My son participated in the soccer day camp this past week in Prattville, AL. It was a tremendous experience for him to learn new techniques and push himself a little more, get to know the coaches, and I believe he developed a good bit of self confidence in the process. He was really sorry that he only had one week and that he hoped the camp was offered again next year. Your coaches certainly won the hearts of our area. It’s always so nice to get a new perspective. You have a wonderful program; hope to see you here again next year.

The Pardue Family

I wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed this last week’s camp. The coaches were incredible. I truly can’t remember when I have seen the campers and parents have so much fun. JT, Daniel, Ste, and Konrad were full of energy throughout the entire camp and the kids were so excited about the actives and games. The parents are still “raving” about it and the kids are still saying “bosh” (“cool”). We had a blast. These are a great group of guys and I hope that we get to work with them in the future.

Thanks, The Haas Family

I want to thank you for a great experience. My children participated in your British All Challenger Soccer Camp this summer in Mt. View, Arkansas. They thoroughly enjoyed it, and can’t wait for next summer. All of the parents and children I spoke with were very excited about the British Soccer program. The service you are providing is a wonderful addition to our local soccer program. Ours is a new program, in a community that is not familiar with soccer. It is great for the kids to work with coaches that are as dedicated and knowledgeable as the ones you provided. Coaches Dave and Ajay both exhibited a level of proficiency and professionalism that was above expectation. Kudos to them, and cheers to you for finding, and training them. The uniforms, balls, and tee shirts that you provided were attractive, durable, and of good quality. I really had no expectations because usually, when you get “free” extra stuff, it is junk. Not so, in this case. Thanks. Good job. Again, thank you. The equipment, the coaches, and the program are all top drawer. I will not hesitate to recommend this program to anyone. Please tell coach Dave and coach Ajay that we couldn’t be more pleased. I’ve never gotten more for my money.

Sincerely The Glover Family

I just wanted to say how wonderful the Soccer Camp was here at the Marine Base in 29 Palms CA.  The coaches were excellent.  Coach Fern and Coach Leanne had my 3 year old Khristopfer in First Kicks and then my 5 year old  Kurt in Mini Soccer.  They were outstanding with the young children!  Both were very patient and encouraging!  I look forward to seeing them again next year.  Coach Lorna had my 7 year old in Half day and she just had wonderful things to say about my son Erich.  Erich had so much fun and learned so much that as soon as camp was over yesterday he asked to do it again next year!  Head coach Nick was great too.  Answered all questions and was a great inspiration to the kids.  He especially took time with some kids who were having difficulties with the skills or being separated from their mothers, like Khristopfer, for the first time.  All in all, it was an outstanding experience and I will recommend it to anyone and we will participate again.

The Kassner Family

I am writing this letter to show my appreciation for the amazing effort put forth by Nick, Mike, and Rhys at the Apple Valley soccer camp this past week. The three were highly professional and put on a fun camp that taught my two sons a great deal. The focus of the camp was right on target. They kept the kids focused on learning, attitude and fun while they are learning. To me this is critical to creating a lifelong love of sports in general. They practiced athlete centered training. The approach to the training being focused on attitude sent the right message to the athlete. The bottom line is that Nick, Mike, and Rhys are great coaches and they put on a camp that helped to shape the attitude, skills, and spirits of many young men and women. Way to go!!

The Hanshaws

Once again, my daughter Carmen (age 10) had a wonderful experience at soccer camp. The coaches came through with that magic combination of skills and fun that makes the Challenger camp the perfect way for kids to fall more in love with the sport of soccer. Even though it was by far the hottest week in Portland for years and years (107 for two days), Chris, Noel, Daniel, Sam, Mark and Gary kept everything upbeat and lively for our kids. Chris Harding and Noel McManus stayed with my family, and I’d like to take the opportunity to sing their praises. In Chris and Noel, you’ve chosen two extraordinary young men to represent your company. They were excellent house guests who are both welcome in our home again any time. Beyond that, I was very impressed with their job performance. Not only were they both favorites with the kids (see photos below), they showed remarkable leadership skills with the other coaches while also building great camaraderie. In your shoes, I wouldn’t hesitate to put Chris or Noel in a leadership position at future camps. Thanks to everyone at Challenger for creating a summer highlight for my daughter. Carmen already plans to attend again next year.

Sincerely, The Osborn-Charles Family

Just wanted to let you know that I personally think that this was the best Challenger camp my boys have attended. Coach Gillian and Coach Dave were incredibly patient with the little guys and coach Liam and Coach Kevin really taught the Challenger principles (stressing working together as a team with the don’t break the chain game for example) as well as technical skills. This is the first year Nathan did the World Cup and I think he learned a lot about the mechanics/rules of the game which aren’t taught before this level (valuable for a family that didn’t grow up playing soccer). Finally, it was a pleasure to host Coach Matt. He is a great guy just like Coach Alan last year and the boys really enjoyed having him around. Thanks for a great camp!

