The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Police dept. holds summer soccer camp
They spent their mornings teaching soccer skills during the Euclid PAL and Partners Summer Soccer Camp.
Euclid police officers George Panagiotou and Steve Shubert recently spent their mornings at the park teaching soccer skills to kids from the city during the first Euclid PAL and Partners Summer Soccer Camp.
Panagiotou and Shubert, president of Euclid’s Police Athletic League, hope to foster positive relationships with the kids while teaching them sportsmanship and life skills.
“Our department is proactive in trying to get involved with the community and set up different things to be able to interact, especially with the children,” Panagiotou said.
He believes that the community policing projects are a way to build good relationships between the police department and the youth in the community.
The soccer camp is a new program this year that started with Panagiotou’s desire to contribute to the community.
“I have a huge soccer background and I have been coaching for a really long time and I’m new to the unit so this was an opportunity for me to contribute and bring something to the table,” he said.
Panagiotou set up two weeks of soccer camp at first and enlisted the help of team members from Euclid’s High School Girls Soccer Team.
The team members helped Panagiotou teach the campers ranging from 5-year-olds through eighth graders. After each daily camp session, Panagiotou trained the team members.
According to high school rules, their coaches are not allowed to coach them during the off season but Panagiotou can. So he coaches the girls and they help coach the campers.
All the proceeds from the camp fees go to the Euclid High School Girls Soccer Team to purchase equipment and items.
“After the first day I saw how great these kids were and that they all wanted to be here.,” Da’Shanel Nichols, a sophomore, said. “I enjoy being with the kids and teaching what I know about soccer.”
She also said that Panagiotou is a very good coach and pushes her harder to be a better athlete.
Dianna Hamblin a junior on the soccer team, just wanted to get active in the community and help the kids learn soccer skills. She feels the camp is really valuable and teaches good soccer skills.
“It’s been really beneficial, and he’s a really good teacher,” Dianna said on working the campers and training with Panagiotou.
During the camp which ran two hours for five days last week, the campers ran through drills and obstacles and then hit the field learning skills such as dribbling, passing and receiving, shooting and defending. The kids finished up the week playing soccer games and having competitions for prized.
Lily Herlihy, 10, of Euclid, has played youth soccer for six years and came to camp to learn more about kicking and scoring.
“Working with the officer is really nice, they don’t yell at us,” Lily said. “Police officers do more then just catch the bad guys and stuff, they help with stuff like this, teaching kids how to play sports.”
Lily enthusiastically replied yes when asked if she would return next year.
“While the camp may be all about soccer, we also always deal with sportsmanship, positive attitudes, how we can help each other and definitely promoting the relationship them and the police department,” Panagiotou said.
He also said that he wants the kids to realize that the police are there friends and always an asset for them to use if they are in need.
There will be a second soccer camp running July 17-21. Parents can register their kids at the Euclid Police Department front lobby or find the registration form on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Euclidpolice.
The cost of the week long camp is $25.00 and includes a camp T-shirt.