Hundreds of campers each summer have the opportunity to play side-by-side with their favorite Nor’easters by day, and watch these incredible athletes take the pitch at Carey Stadium for PDL action on weekend evenings with their families. 

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Ocean City, NJ – A strong community of soccer fans is flourishing in America’s Greatest Family Resort, and Ocean City Nor’easters campers are at the center of it all.

If you’re biking by the 6^th Street and Haven Avenue fields during the mornings or early afternoons in July and August you’ll see and hear swarms of youngsters jumping and shouting for joy as they play “piggy in the middle,” “Simon says,” and small-sided soccer games, or notice them huddled around a ball listening intently to their favorite Nor’easters players doubling as “Coach Junior” or “Coach Ambry.”

Camp coordinator Christos Economopoulos loves sharing his love of soccer with the youngsters, “We get a wide range of campers. It’s a mix of vacationers and residents, some just looking for a fun way to spend their mornings, and others, year-round soccer players. Our campers combine well together and help each other learn and have fun. We strive to provide the best coaching for all levels of soccer experience. Christos went on, “We’re proud of our 100% satisfaction rate and the smiles we see on the faces of campers and their parents each day. Every year we strive to get better at providing a fun and safe camp that children love and parents trust.”

The Ocean City Nor’easters organization welcomes hundreds of campers ages 3-14 every summer to teach the next generation of American soccer players about the Beautiful Game. In addition to learning the fundamentals of a sport that took the world by storm in June and July, captivating hundreds of millions of World Cup watchers, these campers are developing a strong allegiance to a special Nor’easters tradition: Bobby the Storm Chaser.

The Nor’easters mascot, Bobby the Storm Chaser, visited the lucky campers last week and was nearly tackled by youngsters giving hugs and high-fives to their new-found friend. Campers mob Bobby on the Boardwalk and snap pictures galore during matches as Bobby dances along the sideline.

“The Nor’easters are a community-driven soccer franchise. The camps that the Nor’easters are running in Ocean City are a way to give back to the little kids and the community.” explained Nor’easters president Giancarlo Granese. “It makes me very happy to see our campers come to Nor’easters games after the camps wrap up at the end of each week.  Watching them interact with each other, our players who have become their coaches, and Bobby makes it all worthwhile.”

Nor’easters campers and their families make up a large portion of the home crowds at Carey Stadium, and whether they are captivated by the action on the field, participating in the Bobby Ball Toss, or knocking a ball around behind the bleachers, they are learning to love the Beautiful Game.