Helping breed young U.S. talent in West Sound this week is a group of British coaches. The British Challenger Soccer Camp arrived in Silverdale this week, and 45 local youths signed up to hone their skills at Howarton Field. The camp is sponsored by the Challenger Soccer Company, which employs 450 British soccer players to travel the U.S. to coach the weeklong clinics. London resident Wayne Brandon, one of three coaches at the Silverdale camp, said that America's interest in soccer is slowly catching up to the rest of the world. When these children grow up, they'll be able to coach from experience and the whole thing will just mushroom.
Soccer is here to stay in the States.
The camp is aimed at children ages 4-14, with an emphasis on basic skills rather than tactics. This is great for me because I've been getting rusty all summer. This is a good chance for me to work on my skills. While the camp is designed to help players make improvements on their game, its underlying purpose is to promote the game of soccer in the United States. Coach Graeme Bell of Liverpool said that while American's skills generally lag behind the rest of the world, he has been surprised in a few aspects.