The Evans Family

We hosted Coach Rob at our home when he coached camp in Bolton, CT this summer. We have lost his email address, but wanted to share this with him. Our son Michael scored his teams first two goals of the season at their soccer game on Saturday. Michael was so excited and proud..it was fantastic to see the boys celebrate together. We wanted Rob to know that Michael has been successful at applying the skills he learned at camp to his play for the team. He knows those laces make for great scores!
Please forward this to Rob if you can.

The Welch Family

I wanted to take this time to say THANK YOU!!!!!  This is the 1st time my daughter has participated in the Challenger Soccer Camp & we wished it had been for more than a week.  Coaches Dave, Nick & Ritz were so awesome!  The morning camp was quite large compared to my daughter’s afternoon session – but they all had so much energy & fun left in the afternoon it was amazing.  She learned so much from them all.  They were such good sports that on Dress Up Day Coach Nick got covered in nail polish from the earlier session on the back’s of his legs – yet he just laughed it off with the older kids.  I wish all kids could experience such great role models.  THESE are the types of athletes I want my daughter to look up to.  Not over-paid professional who are really just big babies.  I wished we had been able to sponsor one of the coaches – but with some re-modeling going on it was not possible this year.  We sincerely hope to have her participate again next year & then we will be able to have one of them stay here.  They were all such polite, caring young men I would be happy to have any of them stay in my home.  Even on the last day it was raining & cold yet they stayed till the end when they could have cut it a little short.  Plus they stayed for some pictures.  The next towns/cities to have these guys visit them will be as blessed as us to have had them. Thank You again!

Sincerely, The Martins

I just wanted to take time to let you know what a wonderful time me and my family had being a host family.  Matthew Biddle was a delight to have in our home last week.  We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be a host family and would do it again, in a heartbeat!  Matthew was a gracious guest and fit into our family very well.  This is an experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives.  We miss him already and talk about him often. Thanks again and we have thoroughly enjoyed being a host family!

The Walters Family

I just wanted to let you know how pleased I was with the challenger sports camp in my area.  My 7 year-old son loves soccer and was so excited to participate in the full day camp. I was a little nervous about him participating in such a lengthy camp but he talked me into it.  It was one of the best decisions I ever made.  Coach Jim and Coach Klaren were the coaches for the week and they were absolutely FABULOUS with the kids (even the younger ones).  I was amazed how the program incorporated learning the skills of the sport while keeping it fun for the kids.  I don’t think my son had a dull moment.  It was simply fun, fun, and more fun.  I can really tell that he has learned some new techniques because he has been outside practicing them.  Not only did he learn new skills, he also developed a positive relationship with his coaches.  In my son’s words, the coaches were “awesome.”  They would laugh with the kids and make the games fun and exciting for them.  I really just want let you know what a wonderful job they have done in making my son’s soccer camp a rewarding experience.  My son is already asking me to participate in the next soccer camp in a couple weeks!  I hope that this program continues in my area so that my child can take advantage of all the benefits it has to offer.  I truly was skeptical about the program.  I thought that they would do a couple things with the kids and probably slack off.   But this was definitely not the case.  Those coaches had those kids working, learning, and most importantly having the time of their life in the hot, hot sun! Thank you so much for such a wonderful program. We will definitely participate in it again!

Sincerely, The Reyes Family

We cannot thank you enough for bringing your camp to Council Bluffs. Our daughter was enrolled in 5 camps this year besides yours and it was not until going to your camp did she really ENJOY soccer. Each day she was ready to go early and did not want to leave. She went to both the day and evening camps and both were wonderful experiences. Ricky, Sean,and Neal were so interactive with the kids and they had such a great time. You can tell they truly like working with the kids. My daughter says they are her “hero” and she wants to do what they do. We have a 1400 sq ft garage apartment that has all the amenities they would need and they are more than welcome to stay next year. When I got the email I was apprehensive about having a stranger in my home but having met your players they would be more than welcome anytime. Please keep this email, contact us next year and consider this an open invitation. Again thank you for coming here. Your camp was one of our best investments this year.

The Bates Family

My daughter, Sarah, recently attended the soccer camp in Waterboro, Maine (the last week of July), and I had to write to tell you what a fantastic experience it was. It was very organized and professional. The coaches really showed their enthusiasm and passion for the game and gave 100% each day. Our whole family really enjoyed the whole week and will absolutely plan on signing our daughter up again next year. I also will be telling other parents about the camp during the upcoming soccer season and encourage them to sign their children up next summer. Thank you very much!

