Soccer camps a big draw in Ireland

Republic of Ireland men and women's internationals Kevin Doyle and Aine O'Gorman have helped to launch the 2010 Football Association of Ireland (FAI) soccer summer schools.

The An Post-sponsored FAI Summer Soccer Schools will involve about 20,000 children taking part in five-day camps at 270 venues across Ireland. These value-for-money schools offer children aged six to 14 a fun and healthy summer holiday activity, with the focus on participation rather than competition.

Staged between 5 July and 28 August, the week-long camps are run under the expert eye of FAI technical director Packie Bonner and delivered by FAI-qualified coaches in a safe and professional environment. This year also sees the addition of 28 goalkeeper camps, serving both as an introduction to the game for new goalkeepers and as a fantastic tool for improving the skills of existing ones.

For the fourth successive summer, a number of camps will also operate exclusively in Irish. These 'As Gaeilge' camps will take place in counties Donegal, Galway and Kerry. There will also be six Football For All camps held in cooperation with Down Syndrome Ireland and St Joseph's School for Deaf Children.