In collaboration with the Athletic Advantage Fund (AAF), whose mission is “helping young people reach their potential through athletics” we developed the Football Leadership Camp (FLC).

The goal of the 2009 FLC is to develop the leadership & interpersonal skills necessary for 100 high school football captains (entering 10th-12th grade in September 2009) to effectively guide teammates, seize opportunities and reach their personal potential. High school student-athletes are highly visible and influential members of their school communities. Yet while most student-athletes are formally trained to perform athletically and academically, few receive any formal leadership training. More importantly our program promotes a cultural shift towards character based leadership among student athletes. The Football Leadership Camp consists of 4 fully integrated components:

1) Dynamic leadership sessions featuring interactive training & field exercises designed for team leadership and personal development.

2) Football skill improvement through position specific instruction incorporating drills with game strategy lead by experienced high school & college coaches as well as college and professional players.

3) Academic sessions integrating SAT assessments and improvement strategies. This also includes overall study skills as well as NCAA college recruitment.

4) Community service learning project with former Philadelphia Eagle Troy Vincent and his local foundation Love thy Neighbor.

The FLC takes place Monday June 22nd - Wednesday June 24th at The College of NJ in Ewing, NJ. Along with all the training activities (football, leadership, service learning and academic improvement) students will receive:

• Two (2) night dorm accommodations & seven (7) meals
  
• Program materials (t-shirts, manuals, handouts, and awards)
  
• Program highlight DVD
  
• Recreational activities

To fully implement all the leadership strategies, teams will send 4 players. Student athletes only have to pay $100 of the $350 camp fee, thanks to the generosity of AAF who is coordinating fundraising efforts to provide a $250 scholarship for each player. This affordable cost assures that students have some investment in program as well our program sponsors. The FLC is a comprehensive leadership training for student athletes available to young people across the greater Philadelphia region. Here are some quotes from last year’s participants:

“Thank you for the experience I will never forget it” -Nick F.

“I enjoyed this camp a lot and I improved as a leader I will take it back to my team.” -Sellus R.

“The camp was fun, I got to meet different players from different schools and I learned a lot of different things other than football” -Daniel S.