World Cup Accents Excitement At Bentonville Soccer Camp

STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Marshall Davis, 6, right, takes a shot Friday during the Soccer Camp.
STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Marshall Davis, 6, right, takes a shot Friday during the Soccer Camp.

BENTONVILLE -- Soccer coaches from England taught Northwest Arkansas kids the skills of the game this week as international teams battled at the World Cup in Brazil.

Memorial Park buzzed with English accents, laughter, the squish of cleats in mud and the thud of feet connecting with soccer balls Friday as the first week of Camp Soccer wrapped up.

At A Glance

Next Soccer Camp

The second week of Bentonville’s Parks and Recreation Camp Soccer will be from July 28 to Aug. 1. There will be sessions for children ages 3 and 4 from 9 to 10 a.m., 5 and 6 from 10:30 a.m. to noon and 6 to 9 from 9 a.m. to noon. There will also be a goal keeper camp for ages 10 to 16 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 28 to Aug. 1. Registration for both camps are still open. For more information, call 479-464-7275.

Source: Bentonville Parks and Recreation

At A Glance

World Cup Predictions

Each of the nine coaches from this week’s camp offered predictions of which team will win the World Cup in Brazil.

• Louis Birch, camp director: Germany

• Jack Andrews: Argentina

• Kevin Fitzsimmons: Germany

• Danielle Burns: France

• Alex Greggor: Argentina

• Joel Hawes: Germany

• Steffan Davies: Argentina

• Joe Pannett: Holland

• Matt Purcell: Holland

Source: Staff Report

About 165 players participated in the first of two weeklong soccer camps hosted by Bentonville Parks and Recreation in partnership with Challenger Sports. The second week will take place from July 28 to Aug. 1.

Nine coaches led this week's camp. They were from a group of more than 1,000 coaches Challenger Sports flew to the United States to coach about 3,500 camps in 50 states and some in Canada during the summer, according to Louis Birch, camp director. This is his fourth summer to coach camps in the United States.

Coaches move to another place, often another state, every week for nine to 14 weeks during the summer, he said.

The Monday through Friday camp had sessions for children 3 to 16 years old.

The first hour each day was spent developing skills and learning proper technique in fun formats such as games, Birch said.

"We get them doing the skills so they don't even realize they're doing it," he said with a thick English accent.

Kids are placed on World Cup teams. There's an effort to have them on less-exposed teams such as Ghana or South Korea instead of more well-known teams such as the United States or Germany to provide a more educational aspect, Birch said.

Each day players are given a homework assignment, whether it's to watch a World Cup match or make their team's flag.

"The fact that the World Cup is going on this year has just helped massively," Birch said.

It helps that the U.S. is doing well as it creates more interest in soccer, he added.

The U.S. plays Belgium in the World Cup knockout round Tuesday.

Birch said he's seen an increase of interest in soccer in the U.S. over the four summers he's taught here.

This is the third year Parks and Recreation has contracted with Challenger Sports, said David Wright, parks and recreation director. Challenger Sports provides technical expertise of the game, he said.

The expected estimated gross revenue for the two weeks of camp this year is $25,000, $21,500 of which will go to Challenger Sports, according to Wright. That would leave the parks department with a $3,500 profit.

The coaches stay with host families while in the U.S., which makes the program possible, Birch said.

This is the second year for Will and Amanda Nunnally to host coaches. Last year they hosted two. This year they're hosting five.

"They're great guys," Amanda said. "They're very polite and well mannered."

The Nunnallys' sons William, 12, and Nathan, 9, have participated in the camp for three years. Living with the English coaches has provided them with more insight into the game.

"With the World Cup being on nonstop at our house, we've learned a whole lot more about the finer mechanics of soccer," Amanda said.

William said watching the World Cup with the coaches has allowed him to learn how to play his position better.

Birch said his two favorite aspects of the program are getting to know the people in his camp and living with host families.

"Basically, you're just like their son or daughter for a week," he said. "They just take you in the family."

It would be too expensive for Challenger Sports to put more than 1,000 coaches in hotels all summer, Birch said.

"Without the host families, the idea wouldn't work," he said. "The host families are a big deal."

NW News on 06/28/2014

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