The Franklinton Youth Soccer Fields were the site of a British Soccer Camp with Challenger Sports this week that showed the participants different aspects of soccer and allowed them to improve their skills.
The coaches taught children ages 2 through 14 the game of soccer through drills and competitions.
Children were divided up by age and the different age groups.
The morning sessions were for the younger groups. They had 2 to 4s, 4 through 6s and 7 to about 10s. The evening sessions featured an older group that was 10 to 14. The younger groups learned more basic fundamentals about soccer, while the older groups were taught more of the technical side of the sport. The clinic had 28 participants.
One of the coaches, Alex Edwards, taught the half-day group, which he said was a lot more technical-based.
“So, working on the foot skills,” Edwards said Monday. “We started off with some ball mastery, which was the core skills that the players need to have the soccer ball at the feet and we moved onto a better dribbler, using different parts of the feet, emphasizing using both feet and getting the head up. So, again, when it comes to the games, that these players can understand where to go, what to do, how to get out of different situations and be confident using both right and left foot.”
Edwards said the camps are a highlight of his summer.
“It makes our summer. Coming to these camps and really getting to see different children from different clubs and teaching them new skills and getting them to understand the game as well as the enjoyment side of it,” he said. “I try and make it as fun as possible for the kids because that’s where I have the most fun of it too.”
Edwards, 24, who is from Liverpool, England, began playing at about age 10.
“I was always a part of it because my dad was a coach,” Edwards said. “I always took part in his sessions with my older brother and I got into a team myself and then started coaching when I was around 17 and I’ve been doing that ever since. Now, it’s my career, which it’s not a bad career to have, especially with being out in the sun.”
Edwards plays the coed soccer now. He said he just competes leisurely.