Summer break is approaching fast. If you are an athlete, then your summer will most likely include training and practice. But why practice alone when you could learn from collegiate coaches at the University of Akron? 

Athletes who are looking for something to occupy their time during the summer months are in luck as one of the premier camps in the country kicks off this July at Akron. 

The success of Akron’s soccer program serves as an indicator to the world-class quality of their camps. In the past six years, Akron has produced 15 MLS players, multiple Hermann Trophy winners, had four consecutive NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances,  as well as back-to-back National Title game appearances.

During head coach Caleb Porter’s tenure, Akron has the highest winning percentage in Division I men’s soccer. Assistant coach Oliver Slawson describes the soccer program by stating that “there is no other college soccer environment in the country that resembles anything close to what is currently going on at Akron.” 

With so much success, players have every reason to train at Akron. The camps at Akron will offer players the chance to be a part of the Akron environment and to “experience the Akron philosophy first hand and practice the methodology” which has led Akron and many of its past players to success.

But the camp’s are far from a secret – Akron is expecting to see over 300 athletes at each of their sessions this year, speaking to the growth and impact of each annual gathering.

And with so many athletes coming, there will be a diverse range of players. Slawson states that “one of the great things about our camp is the wide demographic of campers. We have in-state and out of-state players and the last couple of years we have seen a rise in the number on Internationals who attend camp.” 

Slawson also said  that with so many players in attendance, Akron’s camps will offer “a great opportunity for the campers to compete and challenge themselves against players [with whom] they would generally not have the opportunity to do so." Akron’s camp environment will really give campers the opportunity to see how they measure up to other players in their age group. Soccer is a competitive sport, and the best competition will be at Akron this summer. 

The objective of Akron’s soccer camp is to “coach, develop, and inspire all participants so they leave theAkronprogram a better and more educated soccer player.” Players will be working under the direct guidance of Porter as well as a select group of highly trained staff and coaches. Campers will be exposed to “a high level of technical and tactical sessions developed specifically for the needs of today’s youth.” At Akron, campers will be treated like ‘Akron’ players for the week and challenged and prepared to play the Akron way, preparing them for the next step in their soccer careers. And these training camps may offer a means to move onto play at the next level for those who are good enough. Slawson states that “we are always impressed with the level of play from camp, so much so that we have recruited a player each year to join our program atAkronfrom their performance at camp.” 

The Akron training camps will be a five-day experience, running from Sunday through Thursday on the Akron campus. Campers will live and dine on-campus in the residence halls in order to get the full experience of life as a collegiate athlete. In addition, during their free time players will have access to the university’s multi-million dollar student union and the student recreation centers for bowling, billiards, swimming, futsal, and movies. More importantly, however, campers will be using the same facilities as the Akron athletes, including the new 5,000 seat stadium and the natural grass home field, recently renovated and expanded. 

Each camp day will have three daily sessions consisting of a combination of tactical and technical training. These sessions will be supplemented with small-sided games as well as 11v11 matchups, utilizing the same training and playing facilities as the Akron athletes. Throughout the camp, players will be instructed on how to perform better, and how to be a better player. The daily training sessions are structured to incorporate every part of the game, from attacking and defending to the transition between them. 

Slawson states that “our style and brand of football at Akron is very unique to the college game, one that has proven highly successful, producing four straight sweet sixteen NCAA tournament appearances and more wins than any other Division I program in the past six years. It is the basis of this success that campers are taught and will be coached throughout camp, how to be a champion soccer player, developing their abilities to win championships.” 

Akron will be hosting two weeklong sessions of Residential/Commuter open to boys ages 10-18. The camps will be held on the university campus. Residential campers will be staying in the college residence halls and eating at the campus dining hall. The first camp session will run July 8-12 with the second camp session unfolding July 15-19. 

For younger players, Akron also hosts two weeks of day camps. The day camps are open to all boys and girls ages 7-12. The first day camp session runs from June 18-22 and the second day camp session runs from July 23-27. 

For more information about Akron’s soccer camps, visit http://akronsoccercamp.com.