The Rise of Sports Summer Camps

Throughout the last few years, we’ve seen a rise in the variety of camps that are offered during the summertime. From performing arts and music to technology and cooking camps– the list of available options seems to grow every year! More recently, we’ve noticed that sports summer camps have grown in popularity, paving the way for young athletes to improve their skills during off-season. Sports camps are a great option for kids of all ages because it keeps them physically active. They also teach them how to be a part of a team, as well as how to lead one! Furthermore, campers learn how to win and lose, how to listen to an instructor, and are given constructive advice as to how to improve their skills.

In your search for a sports summer camp, you’ll likely find that there are two types of programs available. There are those that generally focus on the development of the camper as a whole; not just as an athlete or teammate, but also as a person and friend. Several of these camps also offer a wide range of non-sports activities and programs, making for an all-around diverse experience. The second type of sports camp primarily centers around a specific sport which are mostly dedicated to intensive training.

Instructors at both types of camps are often professionals with extensive experience in a sport, making the learning experience that much more valuable for aspiring athletes.

Here are four of the most popular sports summer camps available:

Soccer Camp

Soccer is one of the most popular team sports in the world. In recent years, children have begun training at a really young age, making it a popular sport summer camp for kids to enroll in to ensure they’re at the top of their game once the school year resumes. Soccer camp provides the perfect opportunity for campers to learn new techniques in a fun and competitive team setting. These types of camps typically divide campers into teams based on their age and skill level. 

Football Camp

Football is an especially competitive and popular sport, making it a great opportunity for campers to showcase their skills and potentially get recruited or granted a scholarship. Many football summer camps are designed to help athletes that are just starting out, while others offer much more individual attention to test and enhance their abilities. Regardless of a camper’s goals, football is yet another team sport that provides many different benefits for athletes of all skill levels.

Volleyball Camp

If you search for volleyball camps, you’ll likely find the term “clinics”; they’re two very different things. Clinics are typically individual sessions, lasting a couple of hours or possibly an entire day. Camps tend to last for multiple days and often offer overnight stays. Essentially, clinics can help campers sharpen their skills while camps can help them take their skills to the next level. If you’re looking for a well-rounded experience, volleyball camp is definitely the way to go!

Baseball Camp

Another great team sport is baseball, which has become widely popular in the summer camp space. While camp does not replace the regular coaching a camper would receive throughout the school year, it’s certainly a great tool that helps identify a player’s strengths and improve on a player’s weaknesses through one-on-one feedback and team settings.

Basketball, tennis, lacrosse, and golf are also amongst the popular sports targeted at summer camps. No matter which type of sports camp a child attends, campers are sure to return home with an improved sense of confidence, self-esteem, and athletic skills, all of which can be translated into the real world!

How Can Social Media Help Your Sports Summer Camp Reach Its Goals?

You may be a sports summer camp that’s been in the business for several years, but are you utilizing social media to its fullest potential? Maybe you’ve done a good job at reaching your goals and attaining a high number of campers year after year, but with social media, you can do better! With the right social media strategy, you can reach entirely new audiences and generate new leads.

Here are a few tips to help you stay on top of your social media game:

• Create an ad campaign on Facebook and Instagram. Ads can be very cost effective and significantly increase your landing page visits and ultimately, camp sign-ups.
• Utilize Facebook and Instagram stories to engage with your audience. For example, if you’re a soccer camp, post stories of an instructor showing followers how to juggle a soccer ball. Content marketing is a great way to reach your followers and increase brand awareness. 
• Schedule Facebook or Instagram Live sessions with past and future campers. Give a tour of the campgrounds or host a virtual campfire. You can even host a game night where campers are able to interact with each other. The community you build online is just as important as the community you build during summertime at camp. 
• Post consistently- not too much but also not too little. We generally recommend posting 2-3 times a week to keep followers engaged. However, this can vary depending on your target audience, time of year, holiday, etc. You always want to be mindful when it comes to what time you post, which means you must always be aware of what’s going on in the digital world.

These are just a few of the many ways in which you can reach your current followers and generate new leads for summer camp. More and more kids are signing up for sports summer camps, and social media is a great way to get them there. If you need help with developing an effective social media strategy, please contact us at nick@socialsummercamp.com. We’d love to hear from you and discuss how we can further help you reach and surpass your goals!