The Bouley Family

We are writing to let you know how much our family thoroughly enjoyed hosting one of your coaches, and how much our children enjoyed your camp. During this very short time we got to know all 5 of the coaches working our camp in Townsend, Massachusetts. Our children loved your soccer camp. They have learned and improved on many soccer skills. It was a week filled with fun and learning.  We are astonished at how much they learned other than soccer. Your program also taught them facts about other countries. They came home in the evenings and researched their world cup soccer teams! They found interesting facts about their country, the population, the capital cities, what their flags looked like. We made a cake representing the flag Congo, a very large Turkey flag, and our very own world shirts for 4 different countries!  Helen Amos, Matt Jackson, Ian Tomlinson, Jordan Fox, and Ryan Street, are truly amazing coaches. They were very professional and extremely organized. They worked together beautifully as a team. They were polite, always filled with energy, and amazing with all the kids at camp.

We were very fortunate to be able to welcome Helen into our home. We have a very busy household. We have 6 children. Helen became a very special part of our family. After spending 9 long hours on a very hot soccer field, she managed to come home and spend more hours entertaining our children with many different activities. They kept her going. She found time to make them each feel very special to her. Her love for children and soccer was very obvious. We are truly impressed at how she understood each of their individual needs. She was always polite, helpful and very pleasant. She really is special.

Helen and Matt deserve additional praise for their work with our eight year old son Dylan. Dylan is a special needs child. We were so lucky that Helen and Matt were able to identify that immediately and work with him to have a very successful week at soccer camp. This was Dylan’s first successful attempt at a summer camp. This success was due to Helen and Matt’s patience, understanding, and encouragement. They were able to do this while continuing to give the entire camp what they needed. We had a great all around experience. Well, done! These young coaches are amazing and deserve to hear it!

The Serene Family of Townsend, Massachusetts

My daughter just finished her week long soccer camp and I am writing to say thank you. The camp was excellent. The ” Champions of Character” initiative is what is lacking in alot on youth sports. The coaches were fantastic and the environment was fun and my 7 year old daughter learned a lot. On the way home she asked if next year she could do a full day camp.

The Perry Family

We  would just like to take this opportunity to say thank you for bringing such a great camp to Waterford Michigan.  Our son has been in the camp for the week and truly has had a great time.  He has had the chance to learn so many new things while at the camp.  I hope that this camp will be back next year. We would recommend this soccer  camp to anyone looking for a camp.  We have a friend at another who is at another one of your soccer  camps  that is also really having a great time.

Thank you, The Crenshaws

I just wanted to write and let you know that for the 2nd year in a row we had an awesome experience!! I have to admit, last year was perfect and we were a little worried that we wouldn’t get coaches who were as great with the kids, but we hosted Jon Crook, Henry Wilson and Grant Watson and they really did exceed our expectations!  We don’t have a big house, but they didn’t seem to mind being in close quarters with us! They were really lovely boys with exceptional manners and were great role models for my boys! The week flew by way too quickly and we were so sad to see them go! So, I wanted to congratulate you and Challenger, as you have picked another great crop of coaches! I’d say that I’d love to have the 3 boys again next year, but I think they’d like to branch out and see more of America, as well they should! But we really look forward to whoever we get again next year!

Best regards, The Langleys

I was a host family for the week and wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed our coach – Ritz. In fact the entire group seemed very professional the entire week. My son and the rest of the campers seemed to have a good time while learning some valuable soccer skills. Leo and Clairon did a great job leading a group of our coaches in the art of teaching soccer while making it fun at the same time. The team of youngsters you have assigned to our camp seemed to have just as much fun as the campers. A feat that I am sure is not always easy to achieve considering they coach a different group each week. Ritz was a pleasure to have with my family.

Thanks again for a job well done, The Sweeneys

Very pleased to report that my family have had an excellent, wonderful experience with your half-day morning camp at Chaska MN. The Camp concluded today and, as mentioned to Director Chris and Coach Adam, they and their colleagues were outstanding. We very much look forward to our son’s participation in more Challenger opportunities, especially if Chris and Adam are part of the coaching team.

Many thanks indeed for our recent communications; especially to Peter’s prompt reactions in updating your waiver-disclaimer language (as a result we were able to agree to your revised legal provisions in good faith, whereas most parents have told us they typically don’t agree but sign anyway and would later pretend not to have understood if an issue arose). Whilst we had become deeply concerned about Challenger’s motives and the safety of our son on reading your original waiver-disclaimer, we have now experienced that our son was actually quite safe, not exploited and well looked after during this week’s camp.

