Several soccer camps are keeping young area athletes busy this summer.

Marc and Suzy Meyer are taking two van loads of kids to North Carolina for camp. They left this past Wednesday, June 27, and will return about July 11. They are members of the Tri-City Soccer Association’s Pink Panther U-14 team.

The Tri-City Soccer Association is once again sponsoring the British Soccer Camp this summer, according to organizer Debra Ramsey.

"It has been such a success (two others have been held here)," Ramsey said. "About 60 children attended last year’s summer camp and we hope for it to keep growing."

The first year it was held, the British Soccer Camp attracted about 25 children. Last year more than 60 participated. The camp is hoping to draw even more this year.

It is one of the most respected and experienced soccer training organizations in the United States. Challenger British Soccer Camps is returning to offer one week of their highly-praised training camps to the growing soccer community in Montezuma County. The camp is set for July 16-20 at Parque de Vida.

The week-long camp offers three-hour morning sessions for the novice player and three-hour afternoon sessions for the older, more experienced players. The camp will run Monday through Friday and each child will be coached by a member of the professional British staff who has been flown to the United States exclusively to perform a series of summer coaching camps for the Kansas-based company, Challenger British Soccer Camps.

For those who don’t know, soccer or football at it is commonly called overseas, is THE sport in the United Kingdom. The Brits are very good playing this sport. "Britain" has never won anything internationally as because the nations in the United Kingdom compete separately (i.e. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland). Only England has won the World Cup, once in 1966, when it was played there. But the guys who come to Cortez do know a great deal about the sport and they do a great job.

The Challenger British Soccer will be responsible for coaching more than 60,000 players and more than 20,000 coaches before the end of this summer. During the week of the camp, the staff will hold a free coaching clinic for parents and coaches at Parque de Vida in Cortez. That clinic is planned for July 17 (6:30 p.m.) and will cover such areas as organization of practices, technical and tactical drills, and systems of play.

The cost of the camp is $80 which includes a camp ball and tee shirt. There are family discounts available for those with more than one child; $5 off for second child and $10 off for third. Registration forms are currently available at Cortez City Hall, and Howard’s Sporting Goods in Cortez.

Tri-City Soccer is also seeking families who would be interested in hosting a British Coach in their home for the duration of the camp.

Phone Ramsey at 565-3086 for more information.

Euro-Pro Soccer in association with the Montezuma-Cortez High School girls soccer program is sponsoring a camp for girls Aug. 6-11.

The camp will be held at Parque de Vida and Norman Johnson Field fields. Girls in middle school and high school (ages 12-18) are urged to attend, according to MCHS girls head coach Monica Plewe. The cost is $95 per person including a ball and T-shirt. The clinician is David Weidner, who has played seven years as a pro in Germany and who has a Europe "B" coaching license. The deadline for participating is July 9.