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200 campers work up a sweat during annual Steelers Youth Football Camp at Saint Vincent College

200 campers work up a sweat during annual Steelers Youth Football Camp at Saint Vincent College

by Public Relations | June 19, 2024

LATROBE, PA – An early summer heatwave didn’t scorch the enthusiasm of 200 attendees this week at the Steelers Youth Football Camp at Saint Vincent College.Camp director Joe Lofton (standing) talks to the campers during a break from drills

The annual event June 17-18 was the second in a series of four non-contact camps offered by the Steelers this summer in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The camps are open to boys and girls ages 6 to 14.

Under sun-splashed skies with temperatures soaring to 93 degrees, campers took part in individual workouts, group drills and flag football games. To view a photo gallery, click here. 

“We made sure to have plenty of water and Gatorade for the kids,” said Joe Lofton, the Steelers’ football and fan development manager. “I'd rather it'd be hot like this than rainy so the kids can go outside and play. This is a great opportunity for them to really learn the game of football and, hopefully, these kids are all future Steelers fans.”

Steelers Nation doesn’t have boundaries, as 13 states were represented on the roster of attendees at the Saint Vincent camp. Over the past dozen years, campers have traveled from as far away as Honolulu and Anchorage, Alaska.Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch leads a passing skills workout

Six former Steelers players—Charlie Batch, Derek Moye, Craig Wolfley, Terence Garvin, David Arnold and Tyson Alualu—served as coaches. The camp also was staffed by coaches from several WPIAL high schools and local colleges, including Saint Vincent, Duquesne and Washington and Jefferson.

“The biggest thing we try to teach is not just learning about the X’s and O’s of football,” Lofton said. “We really focus on character development. Our coaches always talk to the kids about being grateful, working hard and having respect. You hear kids talking about it on their ways to the cars with their parents at the end of the day.”

Each camper received a camp t-shirt, lunch and two tickets to a Steelers preseason game. The camps are sponsored by Giant Eagle and Gatorade.

 

 

PHOTO 1: Camp director Joe Lofton (standing) talks to the campers during a break from drills

PHOTO 2: Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch leads a passing skills workout

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