Columbia County Soccer Camp

The CCSC Story

It all began with a phone call and a passion to help local girls have the same opportunities other girls across the country have. “You have to ask”. So I did and asked one of the top girls soccer camps in the country, Berkshire Soccer Academy for help. And the answer was yes.

Our players come from rural, working-class areas where many families struggle to make ends meet. Over 50% of students in the local schools are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged and rely on federal programs for free meals. The effects of rising housing and food costs have hit this community hard, and opportunities like summer camps and even college are often out of reach. Through our program, both become possible.

COVID also disrupted already struggling sports programs. Our number of student bodies had decreased leaving a smaller pool to draw athletes from. Without sports for a few years, the schools were trying to build back interest in sports. I saw CCSC as a way to help.

Despite the challenges, these girls are resilient, motivated, and eager to learn. They show up every day with a desire to grow—not just in soccer, but in life. That’s why we created Columbia County Soccer Camp: to give them access to high-quality training, life skills, and experiences that expand their view of what’s possible.

When I was in 5th grade a man by the name of Ben Pearson saw that the area didn't have a girls youth soccer club. So he gathered the young girls that came to their brother's soccer games and invited them to start a league in the summer that he would coach. Thus became our summer soccer league, Taconic Youth Soccer Club. We played together right up to 9th grade in the summer, winter (indoor soccer), spring and fall. Before 9th grade a few of the girls went in front of our school board as players and petitioned them to allow us to have a girls soccer team. They did, and by 10th grade we won the Division in 1983. How lucky we were to have Ben's commitment and support. Now I felt, it was my turn to pay it forward.

We are a group of volunteer coaches and chaperones working together to create meaningful opportunities for girls in our community through the game of soccer. Columbia County Soccer Camp (CCSC) is more than just a camp—it’s a chance for girls ages 11–18 to grow as athletes, as students, and as confident young women ready to take on the world.

We are now in our second year, a community powered organization that is community funded and staffed. What started out as a camp has blossomed into a whole program that supports and funds local girls through various soccer opportunities. We believe these girls deserve the same opportunities as any other young athlete. Soccer is more than a sport for them—it’s a gateway to confidence, leadership, community, and even higher education. In areas like ours, where exposure to women in leadership roles is limited, we believe sports can be a powerful force for change.

This year we’re looking to expand to other communities. We pride ourselves in coaching the whole player, on and off the field, with positivity, health, confidence, and community as our 4 pillars. Our camp not only focuses on soccer skills, but life skills as well. We offer added-value education, bringing in experts that cover preventative injury preparation, proper hydration, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and team bonding. Our goal is to offer an experience players may not receive anywhere else, an experience they will remember fondly and one that will propel them toward their life goals - and have fun doing it.

What We’ve Achieved:

Thanks to incredible volunteer efforts, community support, and a partnership with Berkshire Soccer Academy we’ve already made a huge impact in just 1 year:

• 12 girls received full or partial scholarships to attend an elite 5-day overnight camp at Berkshire Soccer Academy, a camp staffed by some of the top university coaches, professional soccer players, and past Olympians
• 2 girls received a full scholarship to one of the top goalie academies, Star Goalkeeper Academy, also staffed by top university coaches, professional soccer players, and past Olympians
• 21 girls participated in our own 3-day, 2-night camp at Berkshire Soccer Academy hosted by Columbia County Soccer Camp, led entirely by local volunteers, coaches and past local Division 1 players
• 1 girl received support to attend the Olympic Development Program
•We were able to host 2 webinars on how to be recruited and receive scholarships for college

We’re a small group doing big things with limited resources—and we believe in the power of community to lift these young women up. With your help, we can make a lasting difference in their lives. We hope you will either consider donating to our camp, partnering with us, and/or sending your daughter to CCSC camp which we know will be a rewarding experience.