Football Camp a Hit With Local, Global Youth

Current and former New England Patriots lined up to deliver a wealth of football knowledge and fundamentals to young athletes ages 7-18 this week at the Devin McCourty/Lawyer Milloy football camp organized by Sports International and hosted by

The four-day summer camp was run by local high school and college coaches with assistance from the New England rookie Pro Bowl cornerback and former Patriot and Super Bowl XXXVI champion Milloy. 

“You’ve got to learn; you’ve got to start somewhere,” said Milloy. “For the kids, it helps to emulate someone that you can look up to.”

The camp's counselors offered professional advice and strategies to roughly 350 aspiring footballers from across the nation, with locals from North Andover to athletes from San Francisco, Austria, and England.

The drills that the instructors ran the campers through weren’t centered on conditioning in the hot weather, but rather positional based skills development. 

“What’s good for these kids is they get a chance to come out and see some of their favorite players, but also get focused work on their skills and advice on how to improve,” said Director of Camp Operations Matt Griffin.

While the NFL may be in a labor dispute, the time off allows players to help out younger athletes by doing camps like these. Milloy also enjoys the time off because it “gives (him) a chance to be with his family. It’s kind of like an extended vacation.”

In addition to the advice on the field that the players and coaches handed down, every camper got the chance to listen to current Patriots such as wide receiver Brandon Tate and safety Patrick Chung talk about more important off the field subjects like the importance of an education, and to also ask the pros questions.

“I can’t stress enough to you guys to stay in school,” said Tate. “Stay in there and get A’s.”

Much like an NFL training camp, there was a strict schedule of meals, demonstrations and lectures, practice, and recreation before lights out.

One of the most prestigious benefits of the camp is the fact that the coaching staff of the high school attendees is made up of college coaches looking to recruit. At the end of camp, certain players from ages 15-18 were elected as “Gridiron Elite,” which awarded each of the athletes with a packet of information on their skills that will be sent out to over 1,500 college coaches.

For more information, visit www.footballcamps.com.