European style soccer training for kids comes to Fresno

Local soccer teams are seeing a surge in sign ups from kids inspired to take the field. The official soccer season hasn't even kicked off yet at Saint Athony's in Northwest Fresno, but about 80 kids are spending the week at soccer camp, learning the game and fine-tuning their skills with coaches from "B.E.S.T." -- or British European Soccer Training.

"It's more about the technical side, the fun side, and the kid start to love the sport, then they get more enthusiastic, they learn quicker, etc.," said Adam Hayne, B.E.S.T.

" I came because I love soccer and I just wanted to find a new way to play. and it's really fun, just a way to get out there and be active," said Sydney Maroot, 8 years old.

B.E.S.T. coaches travel from Phoenix to Fairbanks as part of a grass roots effort in the U.S. to bring European-style training to American youth and increase soccer's popularity. "In America there's more players right now that play soccer from 6-year-olds to 12 year old than every other sport combined. So there's over 20 million players that play the game."

"In America, there's more players right now that play soccer from 6-year-olds to 12-year-old than every other sport combined. So there's over 20 million players that play the game," said Wayne Canfield, B.E.S.T. And that number is growing. Thanks to the World Cup, public interest in the sport is at an all time high. In the weeks that followed, soccer sign ups doubled at St. Anthony's.

"World Cup has definitely added to the soccer buzz. So you have a lot of people really interested, really wanting to play," said Carlos Gonzales, St. Anthony's Soccer Club.