USA Soccer Camp Reviews

Discussion in 'Youth & HS Soccer' started by COPA17, Jun 1, 2008.

  1. COPA17

    COPA17 New Member

    Jun 16, 2007
    NJ
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Since information on the web seems to be scarce on this topic, and for the sake of all those who might need it, I thought it would be nice to have a thread that compiles the best soccer camps in the USA.

    If you're going to review a camp, please include:
    -your position and involvement in the camp (player, parent, counselor, etc.),
    -if you're a player, what level/age group you play in. Please be honest, we want FACTS, not opinions
    -name of the camp
    -location
    -facilities--well-furnished, air-conditioned, etc.
    -coaching staff--local? club? college? international?
    -quality of competition

    All these things will help people get a better sense of how the camp you're talking about is.
     
  2. COPA17

    COPA17 New Member

    Jun 16, 2007
    NJ
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    I'll start. From all that I can gather, YPTusa appears to be THE best camp in the USA. I'm a U15 player on a team that competes at a mostly regional level (we participated in Region 1 Premier League). Parents and players alike have told me that this camp employs European trainers from the most prestigious clubs and the competition is second-to-none. I haven't heard anything about the facilities, which are in Middletown, DE, but two players on my team who attended the camp in 2007 told me that the quality of training and players at YPT is miles ahead of any other camp they've been to.

    And now for a specific question: has anyone heard anything about the Duke Soccer Camp? It's run by the same person as the Kerr Soccer Camps, since Kerr is now the coach of Duke.
     
  3. kennie

    kennie Member

    Mar 4, 2005
    My son attended YPT and had a great time. Facilities are ok...NO AIRCONDITIONING ! He really liked his coach, although some of the coaches struggle with English. Most kids from East coast, my son always had a conflict with region 2 camp so I am sure that effects where the kids come from. Nothing but thumbs up, but the summer he was there it was 95-100 degrees everyday, with no relief. The school has an indoor pool and the boys would just go stand in the pool, to try and cool off. I think he lost 8 lbs in 4 days. Parents were welcome to watch nightly games, not much to do in that area except shop, ( Delaware is tax free :) )
     
  4. nandoal28

    nandoal28 Member

    Feb 22, 2004
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Anyone have a review of the Akron soccer WINTER JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT CAMP?
     
  5. Haderondah

    Haderondah New Member

    Feb 4, 2013
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Parent of a ten year old boy -- he attended the Red Bulls Regional Development School. The camp is accessible by tryout only. He attended camp at the Golden Goal Facility in the Lake George, NY region. The camp is situated in basically the middle of no where with beautiful views of the Adirondacks. The facility is gorgeous -- fields, turf and grass, were beautiful. Didn't notice any air conditioning, no pool. Climate makes that not necessarily critical. Competition by tryout only -- some international presence -- most kids were from Jersey, Long Island. Coaching was very professional, mostly, if not all, English. Feed back was provided, player evaluation provided actionable information. My son had a blast, learned a great deal and six months later continues to talk about and practice the skills he was exposed to. I could go on. He is returning this year.
     
    jeremys_dad repped this.
  6. Haderondah

    Haderondah New Member

    Feb 4, 2013
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Lake Placid Soccer Center. My older son attended residential at the Lake Placid location. He was eleven. The competition appeared spotty -- there were certainly quality players but the camp had an air of prestigious summer camp rather than serious athletic training. His experience was very disappointing. There was nearly no supervision of the (co-ed) children after hours to the extent that my son got sick with the flu, vomiting etc. We were not notified, he missed a few days of training and basically fended for himself. This camp isn't recommended for younger kids.
     
  7. goscore!

    goscore! New Member

    Jan 16, 2012
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Parent of 12 y/o player (male). He's a top level / elite player

    The best camp he's attended was not in the us, but these are not far behind:

    YPT - competition was great, talented players, very good coaching staff (international youth FC coaches). Disappointed that they wouldn't train if the temp exceeded 94 (we are from a climate that is consistently above that 8 months of the year lol). Facilities were less than ideal when he attended in 2011, heard they are making adjustments. Good camp

    IMG soccer camp- decent competition, ok to good training (US college/ national team coaches), gorgeous facilities. Kids had too much unsupervised free time. Expected a lot of responsibility from players (getting to and from fields, rooms, meals alone, on a huge campus, lots of kids on campus doing other sports programs and leisure activities ect). Not for younger players. Ok camp

    No.1 soccer camps, Penn State, and Houston dynamo - very basic / "fun" camps, probably good for beginners or very young players, but not for serious players
     
  8. gogirlsoccer10

    gogirlsoccer10 New Member

    Oct 19, 2012
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    I have a U15, plays ECNL. Summer between freshman/sophmore year is pretty important, but how can she know what she wants to study at 14/15? She has narrowed down to several larger Midwest Big 10 schools....but like many of you, we are being bombarded by camp invitations. Any suggestions, and thank you.
     
