Bulldogs hosting free football camp

Crestview’s annual football camp will have a different look this year.

For the last several years Matt Brunson and his Bulldog staff has hosted the Camp 80 football camp, a two-day event that featured instruction from college coaches and players.

But this year, with a short summer and slumping economy, the Bulldogs want to show their appreciation to the local community with the Bulldog Football Camp.

The camp is set for Friday from 9 a.m.-noon and is open for players ages 5-12. And the best news is the camp is free and includes a pizza lunch for the participants.

Registration starts 8:30 a.m. at Jack Foster Stadium on the CHS campus.

“We are going to invite all of kindergartners through sixth graders in,” Brunson said. “We’ve done it in the past and made some money for the program,

"The community has been real good to us and supported us with the businesses here in town, and I thought the circumstances and everything going on with the local economy and our coastline (the oil spill) that we could give something back to our community by doing a free camp.”

Campers will spend three hours with members of the Bulldog coaching staff and varsity players learning various aspects of the game.

“We will be teaching them basic football skills,” Brunson said. “We are going to handle the football. We are going to throw it, catch it, kick it, snap it.

“We are going to try to teach them a few things about football and let our guys work with them so they can get to know some of the guys that run around out there on Friday nights for the Bulldogs.”

The football camp is part of the community service Brunson is hoping to instill in the Bulldog program.

Bulldog players conducted a toy drive for needy children last Christmas and the camp is another way for the team to express its gratitude to the local community.

“I think it sends a good message for our kids to provide a service for the community that supports them by going out and working with these guys,” Brunson said.