Lastly, we hope to get in touch with your local CC United partner organization to get our son involved as appropriate.

Cheers and very best,
Sturgeon Family

I wanted to take a few minutes to thank everyone at Challenger for the great Challenger British Soccer camp that was recently held in Miles City, Montana. All four of the coaches, Kit, Rich, Antony & Aaron, did a wonderful job with all the kids of all age groups. The kids went home excited about what they learned and arrived each morning enthusiastic to learn new skills and further develop known ones. The coaches seemed to really enjoy coaching and working with the players and honestly expressed a love for the sport of soccer. I sat in and watched a few lessons and picked up a few ideas that should improve my coaching skills in seasons ahead as well. Your coaches are to be commended for their enthusiasm, integrity, and passion for all things soccer. I’d like to express a deep thank you to coach Aaron Poulton whom we had the pleasure to host in our home for the week of camp. He was a great fit to our family and everyone enjoyed his company greatly. We’re all disappointed he had to leave so promptly when camp concluded- perhaps your organization could add in some bonus time for the coaches to see some nearby sites and partake in local events. Aaron is a great guy and is very gracious and personable. I would highly recommend him as a coach and as an ambassador to your program any time. Again, thanks to all four of the guys for being so friendly, professional, and fun to have in Miles City. They’re a great lot of young men and are welcome back anytime.

The Sutter Family

I just wanted to let you know how much my son enjoyed the soccer camp held here in Webster this past week. He has gone four years in a row and thought that the coaches were the best he ever had. Coach Jay and coach Rob were fun and challenging and we would love to have them back next year if it is an option.

Thanks Again, The Hamel

I have 2 sons that attended the British Soccer Camp at the Kraft Family YMCA in Apex, NC from June 22nd – 26th.  My boys absolutely loved the camp and had a wonderful time.  The boys loved getting to know the coaches and after camp every day they talked about how their teams did in the World Cup scrimmage games that were part of the camp.  Both of my boys’ ball handling skills and passing have improved as a result of the camp, but more importantly the coaches’ enthusiasm for the game rubbed off on the kids and they are so excited about playing the game.  I felt the coaches were good role models for all the kids there.  They made the camp so much fun for everyone while emphasizing sportsmanship and learning. I hope the YMCA brings back the British Soccer Camp next summer – both of my boys have already ask me to sign them up for this camp next summer.

Thanks for the wonderful program, The Junkin Family

Just wanted to let you know how wonderful it has been hosting Cory Hyde. We didn’t host last year because we didn’t know what to expect. Jamie was our daughters coach last year and we all fell in love with him. We knew other host families and were told how awesome hosting was. They were right. Cory has become a part of the family now and there will be many tears shed tomorrow. He did tell us his schedule and when he said he had time off before he flew out, without hesitation, we offered to house him until he leaves. We totally trust him in the house if we aren’t home. He is so polite and respectful. One thing I do want to mention is that one night when He and Jamie were on their way to camp they came up on an accident where a lady was hit on a scooter. She was laying in the street, badly broken leg with exposed bone and head trauma. People were standing around just looking. Jamie and Cory, knowing they would be late for camp, got out, ran over to help and call 911. The lady was afraid she wasn’t going to make it and Jamie held her hand and kept her calm until the paramedics got there. He promised he wouldn’t leave her. The fire department was first to the scene and apparently clueless and rude to the lady. They were going to move her until Cory reminded them she had head trauma. He also told them to take it easy on her as they were very rude. These guys are so amazing!! Jamie’s host family also lives in our neighborhood so it has been great getting to spend more time with him this year. These guys are such an asset to this organization and now they are also our friends forever. My daughter asked if Cory could move in!!! He has been awesome with our 3 kids and they love him to death!!! Thank you for giving us this opportunity and we will definitely do it again next year.

The Worfs

This was the first year of attendance for my son at the soccer camp and we just wanted to say THANK YOU!  Coach Adi, Coach Dom and Coach Mark were outstanding.  We would like to say how wonderful they were with all the children. Very patient, kind, and exceptional in training the children in soccer.  They were quite personable with the parents as well. We would also like to give Coach Adi an extra pat on the back, he was inspirational to the children, had fun with them and kept them engaged. He also taught them respect and responsibility and that is priceless.  I could go on and on about how great he was but am afraid you might think we are a paid spokesperson! Haha. It would be wonderful next year, when we sign our son up for the soccer camp, if Coach Adi and Coach Dom are available, that they would be the coaches for our area. We would love to see their faces again and have the consistency of having the same coaches.  We would also very much enjoy signing up to host them. Wish them safe travels for us and we sincerely hope to see them next year.

