Nick Saban explains why youth football camp matters to him

Alabama coach Nick Saban hopes to pass on a love for the game of football with his youth camps this summer. The coach was back on the practice field in the hot sun this week as he and the Crimson Tide staff hosted more 1,100 kids ages 8-13.

Saban started the camps when he was at Michigan State in the 1990s and kept up the tradition in his next stops at LSU and now in Tuscaloosa. As both his career and the camps have grown in the years since, he has never lost sight of the important impact it can have on the kids who attend.

“We’re here to promote the game, to promote team, which you don’t get a lot of in this day and age unless you play sports,” Saban told ESPN. “We’re going to have to have patience. But above everything else, they need to walk out of here thinking, ‘I like football.’ Part of the reason kids don’t play is that they have a bad experience with a coach when they’re young and never play again.”

Kids travel from all over the world just to learn from the legendary coach who was won more national championships than anyone in history (seven). There was even a camper from Germany who made the trip to Tuscaloosa, and actor Matthew McConaughey’s youngest son, Livingston, was among those in attendance.

Although the vast majority of kids who attend Saban’s youth camps likely won’t go on to play college football, you never know when you could be talking to a future Crimson Tide player. The coach has already seen that play out with Landon Collins, who attended Saban’s camp at LSU and later went on to play safety at Alabama and in the NFL.

Saban’s goal is to make sure as many kids have a chance to attend the camp as possible, so the price is set at just $50 per kid. The only uniform requirement is a helmet, and registration begins sixth months in advance.

“It’s important to me that every kid has a chance to come regardless of what their financial situation might be,” Saban said. “We’re not doing this to make money, and it’s not a recruiting tool. We have a responsibility to grow the game.”

The impact it has had throughout the years is evident. Former Alabama walk-on offensive lineman Jackson Roby attended the camp as a kid and has now come full-circle by working at the event. Alex Randolph, the 11-year-old brother of former Crimson Tide OL Kendall Randolph, is another camp attendee.

Those are the kind of relationships Saban’s camp has built, and one can only wonder what will come from this year’s group. But regardless of the path each camper takes once the experience is over, Saban hopes they leave having learned valuable lessons about life.

“I’ll ask you guys the same thing I first ask our players: ‘Why did you come to Alabama, and what do you want to accomplish? What do you want to do?'” Saban asked at the beginning of camp. “Your goals aren’t any different. It’s important to have goals and aspirations because that’s what gives you a sense of purpose.”