A new English-language football camp, led by Czech pros, kicks off in Prague this summer

Typically taking place in the summer months, these traditional Czech summer camps expose kids to arts, culture, or sports while lending a helping hand to working parents.

“It is our aim to launch the July camp as planned followed by the opening of the academy,” says Růžička adding that during the weeklong camp for children ages 5-7, he will be ensuring proper hygiene and safety precautions while giving kids the opportunity to develop their bodies and minds after a long period of limited social interaction.

As a coach-educator at the Football Association of the Czech Republic for the past four years, Růžička has managed the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) A license as well as the 1st League Women’s team Viktoria Plzen in 2018. He has played and coached in the Czech Republic, Canada, UK, and in 2015 was the sports director of a football academy in the Philippines.

He says during his UEFA visits, particularly in Belgium and Finland, he gained an international perspective that has carried over into his current coaching philosophy which ties cognitive learning with the physical aspects of the game and champions the bond between children and their natural movement. 

“Competitiveness is ok, but not in an extreme way,” says Růžička whose camp aims to keep the balance. He notes that because it is for younger children, the goal is to develop individual skills rather than competitive play.

“Also because we are just starting a new academy we think it’s a great opportunity to get to this age group right away and start them off on the right foot with our methods.” Those methods highlight the importance of developing cognitive functions and a child-focused approach. 

While football basics and scrimmages will also be a part of the camp experience Růžička finds it important for kids to be able to play freely during the day and has made non-sport activities like drawing and board games part of the daily schedule.

Růžička describes a typical day at summer camp as beginning with a morning routine of talking with kids and introducing to them the day’s program followed by a warm-up of climbing wall exercises and gymnastics.

A line up of his friends and colleagues, many of them one-time professional players, will be on hand to assist including Michal Macek, former national player in youth categories and 1st league player in the Czech Republic and Ireland, ex-pro is Roman Bednar, who played for AC Sparta Prague and Leicester, and Frantisek Vesely, ex-pro for Slavia Prague.

The instructors all have extensive coaching experience but, perhaps most importantly, all of them are dads.

“We realize that we are not coaching adults. Each child is different and each one needs a different approach. It’s important to create a positive learning environment and atmosphere,” says Růžička who above all emphasizes that the experience should be fun. 

“It’s their holiday after all,” he adds.