By Moses Leos III
With over 120,000 children participating across the U.S., Challenger Sports touts itself as the largest sports camp providers in the country.
But for Graham Smurthwaite, South Texas Regional Director at Challenger, teaching fundamentals is only part of the learning experience the group gives young soccer players.
And for the seventh year in a row, Challenger will bring its expertise, along with soccer coaches from the United Kingdom, to Kyle to help young athletes grow in the sport.
“That’s the big thing, just giving (children) a knowledge of the game and their parents a knowledge of the game,” Smurthwaite said. “It’s more than just doing drills on the field.”
The goal of Challenger, according to Smurthwaite, is to help young soccer athletes gain confidence on the field. Ages of athletes in the camps range from as young as three to 18 years old.
The premise is teaching the fundamentals, whether it’s learning dribbling or passing techniques.
But Smurthwaite said the mentality, primarily for the younger players, goes beyond simply lining up on the field and going through rote drills. Instead, the group focuses on a theme, using games to help students understand and comprehend tactics and strategies.
Using themes such as “Frozen” or “SpongeBob Square pants,” helps younger players relate to the games, making them want to play more.
“It’s learning the same fundamentals as they do in drills, but they do it in a fun way,” Smurthwaite said. “There’s not as much pressure as there is in a drill or practice or game.”
In Kyle, Parks and Recreation Director Kerry Urbanowicz praised the camp, as players are able to gain more one-on-one instruction from coaches who attend.
“It’s a huge statement for us to offer and provide a world-class group to offer to Kyle’s youth,” Urbanowicz said. “That’s wonderful. We don’t have the staff to do that. It’s just great, great for the kids and great for community.”
Teaching the athletes are coaches who hail from Britain and other countries in the United Kingdom. Challenger in South Texas brings coaches in and tours them across Texas and Louisiana.
Smurthwaite said their cultural knowledge of soccer is an important asset. In addition, he said the culture “stays within the community” as coaches have “host families” who house them during their tours.
Here the dynamic helps create lifelong relationships and builds a rapport with the community.
“It is definitely a lot of fun,” Smurthwaite said. “The biggest thing I got out of it when I was coaching was the relationship with the kids during the week.”
Overall, Smurthwaite said attendance has grown over the years, with camps drawing a sizeable crowd.
One of the main reasons stems from the rise in popularity of soccer in the U.S.
Beginning with the 1999 Women’s World Cup team, Smurthwaite said the recent success of U.S. soccer has led to a steady rise in the sport’s popularity. The U.S. men’s soccer team’s run to Round 16 in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil also boosted interest.
The biggest surge in interest stems from the parents of young children, who Smurthwaite said started playing soccer when he first arrived in mid-1990. Many of those players, now in their late 20s to early 30s, have transferred soccer to their children.
“You have a cycle that’s grown up with soccer now,” Smurthwaite said. “That’s generated a lot more interest with parents getting kids involved.”
As camps continue to rise in the U.S., Smurthwaite said the trend has also grown in the UK as well.
More camps and more academies are starting to pop up and becoming more popular.
But for Smirthwaite, opportunities to play soccer in the U.S. are higher than that in the U.K.
He cited the variety of chances for players to join a team, whether collegiately or semi-professionally.
But teaching the younger generation the finer details of soccer is first and foremost.
“It’s giving them the confidence in what they are doing on the soccer field,” Smurthwaite said. “They might not be the best, but when they leave our camp, they have a lot of confidence in the game.”
