The West Ham Way – Elite Player ID Camps
West Ham United Football Club is one of the oldest professional English soccer clubs in London, England. Playing in the English Premier League, (EPL) West Ham United is well known the world over for player development. Often referred to as The Academy of Football, Tony Carr is the highly acclaimed West Ham United Academy Ambassador and as Academy Director worked with many famous players including John Terry, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Jemain Defoe and Rio Ferdinand.
Working with Global Image Sports (GIS), the West Ham United Academy Camps provide a unique experience for youth soccer players around the country. The road to becoming a great soccer player can begin at West Ham United. There is a clear path from the local camps to the national camps to the Elite Player Experience in England – a program where only the best players are invited.
This summer, West Ham United North American Academy are hosting Elite Player ID Camps all across America. These elite player development camps are for Boys & Girls ages 8 to 18.
The camp will be overseen by academy by coaches from England’s West Ham United Academy. Players excelling at this camp will be invited to the West Ham United North American Academy National Residential Camp – an amazing experience to train and meet with top academy coaches. At the national camps, the top elite youth soccer players will be invited to the Academy Experience the following spring in London, England to train at the West HamAcademy grounds with Tony Carr and Paul Heffer.
Here is a partial list of camp across America – please click here to register or email for more information.
- April 6-8 Yorktown, VA
- May 9-10 Indianapolis, IN
- June 5-7 Duluth, MN
- June 8-10 Albuquerque, NM
- June 12-14 New Port Richey, FL
- June 12-15 El Paso, TX
- June 15-17 Blaine, MN
- June 19-21 Aurora, IL
- June 22-25 Milwaukee, WI
- June 23-26 Saline, MI
- June 26-28 Greenwich, CT
- Jul 23-25 Alpharetta, GA
- July 6-9 Cottleville, MO
For over four decades Tony Carr has been a solid fixture in the West Ham United Academy system. Now the Ambassador for the club, Carr was the long time Academy Director. Beginning as a youth in the club’s system in the 1960s, Carr worked his way up to a short stint on the youth team before an injury ended his playing career. In 1973 he began coaching with the club, eventually becoming the Director and putting his own indelible stamp on the system. Since then Carr has become acknowledged as one of the most influential men in English football, with seven members of the 2010 FIFA World Cup team having come under his tutelage.
During the 2009/10 English Premier League season, West Ham United honored Carr with a testimonial year that included an all-star match on May 5, 2010, featuring such former students as Lampard and Ferdinand. On June 12, 2010, Carr was further recognized when he was named an MBE as part of Queen Elizabeth’s birthday honors list. Recognized around the world as an expert on developing youth soccer players, Carr works with the elite players at the West Ham United International Academy program.
The West Ham United Academy has a proven reputation of producing some of the best soccer players in the world. Our camps utilize the same drills and coaching philosophies used at the Academy. And the Academy uses the same drills as the First Team which plays in the EPL against other top clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool. Our coaches are highly experienced and meet the impeccable standards of the West Ham United Academy. The competitive and progressive nature of the Player ID Camps, National Camps, and the West Ham United Academy Experience in London, adds a dynamic not found in any other soccer camp experience.
Unlike most American soccer camps, the sessions are shorter and divided over 3 days. Why?
This is the professional training approach used in London, England at the West Ham Academy program. This is the program that has produces such soccer stars as John Terry. Keeping the session length between 90 and 100 minutes emphasizes quality over quantity, as we attempt to match as closely as possible the character of the West Ham United Academy in London.
How does the camp progression work?
The West Ham United International Academy hosts Player ID Camps around the world. At each camp, the best players are invited to attend a residential National Camp. The best players from the National Camps are invited to the West Ham United Academy Experience in London, where they will spend 8-10 days training at the West Ham United Academy.
is a sports management company that provides opportunities and experiences via the formation of strategic partnerships in the sports industry. GIS hosts soccer camps for elite youth players with many partner clubs including ChievoVerona, FC Utrecht, Charlton Athletic, Stoke City, Wolves, Sheffield Wednesday and Scotland’s Rangers. Please click here for more information.
RELATED ARTICLES: West Ham United Youth Academy Training in England, Paul Heffer On Player Development
