What equipment do I need to run a soccer camp?

Thinking about starting a soccer camp? Were you tasked by your club or school to set up a new soccer camp? If you want to have a successful camp there are a multitude of things to ready. Location, schedule, coaches, and the like. On top of all those details it is crucial to have the right soccer equipment. The last thing you want is for your coaches to be under-resourced or for campers to lament their time at camp due to proper gear lacking. It will be a poor experience for them and will make it difficult to bring them back again. Let us help walk you through what you'll need to make your soccer camp a success.

Camp Provided Soccer Gear 

When campers and coaches show up for their first field session they rightfully expect camp staff to have arranged for and distributed all the needed soccer equipment. What camper is asked to bring cones or pinnies? A pop up soccer goal? SAQ equipment? Of course not! It is on the camp to sort out what items they need to create that perfect environment so coaches and campers can focus on why their there: soccer.

Alas - a comprehensive checklist of soccer gear you may need to be gathering as you prepare for your camp:

Soccer Balls

It would be difficult to hold a soccer camp without soccer balls. Will you supply your camp with uniform soccer balls to use, or will you require campers to bring their own? It may be easier, and more economical to have your campers bring their own ball. However, if you do this you lose control over the quality of ball the camper brings and you lose an opportunity to put your own soccer ball in their hands. It can be a very nice touch to provide campers with a soccer ball to take home with them and use at their team training sessions (you can also build the price of a soccer ball for each player into the registration fee). A unique soccer ball given out to campers can be a great piece of advertising for you long after the camp is over!

You can also have soccer balls on hand to purchase in the event a camper forgets theirs or it is lost or broken during camp. If you're buying soccer balls to use and keep on hand for future camps it would be wise to purchase uniquely colored soccer balls so they don't get confused with any others and to buy soccer ball bags for easy transportation and storage.

SS PRO TIP: Use bright/unique balls for each size ball you will use at camp. For example; bright orange size 3 for young ages, bright blue size 4 for older children, and bright yellow size 5 for older kids/adults. Doing this not only keeps your soccer balls standing out from others, it allows you to easily gather like-sizes together rather than sorting through each one to get sizes back together.

Regulation Soccer Goals

Are you holding your camp at a facility that already has regulation (permanent) goals you can use? Do you even need regulation goals for your soccer camp? If your facility does not have any, a good cost-effective option are portable/collapsible goals such as Bownet. Bownets come in a variety of sizes including 8' x 24' and your coaching staff will be able to move these goals around easily. You will also have the added bonus of retaining them for future use at any location.

Field Lining Equipment

Are you holding your camp at a facility that has properly lined fields? Do you have special requirements for your field sizes and layouts? Is it even necessary to line your fields? Coming from a coach, it is always nice to have neat/visible lines to use when training. From a players perspective it is much more fun to play on a field with proper lines. However, I've certainly been in situations where the only lines on the field were ones I created with cones.

It will be important for you to decide if field lines matter or not. If it does, contact staff at the facility you'll be using to see if they can make sure fields are lined. They may even be willing to re-line to your optimal camp specifications. If you are not using a facility that can line your fields you should consider purchasing a soccer field lining machine and a soccer field lining kit to create your own perfectly measured fields ready for your (thankful) coaches and players to train on.

SS PRO TIP: Put down contrasting colored lines within a regulation lined field to divide into easy-to-use grids for training (20 x 30 yards, 30 x 40 yards, etc.).

Training Equipment

The nuts and bolts of putting on a proper training session and absolutely critical for running a smooth and efficient soccer camp. Not having these essentials makes it more difficult to run meaningful and efficient training sessions.

• Soccer Cones
• Soccer Pinnies
• SAQ Equipment
• Coner Flags
• Tactic Boards and other coaching accessories

Medical Equipment

Maybe you don't need magic spray, but proper medical gear is an absolute must for every soccer camp. Ideally you would have a trainer on site who would be equipped with anything they would need to treat soccer related injuries. If you don't have the luxury of hiring a trainer, it is in your best interest to have ample first aid supplies available and perhaps even equip each coach with a first aid kit for treating basic injuries.

Player Provided Soccer Gear

Normally speaking, players are asked to bring essential items that will be used by them and only them. Some examples include footwear, shin guards, training tops, shorts, socks, backpacks, goalkeeper gloves, sleeping bag, and a water bottle. If you are looking to keep your cost down you also may require players to provide their own soccer ball.

Conclusion

It is important for you to decide what soccer equipment you need to keep on hand and retain control over quality and maintenance. Investing a little time and some money to make sure you have all the right soccer equipment you need to run your camp efficiently and effectively will not be in vain. It will help create a great training environment and will keep campers coming back time and time again.

Do you have all the equipment you need for your soccer camp? If not, let us know and we would be glad to help you find the right gear. Also - we offer special bulk pricing for clubs, schools, and camps!

For more information please contact us at 612-405-4292, info@soccercommand.com, or via live chat (lower corner of window).