  9. Seoul Man

    Seoul Man Member

    Sep 17, 2001
    World Wide Web
    Nat'l Team:
    Korea Republic
    Does anyone have any experience with the Nike Vogelsinger academies in either N.Andover or Santa Barbara? I understand they are pretty intense and have been around for a while. I'm thinking of sending my 12 year old son there this summer for the 2-week camp. He's an advanced player and these camps sound like a good fit for him.
     
  10. The Flush

    The Flush Member

    Dec 29, 2012
    Ohio
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A local YMCA is hosting the Challenger Sports British Soccer Camp this summer.
    http://www.challengersports.com/userfiles/file/Camps/BS-SalesPiece-2012.pdf

    Has anyone participated in this camp before and have any thoughts on how good it would be for a boy that turns 10 the week of the camp that is currently a good, but not outstanding player?
    It costs $177 for the week long full day session and include a t-shirt, jersey, and soccer ball. Is that a good value for what they teach at these camps?

    His club is also offering a 2 hour per day week long Coerver camp this summer. I am not sure how much it cost. Does anyone know how the 2 programs compare?
     
  11. notebook

    notebook Member

    Jun 25, 2002
    Thought the Challenger British Soccer Camp that came through our area last year was horrible. Really lazy instructors who were not good with or interested in the kids. The thing is there is no accountability or interest in repeat business. The instructors are only doing it for a summer or two and you will likely never see them again. I think it is better to try to find a good local soccer academy where the soccer pros are trying to build a business and need repeat customers and recommendations and if you find someone good they can keep working with your kid. Even locally it is a crapshoot (I think the local academy our youth soccer association has retained is lackadaisical) but at least the incentives are aligned properly.
     
  12. The Flush

    The Flush Member

    Dec 29, 2012
    Ohio
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks for the response. I have the same concerns. We are in a rural area and don't have many options for additional training without a lot of travel costs involved. I don't mind paying for quality training, but I don't want to waste money on bad training. This camp is the same week as the last week of my son's baseball season, so I am not sure if it would make sense to have him play soccer for 6 hours and then play a baseball game. Maybe we should just wait for the club sponsored Coerver training.

    I would still appreciate any other feedback on the British Soccer Camp if anyone else has any experience with it.
     
  13. keeper dad

    keeper dad Member

    Jun 24, 2011
    My son's attended Challengers camps when they were young, 6 to 8 years old and they were fine for entry level players. The "coaches" are basically recent high school graduates from England that want to see America. They stay with sponsor families and travel across the country a week at a time for free, not a bad gig for them but the camps can be spotty in quality.
     
  14. soccermom79

    soccermom79 Member

    Mar 6, 2012
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    My two boys did a Challenger camp 3 summers ago, so at that point they were 5 and 10. It was new to our park district, and only 6 kids signed up, so they only had 1 group. The coach was very nice, great with the kids, and they had a lot of fun. They enjoyed it, and did learn, but it was definitely geared more towards beginners, or the average rec player. That said, if I lived in an area where it was one of my only options, I would do it again. If anything, it provided a lot of time for small sided games with other kids interested in soccer. I'm sure one's experience has a lot to do with the coach you happen to get. My younger son still has the little poster with the review the coach wrote about him hanging up in his bedroom, and definitely has fond memories of the camp.
     
  15. Mirzam

    Mirzam Member

    Jan 21, 2010
    @Dick's
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    How old is your child? My son did this camp a couple of years running as a seven and eight year old. I can't say I could recommend it for the calibre of the soccer instruction, but he had fun. He skilled out by 9 years old, and it would have been just a complete waste of money, it would have probably have still been fun for him though.

    They taught basic ball skills, played games like "Doctor Doctor" and "Sharks and Minnows" grouped the boys into "teams" and had mini competitions. The "winning" team in each age group won a "trophy" on the last day. They were given homework, one example was to make a poster about their team, in my son's instance it was a national team.

    My son has also done Coerver, as a U10. It is a much more serious program, and a higher quality camp in terms of trainers and what is taught, however, for us it was a waste of money (we paid over $400 for a winter session) because he had already long mastered the skills they taught (not that the practice wasn't benefitical) and they would not move him to a higher age group. If your child has not done a lot of technical training, then I would certainly say it is worth doing.

    Neither of these camps were a complete waste for us, our son got touches on the ball, and had fun. It was all part of his journey.
     
