccer and TetraBrazil into a combined format. The all new Challenger International Soccer Camp will feature college aged instructors from around the world that serve both as coaches and youth ambassadors for the sport as will as incorporate iChallenge online features to the program.



Challenger International Soccer Camp offers instructional camp programs for all children's ages and abilities. TinyTykes provides 3-5 year olds with fundamental soccer activities, games, and stories, designed to enhance technical skills along with physical and social development. Half Day Camps and Full Day Camps serve kids 6-16 year olds. These provide 3 to 6 hours of skill development, games, challenges and competition each day.

Register now for Challenger's International Soccer camp and get a free international ball, t-shirt, and poster. Plus your soccer player will get access to the new iChallenge downloadable coaching app & 20 skills videos to help him or her practice the skills they develop during camp at home while away from the soccer field. Additionally, if you register 30 days before the start of a camp your child will also get a free International Game Jersey!

Have your children join kids from across the country participating in local Challenger International Soccer Camps this summer, by visiting challengersports.com/international_soccer to enroll TODAY. Sign up now before a camp near you fills up and so you qualify for the free soccer jersey. My son and daughter wear theirs all the time!

Based upon the good times my children have previously had at these summer soccer camps and the improvement in both their athletic skills and confidence on the playing field I've seen them take away from these experiences, Challenger Sports has absolutely earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval. Having the chance to be coached by instructors who are from different places from around the globe also adds another element of excitement for the kids who participate in these camps. My children really appreciate that aspect of the program as well and are very inquisitive with their coaches to talk about the far away places they come from. No matter what their skill level is, any kid who has an interest in soccer will appreciate attending a Challenger Sports summer soccer camp.

A Geek Daddy has received complimentary camp enrollment for my own children to attend Challenger International Soccer Camp. I have not been paid for an endorsement. Opinions expressed are honest and my own.

SUMMER SOCCER CAMPS

My son and daughter had a wonderful experience last year participating in Challenger Sports' BRITISH SOCCER CAMPS and I'm pleased to be able to share with you a special deal through U.S. Family Guide for this summer.  Read my post about the local camp my kids attended, look up a location near you, and sign up to enroll using the code I'll be sharing later in this post to save some money.  This really is a nice deal for a summer camp that is sure to provide children and teens with a fun time while learning lessons to improve upon soccer skills.

From a parent's perspective my favorite aspect of our British Soccer Camp experience is that my children received a lot of personal interaction with the coaches.  My kids really liked the camp because the young adults coaching the camp were young enough to be relatable to and comfortable around but yet experienced enough to provide useful guidance.  Plus the twins were fascinated that the coaches were from another country on the other side of the ocean. Soccer is king with these coaches who travel from British Commonwealths including England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zeeland to teach these summer lessons in America.

These British Soccer Camp coaches spent a lot of time with my son helping him improve the accuracy of his passes and showing him how to quickly control the ball when he's on the receiving end of a pass.  With my daughter they really assisted her in understanding how the placement of her feet impact shooting the ball which created a noticeable improvement in how she takes shots at the goal. I have to say there was a noticeable improvement in how they both played the game when playing in a fall soccer league after having participated in the summer camp.

So it is easy to understand why British Soccer Camps are the most popular soccer camp in the United States.  With an innovative curriculum that develops skills, speed and confidence in players ages 3 to 18 years old, British Soccer Camps provide boys and girls to obtain an international perspective on the game while staying close to home.  Because most coaches are in their early twenties, there is also an exchange student type environment to the experience with the camp staff serving as cultural ambassadors to the kids they are teaching and training.

The registration fee for the camp includes a game jersey, t-shirt, soccer ball and poster along with the instructional sessions.  New this year is that you'll also get a brand new skills development app and 20 videos to help your child practice his or her soccer skills at home.  Your soccer ball, t-shirt and poster will be handed out on the first day of camp.  A code to access the app and videos will be emailed and the soccer jersey is mailed after you sign up online for a camp.  Use the U.S. Family Guide code BSC18 at check out to get FREE SHIPPING on the jersey being sent to your child.

To enroll in a camp near you, go to challengersports.com/british-soccer/

British Soccer Camp

My kids spent the last week of summer participating in Challenger Sports' British Soccer Camp.  It was a week long half-day program that took place at a local park.  Challenger Sports brings in college aged coaches from the United Kingdom to run these sports clinics that in addition to helping kids develop their soccer skills also serve as a cultural exchange between the camp's staff and its participants.  The two coaches we had for our session call London and Liverpool home and interacted really well with the kids in their group who ranged in age from six to twelve years old.  My son and daughter both commented to me that these were the most personable coaches they've ever had at a soccer training clinic and they really enjoyed going every day to this camp.

Chatting with the coaches they reflected on how in America players are really focused on individual skills and performing stunt moves while in Europe there is more of a focus on understanding the overall flow of the game and teamsmanship.  They mentioned how children in Great Britain "live and breathe soccer" growing up and there is a national passion for the game.  Our ambassadors from England made a good effort though for the camp's attendees to see the sport through the British perspective.

The camp didn't have an intensive focus to improve individualized skills but rather utilized drills and games to promote an understanding of the game and encourage working together as a team.  To reinforce not using your hands in soccer, attendees participated in a relay race where they dribbled a ball to a cone with their feet.  They then had to maneuver the ball on top of the cone using just their forehead. During the week, the kids engaged in a lot of different Soccer ABC activities that are designed to help them with their agility, balance and coordination.

Incorporated into the week were also a variety of games meant to encourage the kids to strategize their actions instead of just letting game situations dictate their behavior to them.  Promoting teamwork was also a major theme of the camp's activities.  Kids were frequently required to pass or play defensively as elements of the camp's drills and games to encourage a team mentality and promote them having a well-rounded skill set.

A nice aspect of my kids' British Soccer Camp experience is that they received a lot of personal interaction with the coaches.  They spent a lot of time with my son helping him improve the accuracy of his passes and showing him how to quickly control the ball when he's on the receiving end of a pass.  With my daughter the coaches really assisted her in understanding how the placement of her feet impact shooting the ball and that led to a noticeable improvement in the accuracy and power of her shots.  My kids have been really energized to start their fall soccer league since attending this camp.

In addition to the workouts, the coaches also would huddle up the kids throughout the camp session and talk with them about aspects of the game, how certain activities were supposed to help their overall game play, and described some of their own personal soccer experiences.  This seemed a nice way to get the kids attention instead of trying to communicate everything in the midst of drills, games and scrimmages.  Plus these chats provided a nice break for the kids to be off their feet for awhile and get a rest.

All in all my kids really had FUN during the British Soccer Camp and left it with a better appreciation of the game.  We had some great lads coaching their camp and it seemed like all the kids who attended it enjoyed their experience.  At the end of the camp, the coaches shared with each of the attendees what they personally excelled at and also the things that need to continue practicing on.  Plus each kid also received a handwritten report card from a coach to take home with them containing some tips to help them continue improving playing the game and a nice note about the week they had just spent together.

Each British Soccer Camp program includes a soccer ball, camp t-shirt, action poster and camp report card within your registration fee.  When comparing the cost of this camp to other similar programs, you are essentially getting these items for FREE!  Plus if you register for a camp 45 days or more before it begins, they'll also provide a really nice Challenger Sports soccer jersey for just the cost of shipping and handling.  My kids love these jerseys and wear them all the day since camp wrapped up!

For more information about Challenger Sports' British Soccer Camps or to find an upcoming one near you, please visit  www.challengersports.com/british-soccer.