the Price of Youth Football

We sent my nephew to a 3-day, 3 hour per day, football training camp sponsored by Notre Dame and staffed by current players and staff. There were approximately 300 children in attendance and they were divided into smaller groups of 20-22 children each. Each small group spend 8 minutes in each of the drill stations set up which allowed each child to participate 2-3 times per activity. The adults were allowed to stay with their campers to watch, photograph and learn some training tips. Along with the training the children also received a camp T-shirt, a tour of the stadium and locker rooms and something they will never forget.

The staff was amazing with the kids. The children were ages 9-12 and all had some experience playing football for local teams but no matter the level the child was at the staff really worked with them to learn and improve. They offered a lot of ecouragement and instruction for the children. They were very patient with them but sill forceful to keep the kids paying attention and engaged. They answered questions and trained them hard the whole time. There were several stations with water or Gatoraide so that the kids were well hydated and since the adults watching were right outside with the kids we got to stay hydrated too.

The only tips I would offer are to make sure your child is really interested before investing this much, if they aren't they won't enjoy the hard work. I'd also make sure that you choose a camp taught by professionals who will work the kids hard but encourage and build them up the whole way. This camp was a lot of hard work but because the players and coaches were so encouraging the kids were happy to perform well.