ROCKINGHAM — Keeping its roots firmly planted in Richmond County, one local youth summer camp is returning for its 12th edition later next month.
Announced recently by the Ellerbe Family Foundation, its USA Football FUNdamentals Camp will be back on the practice fields of Richmond Senior High School.
Organized by Dannell and Shervella Ellerbe, both of whom are Richmond County natives, the one-day event is used to encourage youth football participation.
With an emphasis on teaching the game the right way and through safe avenues, the annual camp is free to all participants. The age range for the camp is six to 17 years old.
One of two camps hosted by the Ellerbe Family Foundation, the Carolina camp is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, at Richmond Senior.
Pre-registration is now open, but campers can register the morning of the event beginning at 8 a.m.
Like the last several years, workout stations and drills will begin at 9 a.m. and run through 1 p.m.
Lunch is included for all campers, as well as swag bags that include a camp t-shirt. The day will end with an autograph and photo session with Ellerbe and other current and former NFL and college players and coaches who are helping with instruction.
Dannell Ellerbe noted that for campers to be guaranteed a t-shirt and camp gear, they must pre-register before Friday, May 22.
“We can’t wait to pour into the kids through mentorship, football fundamentals, character building, and an unforgettable community experience,” Dannell Ellerbe wrote on social media promoting the camp.
Dannell Ellerbe, who grew up in Hamlet and attended Richmond Senior, went on to have a successful NFL career. He played nine seasons and won two Super Bowls, the most recent during his final season in 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last spring, Ellerbe was one of a dozen inductees welcomed into Richmond Senior High School’s Raider Athletics Hall of Fame.
Started in 2012, Ellerbe’s camp ran each summer until 2019 before taking a four-year hiatus. It returned in 2023 and this year will mark four straight summers of instruction to local players from North and South Carolina.
The camp averages between 100 and 120 campers each summer. Participants will be split into different age groups and work through a series of drills focused on developing their speed and agility, footwork, passing, catching, as well as their stance and tackling.
Part of the camp’s “safest way” policy, all of the drills will be done in a non-contact environment.
Campers will also get to try their hand at all position groups, including quarterback, running back, wide receiver and along the offensive and defensive lines.
For more information, visit theellerbefamilyfoundation.com.
