GREENVILLE – The Matt Light All-Conference Football Camp hosted by three-time Super Bowl Champion and former New England Patriot Matt Light of the Light Foundation, along with his wife Susie, completed its 31st successful camp with 300 students in grades 2-8 for two full days of football, fellowship, and mentorship.
“We have some amazing kids,” said Greenville alum Matt Light. “There is a lot we can hang our hat on. We’ve had some great coaches and great players come through here. We’ve taught a lot of young men the game of football.”
The camp saw 250 campers rotate through drills, scrimmages, and skills training based on their grade levels, with an additional 50 students entering 7th and 8th grades taking part in the camp’s Light Leaders mentorship program. The Light Leaders were challenged to lead by example, support younger campers, and grow their leadership potential under the guidance of seasoned coaches and volunteers.
The staff includes many current and former high school head coaches and assistant coaches from the surrounding area.
“It is a bit of a reunion for all of us,” Light noted. “These coaches have been around for a long time. They have made such an impact with this camp and the attitudes they bring and let these kids have as much fun as they can, try to get some instructions, some things they can take back with them to work on and get ready for their seasons but for the most part have a ball with what we do.”
“These coaches have won championships, state titles, we have coaches that have won a lot of playoff games, and they bring all that experience. Larry Masters was the guy who kicked this off 31 years ago, and for me, as a kid, I remember this camp when I was in high school. For us to be able to partner with Larry and learn the ropes from Larry and carry on his legacy, that’s been a big deal.”
“I’m excited for the history and what this camp can do,” Light continued. “This is kind of a treat for me. I get to walk around here and see these kids having a ball. It doesn’t get much better than that in life. I haven’t seen much that rivals watching people succeed, take pride in what they do, and have fun doing it.”
This year’s campers represented over 40 schools and homeschool groups, including Ansonia, Arcanum, Brookville, Carlisle, Celina, Coldwater, Covington, Eaton, Franklin Monroe, Greenville, Marion Local, Mississinawa Valley, National Trail, Preble Shawnee, Troy Christian, Versailles, and many more.
The event owes its longevity and success to the community-wide support it receives each year from volunteers, coaches, and, especially, the sponsors who make it financially accessible to all participants.
“For me and the staff here at the Light Foundation, our biggest win when it comes to this program is the things that we talk about that have nothing to do with football like, did you tell your parents thanks for bringing you here and are you being respectful to the kids that you have never met before and are you showing good sportsmanship when the kid that you never met drops the ball and you wish he would have caught it but instead of getting mad at him, you tell him we’ll get it next time,” Light stated. “Those are the things that are the life skills and the things that we do at the Light Foundation, through the Leadership Accademy that builds stronger people and we want them to know the only reason we can do this is because we have amazing volunteers and coaches and staff but the big thing is, they’re going to go home with all these sponsors on their backs and all these t-shirts that they didn’t pay a dime for.”
