Owen Youth Camp offers free football and fun

Annual skills clinic invites Swannanoa Valley children to Warhorse Stadium

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 9, 2025

Owen High School head football coach John Faircloth will be joined by his coaching staff and players, June 20, as the Warhorses host a free football skills clinic. Photo by Fred McCormick

Football, fun and snow cones are on the menu, from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., Friday, June 20, under the lights at Warhorse Stadium, as the Owen High School football team hosts its annual youth camp and skills clinic.

The free event, open the rising kindergartners through eighth graders, will include snow cones from Pelican’s.

The camp is an opportunity for local families to “drop their kids off, go have a night out on the town, and we’ll make sure they come home tired and happy,” according to Owen head football coach John Faircloth.

Warhorse players and coaches will operate 10 stations, where groups participate in drills and rotate every six minutes. The goal of the noncontact clinic is to demonstrate proper technique for a range of skills.

“Everything from getting in a lineman stance, how to properly celebrate a touchdowns, to taking a handoff,” Faircloth said. “If it can be taught, we’re going to try to teach it in just over an hour.”

The camp will conclude with games that incorporate football skills, and a special “cool down period.”

“We’re encouraging people to bring water guns so we can have some fun at the end,” the coach said.

The camp offers experienced players a chance to learn drills they can use at home from current Owen player and an opportunity for newcomers to become familiar with the sport, according to Faircloth.

“It’s a great way for kids who are interested in football, but maybe not ready to put on shoulder pads, to learn some skills and be around the sport,” he said. “And, for our players, it gives them a chance to connect with the younger players and share some of what they’ve learned.”

Parents can register at the document linked here, but registration is not required.

“We just want folks to come on out and have a good time,” Faircloth said. “We’re looking forward to seeing everybody.”