Kindest Regards, The Holst Family

My two daughters just finished up your East Greenwich, RI soccer camp this afternoon and I wanted to share with you that they had a great time. Coaches Izzy, Alex, Mark, Ryan, John and Ryan were terrific with the kids. The girls have gone to other camps in past years but thought this was the best. They’ve been talking about it all week. They can’t wait to sing up again next summer. Of course they’re hoping for the same crew of coaches!

Sincerely, The Boldts

I just wanted to drop you a note and tell you how well the competitive camp is going! In particular Rachel has been outstanding with group. She is has shown excellent leadership qualities and is really running a great camp. She should be commended… I can see the difference in the way she is handling the group from our standard camp and it is just what we were looking for. The attendance is great, the skill level of our players is at least consistent which has allowed the group to run some great practices. I like that Rachel also asked if there were some particular skills or items that I would like to see her concentrate on and we have worked something out. So please give her my compliments and makes sure that her superiors are aware of what a great job she is doing. Thank you for setting everything up for us.

Thanks, The Levesques

Just wanted to let you know that my 2 children just completed the camp held in Cranston RI and had an awesome time. Rhys and Paul were their coaches and they were wonderful. They had endless energy, were fantastic with the kids and made it such fun that even though some days were above 90 degrees they loved it and didn’t complain once. We’d love to see them back here again next summer. Thanks for a great program with exceptional coaches. We all appreciated them very much.

Sincerely, The Turchetta Family

My son attended the Challenger Soccer Camp this week in Hartsville, S.C. and I just wanted to send some positive feedback! My son LOVED it, he was so excited to come each day that I have already searched to see were the closest camp is that you are having in July. Coach Ed and Coach Matthew were excellent with the children. Coach Ed was in charge of the First Kicks and showed great patience with the some times wandering class. He knew each of there names by the second day, very impressive. He also took the time to talk a very shy young man out of hiding and joining the class, by the next day I noticed this same young man was running eagerly to the field. My son got sick on the 4th day and once again Coach Ed was a champ about it.I did not interact with Coach Matt as much but what I observed he had great control of a larger group and wider age range. They all seemed very engaged and excited about being there. I know his host family thought highly of him. I am so pleased that my son had this experience with Challenger Sports! I always feel that people are more likely to send negative feedback, so when I have some positive to say I like to send it along.

Sincerely, The Slater Family

My son has been participating in the British Soccer camps since he was about 5. As soon as our daughter was old enough she joined in as well. They are now 9 and 7. Last summer was our first time to host one of the coaches. Paul Brown ended up staying with us 3 different time and our kids participated in 3 camps. This summer, once again, Paul Brown has come to stay with us. The kids participated in several camps again and we have now hosted several other coaches in addition to Paul. The kids have thoroughly enjoyed the camps, the coaches all the fun the goes along with it! We really appreciated the hard work, dedication and kindness they have shown our family. We are so happy we made the decision to host. Thank you to Paul Brown, Richard Bywater, Mark Dunckley, Peter Marquis, Dan Tarr, and Shane Harris for being such great influences on our children.

Sincerely, The Spavale Family, Katy, Texas

I wanted to take a minute to write and express my gratitude for such a well run camp. My son Trent attended the Challenger Camp last week at Chinn Chapel soccer fields in Highland Village Texas and simple loved it. I think it was due to the wonderful coaches you had for us. Coach Sam was the director. He was well organized. Funny. Personable. And handled the parents with ease.
Coach Greg and Coach Scott also lent a hand to the fun and activities. They encouraged every step of the way (a lot of good jobs and high fives). Such wonderful positive encouragement that came from the heart. All five coaches were genuinely nice and made time for all of our question and concerns. You pick an excellent group of young men to represent your organization. All were amazing role models. If any of these young men choose to come back, please keep my name and information. My family would love to be a host Family for your
organization. Thank you again for a memorable experience for my son.  He walked away with a new love of the sport and that to me is priceless.

Sincerely, The Chalmers

I would like to thank you for sending the finest team of coaches to our camp this year. This years coaches consisted on 3 old friends and 3 newcomers. Adam Carew, Aled Jones and Gail McFarlane were here last year and it was like a homecoming. Joel Andre’, Zac Waterman and Calum Murison were newcomers to our camp , but quickly became close friends with the campers and families. We have never had such a fantastic group before. They taught with enthusiasm and was able to break everything down to the campers level. The First Kicks were taught by Calum and Zac. They maintained order and was able to keep the attention of the younger players for the entire session, which is hard to do. The Older groups were taught by Joel and Gail. These two pushed the older players to learn a new skill every day. The instructions were clear and very professional. These two deserve to be head coach in the future. As always, I save the best for last. Adam Carew and Aled Jones were “Simply the Best”. Organized from the very start, these two handled any situation that deviated from the schedule. From campers not wanting to participate to rearranging the schedules due to rain so every camper received their full instruction. These two did it all. The true magic came away from the camp. They moved into our homes and our hearts. They participated in our family activities and became part of our family. I would like to have these coaches back next year.

