A local college will once again kick off the spring with a great opportunity for high school athletes.
The University of New England Football Prospect Clinic, an annual event hosted at the college’s Blue Storm Stadium in Biddeford, is scheduled for May 19, and registration is still open.
“It’s not a camp where you’re going to be taking your time or waiting your turn,” said UNE football coach Mike Lichten. “It’s a camp where you’re going to be involved, it’s going to move quickly and you’re getting an opportunity to improve every minute.”
In this file photo, University of New England defenders pursue a ballcarrier during a football game last season. UNE is scheduled to host its annual spring football camp for high schoolers on May 19.
When Lichten agreed to develop UNE’s football program in 2016, one of his first actions was to establish a camp for high school players. Several years later, about 100 athletes attend the clinic with some people traveling as far as New York and New Jersey. Some players who’ve attended camp, said Lichten, have impressed the Nor’easters coaching staff so much that they’ve earned a chance to play collegiately at UNE.
“Any opportunity we can provide for (high schoolers) to improve the way they play, or to pique their interest in football, we’re going to take advantage of that,” Lichten said. “We’ve also had the opportunity to convert some of these guys who come to camp into committed players … Now they’re here and making plays for our program.”
Lichten’s coaching staff and some of the current players on the Nor’easters roster help run the clinic that features pro-style testing, agility drills and a one-on-one period before the day ends around 2:30 p.m. Many of the drills, such as the 40-yard dash and the vertical and broad jumps, will be consistent with what the NFL does at the combine. Some of the strength-focused drills, such as the bench press, have been omitted in favor of more on-the-field coaching.
“You can watch all the tape in the world … but when you get to put them through your own drills and work your own techniques, as a coach, you get to see are they really going to factor into our roster in a positive way,” Lichten said. “You also get to know the kids, their character, their personalities (and) their ambitions. That’s really a point of emphasis in our recruiting process.”
One of Lichten’s favorite aspects of the clinic is seeing “who wants to rise to the occasion and who has the focus to compete at the highest level.” For a coach who’s trying to build a football program into a consistent winner, competitors are a must.
Registration for the non-contact camp can be completed online at bit.ly/2ZZCyqX. The cost of the one-day clinic is $40. The outcome could be invaluable.
“I think it’s great to just get to know the next group of young, football players in the region and start to build relationships with those guys and their families,” Lichten said. “It’s really exciting to see young players gaining interest in (football). Starting to build a relationship with those kids is probably the best part of the day.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to remove an inaccuracy that stated that some former campers had earned a scholarship to play collegiately at the University of New England. UNE is an NCAA Division III institution, which does not offer athletic scholarships.
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