Sam Busby and Harry Edwards are in town for the week as coaches during a week-long summer soccer camp hosted by the YMCA of Chilton County. (Photo by Anthony Richards)

The fundamentals of soccer will be taught each day this week during a week-long soccer camp hosted by the YMCA of Chilton County.

The camp began on Monday and will continue through Friday with each day lasting from 9 a.m. to noon.

Sam Busby and Harry Edwards are coaches with the camp through a program called UK International Soccer, which has served 38 different states.

“We teach them fundamental soccer skills, which they will need if they want to go on to play with a team,” Busby said. “It’s fun and happy as a summer camp should be.”

Busby is from Newcastle, England, while Edwards was born and raised in London.

Edwards is in the United States for the first time, while Busby has spent time in the country on and off since 2012.

Twenty-three kids of ages 4 to 11 years old are enrolled in the camp.

The UK International Soccer program is broken down into three divisions that include “Fun in the Sun” for ages 4-6, “Skills and Thrills” for ages 7-10 and “Compete With Feet” for ages 11-19.

At the end of the week, Busby and Edwards will hold a clinic for goalkeepers and strikers on Saturday if enough people sign up to participate.

This is the second straight year that the YMCA of Chilton County has hosted a soccer camp for a week during the summer months.

According to Busby, it’s all about developing the skills that you’ve got by the time you get to under-12 and under-14 level of competition.

In the past decade, more soccer is on TV and the availability of international league games is more available to American children.

“The numbers for girls have rocketed all over the country over the last five years due to the success of the women’s national team,” Busby said.

As with most sports, the more you understand, the more fun it turns out to be.

“Some kids you may have to take to the side and have them work on a particular skill set,” Busby said. “Nine times out of 10, kids love a challenge. They’ll surprise you.”