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How to Run a Better Soccer Camp - NSCAA 2015
- 1. Dan Zenkel, President Eric Wittenberg, Director Liz Hopley, Program Director How To Run a Better Soccer Camp
- 2. Agenda Our Story Session Goals What We Do What You Can Do Questions & Comments
- 3. Our Story
- 4. 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
- 5. “The Fun Way to Elevate Your Game”
- 6. 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.”
- 7. 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.”
- 8. 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.”
- 9. 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
- 10. The Berkshire Soccer Academy
- 11. 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
- 13. Visiting Pros & Guest Coaches
- 14. 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
- 15. 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
- 16. The Universe of Soccer Camps ID vs. Developmental Day vs. Overnight Facility Types Fixed Costs Staffing Sources NCAA Compliance
- 17. The Traditional Camp Community ACA Professional Development Standards Conventions Mentoring Photo: ACACamps.org
- 18. 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
- 19. What We Do
- 20. What we do… Solve problems before they exist with: Camper & Parent Communication Staff Training & Feedback Intentional Programming
- 21. Athlete Handbook Athlete Profile Homesickness Packet Camper & Parent Communication
- 25. 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
- 26. Staff Training & Feedback Staff Hiring Process Orientation & Arrival Staff & Camper Evaluations
- 27. Staff Hiring Process Quality & Sourcing Quantity Ratios Staff Development Mentoring / Networking
- 28. Orientation & Arrival Model Name Games & Ice Breakers Facility Logistics Emergency Procedures Clear Expectations Third Party Training Nuts & Bolts of Camp
- 29. Staff Evaluations Self & Manager Evaluations 1 Team Meeting (30 Minutes) Personal Check-ins Camper Evaluations
- 31. Empower Your Staff Engagement and training is a value added for millenials Happy and effective staff = Happy Campers “Direction Prevents Correction”
- 32. Arrival & Orientation Electives & Evening Activities Camper Connections Off-Field Programming
- 33. Arrival & Orientation Map & Human Arrow Checkpoints Shirts & Smiles = Uniform Facility Tour Parents & Campers Should Stress Less
- 34. Electives & Evening Activities Use Low & No Cost “Supplies” Downtime & Restful Activities Supervision
- 35. Connections Camper to Camper Camper to Staff Parent to Staff
- 36. 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
- 37. Thank You & Questions? Interesting Links: Berkshiresoccer.com Acacamps.org CampDirectorsResources.com UltimateCampResource.com Contact Us: Eric@berkshiresocceracademy.com Liz@berkshiresocceracademy.com Dan@berkshiresocceracademy.com
Editor's Notes
- Fun Activity Handout Session Bingo win a free drink Word Bingo
- SECTION 1 – Who We Are – Aim to build credability with the audience by connecting them to our story
- Dan is a camp guy - A hate of law practice drew Dan into CampGroup - CG acquired a family of private camps that offered unique summer camp options. Transitioned out of CG. - Nikki Loved her experience at Danbee (go Danbee!) - Nikki went to her club’s “camp” and was struck by the disparity in b/w the two worlds - Had the idea to merge Nikki’s passions into 1 place but needed the people to run it… Liza has depth in soccer as a player & professionally as a teacher and large conference facilitator - 10K hours playing soccer before she left high school - Soccer specialist - Played at UNC-G - Landed in NY through TFA and developed into UNA gig running conferences nationwide Eric is a generalist and a product of a life in camping - 2 year old at Elmwood day camp - Athletic Director - Takeover 40 year old camp @ Woodmont - Educational Sport Psychology at Univ. of Northern Colorado - We were looking at ways to transition from CrossFit business into camping when we got a call from Dan Notes: Liz is not Liza, yes it’s confusing. Even for us in the office
- We’ve refined our mission and focus. We have married our traditional camp facility with a serious soccer training program.
