Trinity College of Jacksonville Athletics completed its first soccer camp this past June, and head coach Andrew Smith called the camp a tremendous success.

The camp invited student athletes from ages 13-17 to learn and hone skills under the guidance of Trinity's coaching staff and players with Smith, a director of coaching with Sporting Jax and a player develpoment specialist, leading the camp.

Athletes spent their mornings learning technical and tactical skills and their afternoons working in small groups and competing in skills tournaments. Each athlete received a camp T-shirt upon arrival and lunch each day.

Coach Smith expressed his excitement in leading the camp for the first time and seeing the youngsters in action. "To have kids come to the Trinity College campus from all around Jacksonville to participate in the camp with different skill levels created a fun, competitive environment," he said. 

Coach Smith is more than a soccer coach; he is a strong Bible believer and teacher, and he used the camp as a platform for teaching young people the Gospel. "The theme was 'Seek first the Kingdom'", he said. "I had a chance to point campers to Christ and teach them that one's Spiritual life is more important than being a great soccer player."

This is the first of what TCJ hopes are many Trinity Soccer Camps each summer. Trinity has had successful basketball camps for many years to help build basketball at TCJ and throughout Jacksonville middle and high schools; Coach Smith wants to do the same with soccer. "We feel like we've started a great tradition with our first soccer camp and plan on more camps and clinics in the future," said Coach Smith. "It was a huge success and provided an opportunity to give back to the local soccer community. Some of the Trinity players helped me coach the kids. When I organized the camp, I saw this as an important aspect because all kids need good role models."

Campers' parents also expressed their joy in seeing their children learn soccer and -- most importantly, the Gospel -- from the Trinity soccer coaches and players. "Feedback from parents and campers has been super positive," said Coach Smith. "They are already asking when the next camp or clinic will be so they can attend again."