DoDEA Europe Football Camp: Building skills and friendships

For the third consecutive year, Coach Robert Allen has successfully organized the Kaiserslautern DoDEA Football Camp, providing a unique opportunity for DoDEA students to develop fundamental football skills in an intense yet enjoyable environment. Recognizing that many DoDEA athletes cannot attend stateside camps during the summer, Coach Allen’s initiative offers them a chance to experience a camp setting and enhance their football fundamentals making them more competitive for the next football season.

The camp has also become a bridge between the DoDEA community and the German and European American football communities. Each year, players and coaches from various American Football clubs in Germany, and occasionally from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark, participate in the camp. This interaction allows DoDEA players and coaches to form friendships and learn from their counterparts, while German players experience a U.S.-style practice. The camp has fostered strong relationships with German players and coaches, enriching the experience for all involved.

Planning for the camp begins in the winter and continues through spring and summer, with Coach Allen overseeing the numerous moving parts to ensure everything runs smoothly. The camp’s success is largely due to the dedicated volunteers. Many athletes, parents and community members provided overwhelming positive feedback in regard to the camp. 

This year, over 90 students from 10 different DoDEA schools and several German clubs participated in the week-long camp, which runs for eight hours a day and includes lunch for players and coaches. The camp emphasizes safety by teaching Heads Up Football and Shoulder Tackling techniques from USA Football, which are drilled extensively to reduce injuries. Participants also learn and practice passing route combinations, defensive strategies, and position-specific fundamentals.

The camp benefits from the support of coaches and volunteers from the KMC community and German American football clubs. Special guest William Lee from USA Select Football traveled from Texas to assist with the combined portion of the camp, bringing equipment for laser-timed 40-yard dashes and 3 Cone Drills, as well as a Special Teams coach to help specialists.

Coach Allen acknowledges the contributions of over 20 coaches and volunteers, including his wife, Shu-Ying Liou, who organized food and snacks and led the volunteer effort. The camp’s five full days of instruction, drills, hot lunch, snacks, a jersey, and t-shirt, make it accessible to all families.

The camp benefits from the support of coaches and volunteers from the KMC community. Over 20 volunteers and coaches helped support the weeklong camp. Pictured are the "Camp Moms," who helped organize food and snacks and led the volunteer effort.

Beyond football skills, the camp fosters important interactions among students from different schools and the German community. Coach Allen notes the significance of these connections, saying, “It was great to see kids from different DoDEA schools and the German community bond over sport. Many kids made new friends from different schools, and these friendships help us connect.”

The Kaiserslautern DoDEA Football Camp has proven to be a valuable experience for DoDEA students, and Coach Allen hopes to see it continue for years to come.