- Speaker – Part of mission: “provide high level sport specific training for girls” Transition into our Growth: Clicks 1 – Outro mission 2 – intro upper field 3 – intro turf 4 - intro lower field 5 – Intro pavilion
- Speaker – Our Facility Represents the duality of our mission. “Traditional Camp + Real Soccer Training & Fields” What does that look like – “traditional camp setting” looks like this…. Controller Clicks (order and actions) 1st click dissappear text 2nd click bring in Front Entrance photo 3rd – In Campfire Pics 4th – In – Dining Hall 5th – In Lake & Blob & Canoes
- SPEAKER – Eric We’re growing. - Word of Mouth & Referrals - 50% of our campers are returners that come back with a friend We keep changing to respond to what people want and need: - Beta 6 day sessions 10 day sessions (HAO) 12 Day Sessions 6 Day sessions w/ Bridge 5 Day with Bridge Capacity for 6 sessions more Beds More LOCATIONS WE’RE DIFFERENT - Illustrating our growth and intentionality behind what we do.
- In order to accommodate our growth we’ve expanded our staff to include 2 full-time program directors and an office manager..
- Our orientation is 7 days, but yours could be 3 hours. 3 Tiers of Coaches Coaching Ed for Asst. Coaches Asst. Coaches come from around the globe Coaching Who Are Our Coaches? 2-3 Master Coaches – Collegiate Head Coaches 2-3 Head Coaches – Collegiate Assistant Coaches 12-14 Assistant Coaches – Collegiate players, Collegiate graduate assistant coaches, NSCAA Certified Youth Coaches What are the credentials? great coach/athlete ratios 1 MC, 1 HC, 4-5 AC’s per training group On field excellent role models on and off the field coaching education, training, development Inspiring and teaching the next generation of coaches
- Some video from last year…. Special Guests and Partners have been coming… Mia, Lil & Tish – connection & returning HAO Our Visiting Pro & Guest Coach program Although this model is unfamiliar with many coaches and kids, they connect to it emotionally
- Great People to help Keep girls excited about the game Wow factor Role model in their image
- Even though our facilities and operational models are different, we are peers in a LARGE & disjointed industry of soccer camp. The takeaways from this session should be the low hanging fruit. We understand we’re coming from diff. places. And are trying to tailor the takeaways for universal adaptation Diff. b/w day & overnight programs Your job to harvest a nugget to take home Transition from ABOUT BSA ABOUT US (SOCCER CAMP PEOPLE) We want to SHARE & BUILD a soccer camp community in the likeness of the traditional camp world we know Introduce the two worlds we’re in.
- These are generalizations about the two different sides of the summer camp industry. Of course there are soccer camps that exist out of this mold as there are traditional camps. ACA – American Camping Association includes over 10K Camps? And _____ Million campers attending - Data points - Safety in an industry - Peer Networks - Insurance - Standards This could and should exist for Sport specialty camps. – Lets make it happen - Email List S
- Diverse programs but similar struggles: - We know the differing programs all have different resources and limitations, but nevertheless have a lot to learn and share with each other as far as working with adolescents -
- Introduction to the world of ACA camps’ History of Camps in the US back to 1861!!! Girls Camps / YWCA / in 1892, Camp Arey in Arey, New York, became the first camp to admit girls. By 1902 the camp was serving girls exclusively. Other camps serving girls made their appearance in 1902 as well, including Camp Kehonka in New Hampshire, Pinelands of Center Harbor, Maine, and Wyonegonic Camps in Denmark, Maine. Others quickly followed such as the Aloha Camps in 1905 and Alford Lake Camp in 1907 as well as the Gulick Wo-he-lo Camp in 1910. As the movement spread 125 girls camps were established by 1925. ACA – Amer. Camp. Assoc. Has Continuing Educaiton Professional Development Segue – All different types of camps have the same problems that most soccer camps’ experience
- Unstructured = Whether you deal with these issues or not, they exist at your camp in some capacity. Dealing with them will make your life easier. We’d like to share some of the solutions that require a minimal investment that will pay dividends at camp. Direction Prevents Correction = Pos. Youth Development research Hierarchy of Worries for Univ. Camp Admin Serious HeadacheLosing child or serious injury from negligence Coaches attendance ( are they so hungover that they can make it to camp) Camper Mgmt Vandalism Homesickness Camper attendance Roommate Disagreements Bullying & Cliques Annoying parent phone calls (that last 2 hours) ( on your cell) Food & Nutrition as part of camp
- Most of the following documents and ideas, like great coaching is taken from our peers and mentors and given our own fingerprint. Could be called what we’ve learned and borrowed from other camps & learned from our mistakes… These are lessons learned, but sharing how we learned them would be a different session. Today the focus is on what you can do and have your teams do to make camp easer, more fun and better for you and everyone involved.