  16. The Flush

    The Flush Member

    Dec 29, 2012
    Ohio
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Challengers camp is 2 weeks before his 10th birthday. My son is not highly skilled, mostly because last fall was the first time he played soccer since he was 5 years old (he had been playing flag football instead). He has not mastered the Coerver skills in my opinion, but he is not clueless either. He is however a good athlete and picks things up fast and is one of the better players on his club team. Another parent told me they plan to send their son the the Challengers camp and I think they want someone their son knows to be there. IMHO, my son is a better overall player than their son even though their son having played club soccer for a season longer than my son. This other parent asked our club director about these camps and was told that he preferred Coerver and that Challengers was more for beginners, but that playing more soccer is never a bad thing. I am sure my son would have fun, but $177 is still a lot of money to me. I am curious about the trainer to player ratio

    I think we will skip the June Challengers camp, let him finish his baseball season, take a few weeks off from soccer, attend the Coerver camp in July and then get ready for the club season starting in August.
     
  17. Mirzam

    Mirzam Member

    Jan 21, 2010
    @Dick's
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    I think you have made a smart choice going for Coerver. If the $177 wasn't an issue, then I would say, let him attend and have some fun with his friend. The Challenger camps are really no more than an fun summer camp. Coerver will really help him gain those vital technical skills he will need to develop and ultimately enjoy playing the sport. I especially like their shooting technique. Well worth mastering IMO.

    I can't remember the trainer to player ratio, it was a few years back now. But there were definitely plenty of those young Brits, maybe 10 to 1. But that is really a guess. They did provide the players with an honest written assessment at the end of the camp which was a bonus. The trainers weren't complete novices, one of my son's coaches was a youth coach with Aston Villa (U8s or U9s I think), and a sports ed grad.
     
  18. notebook

    notebook Member

    Jun 25, 2002
    Would anyone have any recommendations for northern Virginia / DC Area soccer academies or camps? Does not seem like many of the regular posters on the forum are from DC Area but figured there may be some readers who have input. With lack of much other information I am assuming that the outfits associated with Development Academies may be higher quality so currently have a short list of:

    McLean Youth Soccer
    DC United Academy - unfortunately for us many of their offerings are at the RFK complex
    Kuykendall Academy - not sure why but their rap interests me
    Golden Boot - name that I have heard a few times but do not know much about

    So far we have went through lower cost / mass market type outfits (Dulles Sportsplex, British Soccer Camp) which seemed good enough for little kids but seem lacking past U6 / U7. Also did some stuff through the local academy retained through our youth soccer association and was not impressed with them.
     
  19. the5timechamp

    the5timechamp Member+

    Nov 3, 2012
    Just went in to meet the Challenger British Soccer camp guys here in Elizabeth town KY..
    They along with the E-town league really seem to have roots here in the area and appear to work together to provide soccer for the area...
    Anyone have any experience in KY with any of these groups?
     
  20. dcole

    dcole Member+

    May 27, 2005
    Did you end up attending any of these camps? I'm pondering sending my 12 year old to a DC United camp this summer. Looking for something highly technical. Any insights?
     
  21. notebook

    notebook Member

    Jun 25, 2002
    Just saw this, have not checked the forum in a while. We tried several of these - below is the run down. When we get back into this I think we will try Hugo Phan's Footskill Clinics which I have heard a few good things about.

    DC United Winter Camp Series
    - Positives - kid really liked it and it seemed to spark some additional interest and motivation - even thanked me for signing him up, around half of kids at camp were pretty strong players - highest player level of camps I have seen so far, one of the two trainers for my kids age group was really good - think trainers also work with DC United Academy teams
    - Negatives - one of the two trainers for my kids age group goofed off and did not take it seriously, got a little bit of vibe in general that this job was not taken seriously (i.e. - only interested in elite players not bunch of kids assumed to be mediocre), fairly expensive for not much added value (2x most camps/clinics), kids families were sold opening day package that was pretty lame, end of bench player was sent to sign autographs and would sign t shirt for kids but not ball (only 1 autograph per kid), know I am probably including some extraneous details but the experience left me with a lower opinion of DC United organization

    Kuykendall Academy
    - Kid liked the summer camp. I wanted to look into more training there since the whole Kuykendall family has done well in soccer (all D1 players) and figure they may know something about developing players. Unfortunately Shawn Kuykendall was diagnosed with terminal cancer right around when the kids did this camp and company seems to no longer operate. May he rest in peace.

    Golden Boot
    - Kid did Player Development summer camp. I was working and did not go to any of it. Kid liked it (he pretty much likes them all) and it sounded decent but not much stood out in his descriptions. The timing of the summer camp was a little tough since I think the travel programs had started preseason training up by then so player pool was probably weak. I have met Tamir Linhart and he impressed me so we may try something else there but like I said nothing stood out from our first experience.
     
  22. jeremys_dad

    jeremys_dad Member

    NYC Football Club
    Apr 29, 2007
    The Big Easy
    Club:
    Paris Saint Germain FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Our son Jeremy was enthused and very satisfied with his excellent Red Bull experiance at a soccer resort called Golden Goal in upstate NY. He learned, played with kids who he termed amazing. met academy kids, and maintained friendships with many "camp" goers. As far as involvement as a parent goes, our interaction and communication with management was entirely satisfactory. Our family highly recommends this RedBull experience.
     

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