Elite Football holds camp, hopeful for fall

By ALEX SPONSELLER
Posted 7/31/20

Bishop Hendricken football coach Keith Croft and the Elite Football School have been conducting their summer camps throughout the month of July, and have had a steady number of players come out to play despite the ongoing COVID-19

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Elite Football holds camp, hopeful for fall

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Bishop Hendricken football coach Keith Croft and the Elite Football School have been conducting their summer camps throughout the month of July, and have had a steady number of players come out to play despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Campers have been split between age and position for these non-contact sessions. Overall, the transition has been a smooth one according to Croft.

“It was a challenge. It’s always a process and now this year with having to do some of the paperwork with the state, it’s an application process but if you follow the plans that they have then you’re fine. The big thing is obviously social distancing and stable groups, things like that,” said Croft, who believes the steady number of participants stems from families wanting to keep their children active. “It hasn’t been that bad for us because we have never been a full contact camp. I have always believed in the summer with the heat in not wearing equipment. I think the biggest challenge for us has been the stable groups. It forces kids to have to pick a position instead of being able to pick a few. But like anything else, I think the parents and kids are looking for an opportunity, especially with many other sports not going, to get out there and play.”

There is still no official word on when youth or high school football will return in the state to this point. The Elite Football School will continue to offer camps for the remainder of the season, and should there be no football in the fall, will look to host these sessions until the winter rolls around.

“We’re probably going to continue to keep offering this through the summer and into the fall. If there is a season, great, if not, then we will keep this going and will try to be there for the community and continue to offer these things,” said Croft. “It’s actually been one of our better years and I think it goes back to the parents and kids looking for something to do. Some high school teams have begun practicing, but for the youth, they have not and they are kind of in limbo right now. We don’t have clarification on that yet.”

Croft has been pleased to continue to instruct local football players and hopes the camp will ensure their top performance for whenever the season begins.

“It’s great, it’s a responsibility that I and the coaches here at camp take seriously. We are trying to give these kids a great camp at a reasonable price. There have been other camps in Rhode Island doing great things, so we just want to keep kids active and competitive and if and when the season happens, we want them ready,” said Croft.

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