- We’ve selected some areas that are adaptable across all camps, including univ. programs - Sort of combined topics by action steps for what you would to start integrting some of these tactics and strategies into your camps.
- We do lots of things, but there are a few examples worth sharing that can be adopted widely. Preparation Ease of Registration Ease, convenience Online, PDF Communication F/T staffing Relationship Management Year-round contact and support with families Daily contact during camp sessions Letters home / phone calls Sample of email/letter before camp starts Social networking Emails, Newsletters, Phone calls Videos Families feeling like they are ‘part of a club’ Information Sharing Camper forms Athlete Handbook Athlete Profile Bunk characteristics Social Engineering (limit cliques coming into camp) Safe place = learning = fun = confidence Arrival Day Remove Fear & Anxiety before they get out of the car Orientation to facility, key staff & essential policies Bag drop & welcome registration table Meeting groups, cabins, counselors
- Early on in the Winter/Spring we communicate with families. A lot of this communication is coaching of parents and steering what they need to talk with their athletes about. Athlete Handbook communicates a lot, but a few of these topics are “Controversial” for families: Preparation & Welcome Letter NO PRANKS / food / bullying Clothing Level Playing Field No Cell Phones – Even bold maneurvers like this are relatively stress less for campers, parents and staff when handled early and clearly. You’d be surprised how many parents hide behind this 1 page of the handbook Instead of simply stiffling the communcation b/w parents, we redirect it to a less intrusive and harmful (ANNOYING) channel – Emails & 1 scheduled call home
- Information about a campers soccer & personal background go a LONG way in preventing disasters and producing great exper. Tells the staff what to do IF THEY LOOK AT IT – THEY CAN LOOK AT IT IN THE LAST HOUR BEFORE CAMP Some listen & some don’t but the ones that do SAVE US a ton of aggravation and time when their kids come to camp with the language about how to address and handle homesickness.
- We start communicating with parents in the Spring about specific requests to make camp more successful. Our message regarding homesickness does 2 things: Tells the parents what to do Tells the parents what NOT to do Some listen & some don’t but the ones that do SAVE US a ton of aggravation and time when their kids come to camp with the language about how to address and handle homesickness.
- Orientation High return on time for orientation topics. Millenials - Clear expectations and connection about the camp program Make it clear who to praise or fire or who to provide feedback to 60/40 : Information/Fun (community building) Split Expert Online Training $$ ACA Online modules for training Facility and Emergency Protocol (lost camper drill) Mandated reporting Injuries Sunscreen & Hydration On the field / Off the field Bullying & Discipline Scripts & Responses During Camp – On the job Training Staff Meeting Incentivize attendance (ice cream/ pizza/ soda/ coffee) Raffle off pizza delivery Address interpersonal problems with staff and campers – (vent session with solution support) Address top 3 things that need “RE-DIRECTION” to be fixed by everyone Feedback from the staff Opportunity for Indiv. Check-in w/ staff Staff Evaluations - Standard 1 pager - Self Eval + Mgr eval = Convo - Teach to the Test - Screening interview template - Company Statements Service Standards Score Camper Evaluations 1 page at end of session with open field comments Anonymous Ask about Controllable things ( We can’t move the hill) Direct changes from year to year and influence orientation (Metric for success) What We Do Staffing Staff Hiring & Training Scope of staff recruitment Sites, google, NSCAA Job Site, etc. Hiring & interviewing Individual ‘Hiring Managers’ Building professional networks ‘Expert Online Training’ Full 7-day Orientation CPR/FirstAid Certification Supervision segmentation by roles Daily Informal check-ins with Program Directors Weekly Formal evaluation meetings Health & Well-Being 2 FT certified Nurses live on-site 1 nurses aid lives on site 2 FT certified Athletic Trainers live on-site 1 athletic training aide lives on-site ATC’s on fields at all times Health Center Intentional & Holistic Program planning Focus on the athlete & the girl