Thank you, Parent, Coach and PARDS Soccer Director

I would like to take a minute to let you know what a great experience my eight year old son had at the Midland, TX British Challenger Soccer Camp. Coaches Scott, Owen and Joe went above and beyond in my opinion to set a positive example for our youth. They made every day exciting, challenging, and developmentally appropriate for each skill level. I just wanted to once again let them know what a great job they did. My son said it was the best soccer camp ever and he cannot wait to participate again next summer. Thanks for your hard work!

The Carmichaels

I enrolled my 2 sons in your soccer camp at Bush Park on July 6th through July 10th.   They are both beginners. One is 5 and one is 4.  They have never played organized sports. I would like to thank Coach Scott Simpson for the way he worked with my sons. As a public school administrator and a former coach myself; I know good instruction when I see it. He is very organized and wastes little time transitioning between drills.  His patience is infinite, and he nurtures a love for the game within the kids. I have observed him encouraging the kids as well as redirecting them when they are off task.  Coach Simpson is doing a great job.  My two sons just love him.  Thank you for allowing Coach Simpson to come here; he is an outstanding young man.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me directly.

Sincerely, The Session Family

I wanted to write to let you know how impressed my husband and I were with our son’s coach this week, Alex Rahey.  Coach Alex was prepared with many activities that appealed to and worked for kids of all ages.  My son is 3 and has never played soccer.  He was just as involved as the oldest child, who I believe was 12.  Coach Alex was wonderful at encouraging all the players.  As a 3 year old, my son Rodney sometimes stopped or tried to sit out. Coach Alex found fun ways to get Rodney redirected and re-engaged in the activities with the other players.  Rodney looked forward to camp everyday and I marveled at Coach Alex’s skills with all the children. Thanks so much for bringing this wonderful program to my area.  I hope that I can take my son to the camp in Woodland during the August session and I would be happy if Coach Alex was there to further my son’s skills. Please forward this e-mail to anyone who can take note of Coach Alex’s skills as an instructor, his ability to relate to children of all ages and his openness in communicating with parents.  He is an impressive young man. We felt lucky to have him.

Sincerely, The Hofhenkes

I wanted to take a minute and let you know how great the British Challenger camp was that took place the week of 7-20-09 in Frisco, TX. Rory, Leon, Mark and Sam were wonderful with the kids; they were very enthusiastic and made the camp fun for them. This was my daughter’s fourth soccer camp this summer and she told me it was the one she enjoyed the most because of the coaches, she had Leon for her skills portion and thought he was great. She was able to work on some skills she had already learned as well as learn new ones. I have already told several of her friends from her soccer team that they need to do this camp with us next year.

The Welch Family

I wanted to compliment you and your coaches on a job well done. My son, Bryson Marretta, was fortunate enough to have Coach Chris during Challenger Camp. He was such a professional young man, but most importantly, so knowledgeable in the game of soccer. The drills that your team went over during the week with my son were very valuable. All the coaches did a great job. As a young player, Bryson, is always looking to improve his game. Please let us know when you will be back in our area for further training, or any opportunities that may warrant travelling to in order to advance Bryson to his best level.

Sincerely, The Marretta Family

We want to thank your coaches yet again and tell you what a wonderful experience this was for all of us. We hosted Dan Finnegan and Matt Connor in our home June 21-28 in Salt Lake City. All three of our children participated in the evening camp. Our 10 year old daughter Katherine never played organized soccer, but had a blast and quickly learned everything. Our four year old Thomas got his first chance to learn and every day told detailed stories about camp. But most importantly our 8 year old Bobby had an amazing experience. He has played on a Firebirds soccer team for one year. He has skills, but it has been hard to get him to focus. We saw him perform consistently with intense focus and he was also commended for good sportsmanship. Having Matt and Dan in our home made the boys so much more excited about soccer. The coaches were well-mannered, kind, and very easy to get along with. We really had a fun week. It was an outstanding experience for our family in so many ways.

