By Daniel Evans
The Selma Times-Journal

The YMCA of Selma-Dallas County will be hosting a soccer camp from July 22 through July 26.

The camp is for players from 4 to 18-years-old.  The fee for the camp is $65 for members and $80 for non-members. The fee includes a t-shirt, but to guarantee a shirt the child must be signed up July 12.

The camp is being conducted by Judson College.

“Ken Headley is the women’s soccer coach at Judson College. Him and a few of his soccer players are going to come down and conduct the camp,” Kasey Burton, program and fitness director of the YMCA of Selma-Dallas County, said. “[For] the little kids, they are going to kind of keep it fun and keep it soccer-based doing games that relate to fundamentals. The older kids will work more on fundamentals and techniques.”

Burton says soccer is becoming more popular in Selma.

“This kind of gives Selma the exposure it needs, because soccer is a growing sport within Selma as far as the schools picking it up and us having the youth program,” Burton said. “As far as Judson, this guy conducts camps all over the place. He is very successful in his camps. We are privileged to have him [Headley] partner with us, as well as form a relationship between the YMCA and Judson College.”

The number of participants in the camp continues to grow each year.

“It is not like football and baseball in Selma, but it is growing. There have been several schools to pick up the sport,” Burton said. “It is evolving in Selma.  This gives the youth the exposure they need for the sport.”

Last year, about 75 youth took part in the camp. Burton says she expects that number to grow again this year, because every year during the three to four years the YMCA has been running the camp, numbers have grown.

“Our smaller groups tend to grow faster.  We’ve probably picked up an additional team in our younger kids. The older kids kind of phase out when they start playing for schools,” Burton said. “It is definitely our younger age group that grows and we probably pick up an additional team each year. “

The 4 to 6-year-olds will hold camp from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the YMCA Gym.

The 7 to 10-year-olds have camp from 4 to 6 p.m. at the old softball complex.

The 11 to 18-year-old camp is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the old softball complex.

For more information, contact the YMCA of Selma-Dallas County at 874-9622.