Mike Freitag has been the head coach of the IU men's soccer team since 2004, when he succeeded Hall-of-Fame coach Jerry Yeagley. Freitag played for IU as a student and graduated in 1979. Since then he has accumulated a wealth of coaching experience on many levels. He currently runs the Indiana soccer camp, an elite program that is held every summer here in Bloomington.
Caleb Maxson: First of all, how long has this program been in place?
Coach Freitag: This is around the 30th year of the overnight camp in Bloomington. Coach Jerry Yeagley started it about 30 years ago.
CM: How do you think this program compares to other soccer camps across the country?
Coach: Well you hate to brag about yourself, but it’s a camp that’s one of the larger ones in the country, and the reason is that people like to come. I think the best way of assessing whether you’re doing a good job or not is by looking at how many players come back the next year. There have been campers who have come seven or eight years in a row, just because they feel they get better, and it’s also a good time. Some camp situations can be too laid-back, I’ve seen some camps be like boot camps and others can be like play camps…I think we’ve found a nice balance of competition to instruction in the camp.
CM: What kind of skills and values do you try to emphasize and instill in your campers?
Coach: I think we’re trying to instill the skills of a champion, and also the way to go about things, the mind of a champion. One thing that’s nice is that we always have some of my IU players on staff. The player-campers and some of the older campers get to play against them. There’s a good picture for the kids to see of what a quality college player looks like. We’re always emphasizing skill, but we’re also emphasizing how you go about your work, and doing things the right way.
CM: How does Indiana University benefit from having this camp?
Coach: I think that the exposure that it gives Indiana is really important. It might be the first exposure to IU for some of these young men. I drive out for lunch sometimes through campus, and see kids walking to class with Indiana soccer camp T-shirts on. Who knows, maybe they would have never come to this great university if they hadn’t come to soccer camp. I think there are a lot of rewards for the university. People that walk away, parents and kids, they always have a good feeling of our campus, and they have a good feeling about Indiana University.
CM: Have there been many players, past or current, who have been involved in the camp?
Coach: It’s been a great recruiting tool for us. First and foremost our objective is to help players get better. It may mean the kid that was a jayvee player will make varsity next year, or just to become a better player. It’s also a great avenue for me, recruiting-wise, because I get to see some talented players come here, play for a full week, and I get to see them play, train, and I get to know them a little bit as a person. Even though no recruiting goes on during camp, as far as trying to get them to come here, because that’s against NCAA rules, we can evaluate during that time.
CM: Are you planning on expanding or improving upon the program in the future?
Coach: We’re always looking to stay up with the times and change with the things that are going on. One of the things we’ve done this year is make one of our three weeks, for the first time, a
high school team camp. They’ve kind of deregulated what [high school coaches] can do in the summer. They’ve made it easier for high schools to get together. High school coaches have come to me and said, “hey let’s have a team camp.” That way they can start getting ready for their fall season. There’s a lot of good that can come of it. As a high school team, the team can bond for a week and the coaches can get better…If there’s a market for this program, we’ll continue doing it.
Indiana Soccer Camp Website
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