Overview

North American Sports Camps and its founder, Dr. Gary F. Russell, put themselves on the map in the mid 1990’s for their cutting edge approach to youth sports education.  

The organization had formerly been called North American Soccer Camps, and had become the largest youth soccer camp provider in the nation.  As the company’s annual sales moved towards the $5 million mark, Russell made the decision to extend the success of his soccer venture by replicating its programs to work with high profile organizations such as the NFL to offer football camps, and Jack Nicklaus’ Golden Bear International to offer golf camps.  Russell called the innovative extension of his sports programs “the McDonalds of sports camps.”

Russell believed that a standardized approach to teaching children how to play a sport was one that worked best.  If coaches used the exact same techniques to teach children how to play soccer, like they did with North American Soccer Camps, there would be no room for error or misguidance if the same structure was applied to other sports.  Without that structure, he felt that the opportunity for frustration and discourse would be all too prevalent—a problem he believed occurred all too often in youth sports.

“Look at some of these coaches, “Russell said, “There’s yelling and pushing—too much stress early on is not a good thing for a child.”

Russell affiliated North American Sports Camps with the NFL and Golden Bear International  because he felt he had a unique element behind his camp’ success—one that was different from any other camp organization—he had decades of proven research and his own behavioral model that allowed for the seamless replication of positive behaviors both on and off the field.   

Secondly, Russell structured his instruction and coaching techniques around the whole child, including his or her psychological and physical development, to create the best and most effective learning environment for sport.  This was achieved through the camp’s curriculum, Russell’s own Kidriculum®, which replicated positive experiences for kids based on their development.  That’s why training coaches was such a big part of the company.  It was the where the opportunity for replication began.  “And that’s how you got the ‘franchise’ concept,” Russell concluded.

“We are lifting people beyond their vision of capability” Russell continued. “They need a place where they can win, and that’s why we do what we do.”

No Boundaries

North American Sports Camps was run by a true leader who set no boundaries in his goal to proudly serve as many adults, children and sports organizations that dreamed of fulfilling their own goals.

The Ripple Effect

As a man who is a visionary with an unwavering commitment to a cause, Russell knew that surrounding himself with effectively trained and talented individuals would ensure a positive future for North American Sports Camps.  The organization’s reputation became known far and wide, and it was little surprise to him when the newly formed premier professional soccer league, Major League Soccer, approached him in 1995 to become their official camp company known as Major League Soccer Camps.  And the rest, as they say, is history.