COBB COUNTY, Ga. — When kids show up to the Cobb Police Athletic League (PAL) football skills camp, there's a lot they'll learn about football.
"How to do their agility drills. We'll teach them how to handle the football, how to throw it, how to catch it," Osborne High School assistant football coach Bobby Fisher said.
He said the co-ed camp is open to all skill sets.
"We provide basic skill level all the way up to some medium level skills for the kids to get them interested in playing football, but also getting them to come out and have a good time outside, get out of the house and blow off some steam," said Fisher, who is also a retired major with Cobb County Police Department.
The football skills camp is just one of the programs Cobb PAL offers throughout the year.
"It's just a great way for the community, the kids and the police officers to meet each other on a nonprofessional basis so that there's no... stress to it. There's no animosity between them," Fisher said.
Fisher is helping out with the two-day skills camp this year. Cobb County Police Captain Andy Hite will be another coach at the camp.
"Police departments are always looking to build trust in the community," Hite said. "And, in my opinion, there's no better way to build trust in a community than invest in the youth."
While the football skills camp is kicking things off for Cobb PAL's summer programs, it's not the only camp it offers.
"Now we have a step program. We have baseball camps. We have a soccer camp. Our track team is nationally recognized," Hite said.
He added the department also has an upcoming martial arts camp.
The skills camp is free for kids ages eight to 17.
"But it's not really free," Hite said. "You're going to have to bring some sweat. It's a lot of work. And they work really hard. And then they learn to fall in love with the work."
Fisher added the skills camp goes beyond football basics.
"We will break them in the middle of camp, and we will bring them in and talk to them about some life skills or some life things that we want to pass along to them," Fisher said. "We've had guest speakers in the past that came and talked to them about what it's like to leave a gang or come out of a criminal lifestyle or just stay in school for a long period of time, even though it's not the most popular thing sometimes, and get that education and then they move on. So we take that part of the camp just as serious as the athletic side."
While it sparks some athletic futures for kids, Hite said they focus on growing the kids as people and not only players.
"A lot of the kids may not go on to play college football, but they go on to be successful in their careers," Hite said. "If we can get them to where they stay in school, they put some effort in and get in a career. That's where we're seeing the benefit."
People can pre-register their kids for camp or walk-ups are accepted. The camp is on Wednesday, July 12 and Thursday, July 13 at Osborne High School from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.