Former pro football player and Lumberton native Terry Grant will host Lumberton’s first youth football camp Saturday, July 25, at Lumberton High School’s football field.
Grant is teaming up with the Lumberton Main Street Association to bring football training and mentorship to young athletes ages 7-19 from Lumberton and surrounding areas.
Grant, a graduate of Lumberton High School and a college football national champion with the University of Alabama, said the camp is the first of his kind in Lumberton.
“I’ve never seen a (football) camp hosted in Lumberton. I’m 39 now and haven’t seen that from the time I grew up, and I played peewee football right there in Lumberton,” Grant said. “We didn’t have hometown heroes or someone that we saw grow up that brought something back to Lumberton.”
Attendees will be split into two sessions, with the first for ages 7-13 and the second for ages 14-19. Each session will last between 90 minutes and two hours. Athletes are expected to line up at 8 a.m.
Camp participants will receive training in the fundamentals of football, athletic performance and conditioning, position-specific coaching and mentorship from former national championship-winning college football players and current NFL players.
John Maroney, executive director of Lumberton Main Street Association, said Grant and other athletes hosting the camp in Lumberton acts as motivators for youth.
“It’s this idea of, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, how small your city is, what the story is of your city. You put in the hard work, you really put your head down and put in the dedication, anything’s possible,” Maroney said.
Maroney said having players of such a high caliber participate and want to do events in Lumberton is a sign of a changing reputation.
“It’s just about continuing to change the narrative that good things can come from Lumberton, and good things are coming from Lumberton,” Maroney said. “Even if you don’t care about football, like most people in Lumberton, there’s this type of excitement around Lumberton.”
The camp will also give back to the community. Ten percent of all proceeds will go to the Lumberton High School Athletic Department, and another 10% will support the Lumberton Main Street Association’s Kids Christmas Charity.
The camp costs $120 and has limited capacity. Those interested can register through the form.