Thanks so much. The Morelli Family

I just wanted to let you know what fabulous coaches we had this past week. Jamie spent the week with our family and Chris with our friends so we spent a lot of time with both of them. Not only were they wonderful and talented coaches on the field but they were kind, patient, energetic, polite and a whole lot of fun outside of camp also. Our children adored both of them! Thank you for sending along and supporting these great young men. They represented Challenger exceptionally well. We also hosted Peter last year and that week was just as fantastic. Because of the great experience we had last year with Peter, we decided to host again this summer and convinced our friends to as well. Perhaps we will be fortunate enough to welcome another coach next year into our home. Thank you again — we are all looking forward to soccer camp next year!

Melissa Hood (and family)

I would like to thank you for giving us the chance to host this week.  This week has been amazing, we’ve had the best time hosting Tom Gayler. (The other host families I’m sure feel the same way)The experience was just so much fun. We feel as we are losing a son today when he leaves to go to Martinsville. Tom has been part of my family for this entire week and he is welcome to come back anytime! He is a very sweet, polite young man, and will be missed. This week has gone by so fast!! He is such an amazing young man, that I can’t describe how much we have enjoyed his company. I hope that you will allow us to host Tom again next year!! Be honest, I would host all four of the guys that were here this week, they’re great bunch of young men! (hopefully all of our remodeling will be done!!) Speaking about that, we are in the middle of remodeling our house, painting, adding on and all and he didn’t mind it, at all. We felt horrible that we are in the middle of redoing the house but again he didn’t mind.. I DID!! but he just came in and became a part of the family!!  Between our house being busy with people coming over and kids staying the night and the house being remodeled that we almost called and told you we couldn’t be a host family; but we’re glad we did!!!!  I hope that next year when Jay Ratcliffe does this camp again that you will send the same 4 boys back to us. Tom, Dan, Mark & Conner!!!! all are amazing young men, love them all. My boys really enjoyed him and the other coaches, but Tom is their OLDER BROTHER NOW!! I’m not kidding, he is our SON now, once you’ve stayed here and became a part of this family your one of us. Thanks again Simon, WE loved having him here and please please let these 4 come next year and stay with the same families!! We love them ALL!! We will miss Tom very much!!

Sincerely, The Sprouse Family

Benjamin attended the camp and absolutely LOVED it all. Coach Dan did such an excellent job teaching, capturing the attention of 3 and 4 year olds,  making it all a lot of fun and  making sure all the children had special attention.  Ben felt very proud of his accomplishments during his week with Dan. Thanks so much, Dan, and to all of you at Challenger Sports for providing this fine experience for Ben.

Sincerely The Summers

WE just saw Matt and Dan off after a lovely week.  We could not have asked for better houseguests, coaches or friends.  They are both great guys who added much to our family this week.  Aside from coaching all day, they often played a pick-up game with our boys in the backyard.  They enthusiastically joined us for all sorts of family events, from picnics at the beach to BBQ’s with friends to family movie night. As for coaching, I know our son fully enjoyed his days with Coach Matt and in talking to friends with kids in Challenger, I can easily say they were very happy as well. We have hosted three challenger coaches in total and each one has been a delight.  Thought you’d like to know!

The Kruss Family

Just a note to let you know how thoroughly we enjoyed having Dan Loughlin stay with us this past week. Though we didn’t have any previous experience with British Soccer, we enrolled in the South Whidbey camp and signed up to be a host family. Our experience with Dan afforded us remarkably positive introduction to your camp! I can’t imagine a more polite, easy, and charming guest. Dan exhibited a social grace that will serve him well in all future endeavors. In addition he was wonderful with our two boys. I am convinced that having Dan stay with us allowed my 9 year old to change from a reticent attitude toward the camp on the first day to full enthusiasm by the last day. Most importantly he was a superb role model for our boys. If they grow up to be as well-spoken, kind, engaging, and polite as Coach Dan, we as parents will be most pleased – and what greater gift could a host family receive? Dan has represented your organization with excellence and our overall experience was positive. Consequently, we will be looking to sign up again next summer.

Sincerely, The Marklins

Thanks for contacting me back in November about this soccer camp. And giving Rock Springs, Wyoming the opportunity to hold the best camp we’ve ever had on record ( 169 ). You guys were so easy to deal with and give all the info needed in organizing a great camp. I couldn’t have done it without your guidance through the whole thing since this was my first time organizing a camp. The camp was so positive for our young soccer players and everyone involved. Matt, Rich, Luca, Mark, Dom, Paul and Pete were amazing with how they inter-acted with the kids, host families, parents and myself. I was able to talk with these fine young men through out the week and really felt like they were my friends and we had soccer in common. It was a really spectacular week and I was impressed with how these young men carried themselves in our community on and off the field. The feed back from the kids and parents was all positive and exciting to hear. This camp has sparked a buzz for our organization and our youth on the pitch. So I just wanted to say thank you and you guys should be proud of what you do for the youth in this country. We can’t wait to do it again in the years to come. Next year I believe we will have even more kids at camp just because of the gossip about this last camp. Thanks again and can’t wait to see you guys again.

