FAI 7-Up Schools V Samba Soccer

Dont know much about it barr a few cousins that have gone and loved them both, so from that i reckon the kids (younger ones anyway) dont know the difference.

From what i have heard though the Samba Soccer ones are a glorified babysitting service with people coaching who dont know one end of a ball from the other and not a Brazilian in sight.

The FAI ones are structured and are geared towards ages, ablitiy, experience and then down to positions when they know where the kid is good at. The coaching course seems to have been tried and tested and developed over time.

Anyone know anything about them ??

I will not mention any names but your descriptions are correct.

Have experience of both and the FAI version wins hands down from a football perspective.

However, both are commercial activities and are there for profit reasons.

Don't be surprised to hear complaints this summer from parents abpout the latter when little johnny wants his name on the back of his shirt for an extra charge. :)

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Originally Posted by A face

Dont know much about it barr a few cousins that have gone and loved them both, so from that i reckon the kids (younger ones anyway) dont know the difference.

From what i have heard though the Samba Soccer ones are a glorified babysitting service with people coaching who dont know one end of a ball from the other and not a Brazilian in sight.

The FAI ones are structured and are geared towards ages, ablitiy, experience and then down to positions when they know where the kid is good at. The coaching course seems to have been tried and tested and developed over time.

Anyone know anything about them ??

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You are spot on there.
Each Brazilian-style camp is run by a schoolteacher supervising 8 or 10 college teenagers trying to coach 100 or so kids. None of them have coaching qualificiations and get paid peanuts. A token Brazilian (who cant speak English) does a few tricks and thats about it. They get free ball and shirt and think they are Ronaldo.

Great for kids of say 5 or 6, but no older.
Choose the FAI ones for proper structered coaching by qualified coaches.

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Originally Posted by stojkovic

Great for kids of say 5 or 6, but no older.
Choose the FAI ones for proper structered coaching by qualified coaches.

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agreed.
i went along to the samba soccer one to have a look and half the "coaches" :rolleyes:
were very busy texting their mates while the kids were going bannanas.

Samba Soccer is a glorified advertising gimmick used on children during the summer months where parents get fleeced to send little Johnny to a camp that has no method of organisation or direction. The use of Brazilian footballers to promote such a shambolic coaching school has to be described as cheap. The use of students to run the course just for the sake of a few quid rather than proper coaches just makes a total mockery of the whole concept. Parents who sent kids to Samba Soccer must be wise enough now not to do it again. Kids goes to soccer camps to learn and enjoy their football, not to go through extortion of a badly ran enterprise. :mad:

The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland ruled against Samba Soccer for misleading advertising. In its first year there was an implication that a Brazilian coach would be present at all times but the complainant's camp was run by a couple of girls aged 16 and 17 respectively.

So basically I don't trust them after hearing about that. For more info do a search on www.asai.ie