Dan Zenkel, President

Eric Wittenberg, Director

Liz Hopley, Program Director

How To Run a Better Soccer Camp

Agenda

Our Story

Session Goals

What We Do

What You Can Do

Questions & Comments

Our Story

Who We Are

Liza Wittenberg

• Georgetown &

UNC -Greensboro

• Teach For America

• United Nations

Association

• Berkshire Soccer

Academy

Eric Wittenberg

• Elmwood Day

Camp

• Woodmont Camp

• UNCO Sport

Psychology

• CrossFit

• Berkshire Soccer

Academy

Dan Zenkel

• Columbia Law

School

• Practicing Attorney

• Camp Group, LLC

• A Camp Dad

• A Soccer Dad

• Berkshire Soccer

Academy

“The Fun Way to Elevate Your Game”

Our Mission

“Provide high level sport-specific training for girls

in a traditional residential camp setting that

fosters athletic development, meaningful

relationships, and healthy fun.”

Our Facility

“Provide high level sport-specific training for

girls in a traditional residential camp setting that

fosters athletic development, meaningful

relationships, and healthy fun.”

Our Facility

“Provide high level sport-specific training for girls

in a traditional residential camp setting that

fosters athletic development, meaningful

relationships, and healthy fun.”

Our Growth

Summer # of Campers Duration

# 1

(2011)

40 1 session

# 2

(2012)

120 2 sessions

# 3

(2013)

250 4 sessions

# 4

(2014)

550 5 sessions

# 5

(2015)

780 (Target) 6 sessions

The Berkshire Soccer Academy

Our Coaches

Assistant Coaches – Playing in College & Coach

Head Coaches – Collegiate Assistant coaches

Master Coaches – Professional licensed coaches

with 5-10 years of teaching in a player-

development setting

TeamFirst Soccer Academy

Visiting Pros & Guest Coaches

Begin the Conversation about establishing a community of soccer camps

Share Lessons Learned from Traditional Camp that will: Make Operating Camp Easier

Build Goodwill & Positive Word of Mouth Marketing

Session Goals

Soccer Camps vs. Traditional Camps

Soccer Camps Part of Camp Traditional Camps

Players from the

university or Coaches

from the Club

Staffing Varied backgrounds

Coach & recruit during

academic year

Year-Round

Leadership

2-5 Full Time Staff

$-$$ Price $$-$$$

?? % Re-Enrollment

Rate

50-85%

University & Prep

School Campuses

Facilities Rural, rustic, woods &

lakes

Soccer Specialization Programming Diverse interests but lack

of depth

3-7 days Duration 4-8 weeks

The Universe of Soccer Camps

ID vs. Developmental

Day vs. Overnight

Facility Types

Fixed Costs

Staffing Sources

NCAA Compliance

The Traditional Camp Community

ACA

Professional Development

Standards

Conventions

Mentoring

Photo: ACACamps.org

Universal Camp Issues

Perennial Topics of Stress for Administrators

Homesickness

Camper attendance

Roommate Disagreements

Bullying & Cliques

Parent phone calls (that last 2 hours…on your

cell)

Nutritional needs

Injuries & Liability

What We Do

What we do…

Solve problems before they exist with:

Camper & Parent Communication

Staff Training & Feedback

Intentional Programming

Athlete Handbook

Athlete Profile

Homesickness Packet

Camper & Parent

Communication

Communication Sample: Athlete

Handbook

Preparation Sample: Athlete

Profile

Communication Sample: Homesickness

Packet

Communicate Once

Create perennial literature

Updatable & editable

Utilize analog documents (the ones we’ve just

shown you)

Email us for PDF’s:

Liz@berkshiresocceracademy.com

Eric@berkshiresocceracademy.com

800.326.9219

Staff Training & Feedback

Staff Hiring Process

Orientation & Arrival

Staff & Camper Evaluations

Staff Hiring Process

Quality & Sourcing

Quantity Ratios

Staff Development

Mentoring / Networking

Orientation & Arrival

Model Name Games & Ice Breakers

Facility Logistics

Emergency Procedures

Clear Expectations

Third Party Training

Nuts & Bolts of Camp

Staff Evaluations

Self & Manager Evaluations

1 Team Meeting (30 Minutes)

Personal Check-ins

Camper Evaluations

Camper Evaluations

Empower Your Staff

Engagement and training is a value added for

millenials

Happy and effective staff = Happy Campers

“Direction Prevents Correction”

Arrival & Orientation

Electives & Evening Activities

Camper Connections

Off-Field Programming

Arrival & Orientation

Map & Human Arrow Checkpoints

Shirts & Smiles = Uniform

Facility Tour

Parents & Campers Should Stress

Less

Electives & Evening Activities

Use Low & No Cost “Supplies”

Downtime & Restful Activities

Supervision

Connections

Camper to Camper

Camper to Staff

Parent to Staff

Program Intentionally

Leverage all of your resources

Make use of local facilities on and off campus

Research special skills that staff members

may be hiding

If they played an instrument to get into college

they can perform at camp

Same goes for painting or other skills/hobbies

Thank You & Questions?

Interesting Links:

Berkshiresoccer.com

Acacamps.org

CampDirectorsResources.com

UltimateCampResource.com

Contact Us:

Eric@berkshiresocceracademy.com

Liz@berkshiresocceracademy.com

Dan@berkshiresocceracademy.com