Learn to play the Riverhounds way with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Summer Soccer Schools. As a club we offer a wide range of Youth Soccer Camps to boys and girls aged 4 – 13yrs.  In 2012 over 850 children from the area took part in a Pittsburgh Riverhounds Summer Soccer School. The Summer Soccer Schools are based on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy but are delivered in a way that young players of all abilities can “Learn to play the Riverhounds way”

 

As the Pittsburgh Riverhounds enter into 2013,  It is our intention to reach out to as many clubs in the Greater Pittsburgh Area and beyond by providing professional training opportunities to the local youth. We will also offer three camps at the newly constructed Highmark Stadium - this will offer children the opportunity to be trained by the pros, on the turf where the pros play!

 

Over the past five years we have completely changed the youth structure of the club by offering technical training Academies, coupled with a growing summer School program. In 2011 The Riverhounds Development Academy (RDA) was formed as a selective training program designed to progress our areas most committed and elite youth soccer players toward their fullest potential. The Summer Soccer schools are the first step in this process! The Summer Schools allows us to train players the fundamentals of the game in a fun, yet professional environment.

 

 

The following is a breakdown of what we offer and the ideas that we have for the summer of 2013:

 

 

 

 Here is a breakdown of what each child will receive:

 

 

 Size 4 Nike Soccer Ball

 Pittsburgh Riverhounds Summer Community Camp T-Shirt sponsored by Philips Respironics

 Hands on Training by the Pros!

 One (1) complimentary voucher code to a Riverhounds home game at Highmark Stadium***

 

 

 

 

 

• “The Future Campers” – Ages 4, 5, 6 

Each day the camp would take place from 5:00pm – 7:00pm. We believe at this age group the focus is on fun and enjoyment of the game. This could be the first time that many of the kids will be exposed to the sport and we want it to be a positive learning experience.

 

 

This age group will follow the camp format that is described below. It is an age-group that needs to be introduced to the important technical aspects of the game thus creating good habits for future years. We will mix the curriculum with fun drills and challenges.

 

 

The camp will run from 5:00pm – 8:00pm

 

 

 At this age the players will follow a strong curriculum geared to improve each players overall understanding of the sport. This age group allows us to introduce many different concepts including small sided games and game orientated situations.

 

At this age the opportunity for teams to register together applies. (This can be discussed more)

 

The Camp will run from 5:00pm – 8:00pm

 

 

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The Camps will include warm-up reaction games, technical training including footwork, dribbling, passing, shooting, attacking, defending, and will aim to instill the values that represent the Riverhounds – passion, pride, professionalism and team spirit!

 

·         Focus on different techniques daily (dribbling, touch, passing, shooting)

 

After the initial registration period we would work with the kids on many different types of footskills that we feel are essential to all young players. The level of difficulty would vary depending on the tier. For the younger players we would put together some fun drills/games that are applicable to the technique of the day. These drills would progress into dribbling which would feature fun games that force the players to use both feet etc. Each day we would provide the children with a move of the day and generally break up the drills with lots of fun

 

 

Dynamic Warm up – Ladders etc (learn the aspect of quick feet)

 

The second day would begin with a comprehensive review of the previous day’s topics. We would like the players to feel comfortable with the things they learned the day before by reviewing Day 1. The theme for Tuesday is passing. We will go through a number of passing drills/techniques showing the kids how to PROPERLY pass the ball. From this we will have some fun games that break up the drills and add to the fun summer camp feel. Again a move of the day by one of the pro players will be shown to the kids to try on there own.

 

 

Dynamic Warm Up – Show the kids a Pro warm up that the current Riverhounds use!

 

The third day will begin again with a review of Day 1 and 2. Following the review we will move into the proper techniques of shooting. We believe that shooting is a good skill to perform after the dribbling and passing phases as they build up to the goal of scoring. Again we will SHOW the players many different ways to finish in front of goal and perform a number of fun drills with games included. The players tend to really enjoy this day. Again another new move of the day is performed by one of the pros at the end of the session.

 

Thursday

The final day of the camp we review every concept and then give the kids the opportunity to choose what they want to do. By this we mean they are given the choice of any game/drill that we have performed throughout the week to play. We go over all the moves of the day and give them an opportunity to have fun!

 

 

The above curriculum will change somewhat with the relevant groups and ability levels. We will have a lot more fun with the younger age-groups as we believe that this is a very important aspect for a summer camp. The older players will do a lot more drills and be pushed further.

 

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 Player Costs

The cost of one child for a Level 1 or Level 2 player to attend a Riverhounds Summer Camp is $150. We do have an early-bird sign up of $140 prior to May 31st, 2013.

 

After May 31st normal rate of $150 applies

 

For the Future Campers the price is $135 and $125 respectively (Early Bird)

 

As mentioned previously the kids get the professional instruction, a Nike soccer ball, a t-shirt sponsored by Philips Respironics, and  a vocuher code to a Riverhounds game at Highmark Stadium.

 

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 Scott Gibson

Director of Academy Operations

412-539-1191