CHEERS: Lyndon Klein Rock Springs Soccer Association President/Camp Coordinator

Our grandson Colin stayed with us last week to attend the soccer camp in Windsor Park in Victoria. We hosted Adam Leewarden, and between the great week of camp, and having Adam here, Colin has had a time that I think he will never forget. Adam was courteous, respectful, helpful,and was gracious to the stream of  family members who came by. As well, he had a great sense of humour and was altogether fun to have around. He was not Colin’s coach, but they  played together in the fun games, and had a good time playing board games sometimes after camp. Adam is a good role model for just the kind of young man I hope Colin will be. Colin had coach Steve  (a great coach and a fine young man), and we got to know  both him and coach Charlotte …both have been to our home, and as well as Adam would be welcome again at any time. A few words about the camp: Well organized. Good discipline. Fair coaching. Good skill development. Good emphasis on sportsmanship and recognition of good deeds, and lots of fun. I would give a 10 out of 10 for the whole experience.

SIncerely, The Bavingtons

I wanted to give you some feedback on our wonderful experience at soccer camp this year. Both my daughters Olivia and Meghan were enrolled in camp this year in Duncan. Meghan was in First Kicks and she LOVED it. Coach Jack had such patience with the children in his group. He made the games fun and the kids were right into it. We had one of the hottest weeks on record here and Jack managed to keep the kids entertained, laughing and hydrated all at the same time. Olivia was in the afternoon Mini Soccer camp and she enjoyed being coach Jack’s helper. His ability to help the kids based on their personality traits was amazing. Olivia tends to be quite nervous and cautious in new situations and Jack had her involved within minutes. Awesome job. We also hosted 2 coaches Alex Swales and Jack Matthews. It was a wonderful experience having them be part of our family for the week. Both guys were great house guests. My daughters absolutely loved them both. The patience and willingness from both Alex and Jack to have tea parties, read stories, and listen endlessly to both girls was amazing. We were all very sad when they left this morning. We also had the opportunity to meet and visit with all the other coaches at camp – John, Steve, Adam, and Jack. I can honestly say these were some of the nicest, funniest, and courteous young men I have ever meet. This was a very rewarding week both at home and at camp. We would not hesitate in hosting coaches again and will definitely be attending camp again next summer.

Sincerely, The Smiths

I couldn`t let our Challenger experience end without sending an email to tell you how much we have enjoyed both the camp and the 3 Coaches last week. I should tell you up front that we are very quiet and private people and don`t often open our home up to family, let alone perfect strangers. However, we decided to branch out of our comfort zone and open our doors to a Coach. I am so glad that we did. Both Joel and Lloyd are terrific young men, and fit in with our family from the get go. They are respectful to a fault, and are overly cautious to never intrude. They behaved like older brothers to our 2 daughters, which the girls loved. We even got to know Ryan fairly well this week too and he is also a very responsible, polite and friendly young man. I was impressed by the fact that each day at dinner time, the Coaches would ask our girls if they had enjoyed their day at camp and asked if they were being challenged enough. The girls have picked up some amazing techniques and improved upon their soccer skills at camp, and have enjoyed hearing stories about the boy`s experiences playing soccer and teaching with Challenger. After such a positive experience, we would gladly open our home to host another Challenger Coach(s) next summer.

Sincerely, The Kenyons

Just a quick email to Thank You and staff for putting together a wonderful camp for Salmon Creek Soccer Club at Felida Park here in Vancouver,Wa. Neil and Chris have done a Great job they have made a great impression with those that have there kids attending your camp.  Challenger can be very proud of what they are offering and the people that are representing them are outstanding. I know this is our first year having Challenger Camp for this Club and I will be talking it up until you return next year. Not only is my kid attending camp and enjoying the training. The coaching clinic that Neil and Chris ran this evening impressed all that attended (about 2 dozen coaches). The Host family has enjoyed them and just raves about Neil and Chris and their knowledge of the game and ability to teach. Jeff Thomas is the gentleman that they are staying with and also from England was testing there knowledge of the game as he is one of our best here and he testifies these guy Neil and Chris are the real deal. Any how just wanted to send a quick email telling you and Staff that the recruiting you guys are doing is great and Please let the guys Neil and Chris know that we really appreciate there visit to our Club This was a very brutal week as far as weather here and they coached right through 100 degrees on the cool days and as high as 107 degrees on the warmer ones (that is extremely hot for our area) Record breaking week, and no kids down. Neil and Chris did a Great Job!!

Best Regards, The Ormiston Familly