- Quality - Make Em’ Count – The front line is has the biggest impact on the campers (small margin of error here) Minimum Criteria Team DOES NOT Equal automatic hire Application Process Background checks References (and check them) Skype or Facetime over telephone interviews Benefits of year over year camp culture Staff culture happens – You can influence it or not Distinguish playing from coaching Quantity – 1: 8 at younger ages & 1:10 or 1:12 at older ages - Better the ratio = better experience for EVERYONE Deadlines for application & overhiring Staff Development – Right people on the bus in the right seat “Jim Collins Good to Great Reference” Year over year leaders Share the plan & Why – Bridge the gap b/w newbies & admins Returning staff become peer leaders Not Mentoring / Coaching – Provide guidance on and off the field to develop coaching Networking
- Orientation – They have to Own it before they Share it High return on time for orientation topics. Millenials - Clear expectations and connection about the camp program Make it clear who to praise or fire or who to provide feedback to 60/40 : Information/Fun (community building) Split Expert Online Training $$ ACA Online modules for training Facility and Emergency Protocol (lost camper drill) Mandated reporting Injuries Sunscreen & Hydration On the field / Off the field Bullying & Discipline Scripts & Responses
- Staff Evaluations - Even more important for multiple weeks/sessions -Standard 1 pager - Self Eval + Mgr eval = Convo - Teach to the Test - Screening interview template - Company Statements Service Standards Score Camper Evaluations 1 page at end of session with open field comments Anonymous = truth about what happens where the campers sleep Ask about Controllable things ( We can’t move the hill) Direct changes from year to year and influence orientation (Metric for success)
- Camper Evaluations 1 pager – 10 mins Incentivize attendance (ice cream/ pizza/ soda/ coffee) Raffle off pizza delivery Address interpersonal problems with staff and campers – (vent session with solution support) Address top 3 things that need “RE-DIRECTION” to be fixed by everyone Feedback from the staff Opportunity for Indiv. Check-in w/ staff
- Arrival & Orientation HUMAN BEING at point of entry on large campus (BIG FACTOR) Ice Breakers & Name Games Tour of Facility (Marketing & ease) People starve for connection – (parents & staff & campers) Shirts / Nametags Maps (not just the online campus map) – Draw over it with a sharpie and copy it. - Max 30 mins. Connections Large or small group task & presentation (at closing do these skits) Name games, icebreakers, little buddies etc. Evening Activities Game nights = low friction & cost (see resources at end Free / no e equipment games Inspiration from RA’s activities as analog Electives- canvas staff for resources – we hire for them, but you might have them anyway Elective Selections Yoga, Waterfront, Rec Deck, Fishing, Outdoor Adventure, Cooking, Arts & Crafts, Music Rest time (1) 45-60 rest hour per day Campers are in cabins, laying down All-Camp Activities BSA Olympics Cabin Cup Intentional activities off the field Stretch Deck Bridge Programs
- Arrival & Orientation HUMAN BEING at point of entry on large campus (BIG FACTOR) Ice Breakers & Name Games Tour of Facility (Marketing & ease) People starve for connection – (parents & staff & campers) Shirts / Nametags Maps (not just the online campus map) – Draw over it with a sharpie and copy it. - Max 30 mins. Connections Large or small group task & presentation (at closing do these skits) Name games, icebreakers, little buddies etc.
- Evening Activities Game nights = low friction & cost (see resources at end Free / no e equipment games Inspiration from RA’s activities as analog Electives- canvas staff for resources – we hire for them, but you might have them anyway Elective Selections Yoga, Waterfront, Rec Deck, Fishing, Outdoor Adventure, Cooking, Arts & Crafts, Music Rest time (1) 45-60 rest hour per day Campers are in cabins, laying down All-Camp Activities BSA Olympics Cabin Cup Intentional activities off the field Stretch Deck Bridge Programs
- People Want to Connect To Make Friends To Feel Safe To Have Fun To Be part of a larger community To Feel good about where their kids are