Arsenal experience tour camp

[Anonymous]

My son was "invited" for the travel experience in England. It coincided with a family Spring Break trip so we thought it would be a great opportunity for him. In many ways it was, visiting Queens Park Rangers academy, attending multiple professional matches, playing at the Arsenal Hub. Howver, there was one fundamental flaw that seriously detracted from his experience: the parents.

My son is 11, I dropped him at the boarding school where camp was located and then rejoined the rest of my family for our trip. Of the under 15 crowd, apparently there were only two kids whose parents did not stay. The parents ate dinner with the group, rode on the bus to events, and attended the training sessions. This effectively killed any camaraderie amongst the players - kids sat with their parents at meals, while traveling, and watching the matches. It was the parents that dominated the time the kids had with QPR academy trainees.

These are all money grabs, but for my son who is a huge Arsenal fan it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it was disappointing to hear how the organization kept it from realizing its potential.