SoccercampbytheoceanReviews 86

Premier Soccer Camps was all and more of what we expected and hoped it would be when we found it online. Facilities A++, Staff was super and the administration and business side was totally professional and well organized. My daughter had an unbelievable time and that is what I care about most. She said she learned a great deal from all the coaches especially the female coaches they had on staff. I would and will tell our friends about the great experience my daughter had.

My son found this camp online. He attended their camp in Carlsbad, CA. It was a super camp experience from start to finish. Communication and information from their administrative staff was timely and what we needed. Arrival at camp went great with registration well run and easy. Then it got better. My son who is a 14 year old high level player was on a campus that had a brand new soccer stadium with the highest quality field. The campus has a private beach on the Pacific Ocean. The Coaches as my son describe where incredible. Coaches from Europe and America. My son said the best part was that all the coaches were previously high level players who could demonstrate all soccer skills. I watched several training sessions and the coaches really took a personal interest in all the players. From my view point the training was excellent. I give Premier Soccer Camps the highest recommendation.

* accepted $495 to register my son for a soccer camp in San Luis Obispo. * then canceled the camp without notifying us. Luckily, we learned of the cancellation as we were about to leave for the airport to fly to CA. The cancellation cost me airfare change fees and one night of hotels in SLO, as well as the $495 we paid to attend the camp, which * promised to refund, but has not. I have written Dennis multiple times requesting a refund, and he has not replied. My advice to you is to regard any camp run by * with the utmost suspicion.

*Personal information redacted by admin

Great, great camp. My son and daughter have been going to the Carlsbad Camp for years and years. We sign up every year for the "Early Bird Special" and every year we get full value for our money paid. They have great facilities with a high, high quality synthetic turf field/stadium that was build 4 years ago seats 4000. Truly "State of the Art" and this is where the children train every day. My son and daughter swim every day with the rest of the campers in the Atlantic Ocean using the private beach the camp has. What really sets the camp apart is the Coaches. The Coaches they employ are a cut above any other camp or program my children have previously participated in. I highly recommend Premier Soccer Camps, I give them A++ and my children have gone for 4 years in a row.

This organization is a SCAM. None of the coaches have been paid, and the head of the organization, *, has said multiple times that he would send the payment, only to then ignore emails and phone calls. This is an issue going on four months. This man is a professional scammer. Please do not support a company that makes its money from taking advantage of hard working coaches. I will continue to try to get my money from working his camp.

*Personal information redacted by admin

Super camp. My 11 year old daughter went and she could not say enough good things. She loved it. She went as a day camper and I stopped by every day to watch her play and swim as I was a bit nervous about the Ocean. Super organized with really good coaches. Swimming at the Ocean Beach with multiple staff members and 2 lifeguards was safe. They used buddy systems and limited the kids to waist deep for young ones and chest deep for older ones. Director Mr. Lukens was there and involved every day. A ball for each child and they did what seemed to me to be excellent technical training work. I help coach my daughter's team as a volunteer assistant so I know something about soccer. I will refer Premier Soccer Camps to all my friends.

What a lovely camp. Our family was in from Europe this summer.
My son found Premier Soccer Camps online and I was unsure on how it would go. My husband and I came up from LA for the week and stayed in a Hotel in Carlsbad and watched the evening games and some of the training in the afternoons. The camp looked to be very well run and organized. My son absolutely loved it and said the program and coaches were the same level as his club coaches in our home country (Belgium). If we come to the US next summer I will 100% enroll my son for summer 2017.

My daughter and her 8 friends went to Premier Soccer Camps in Carlsbad this past summer and had nothing but positive things to say. My daughter has gone the last 4 years. Every year she brings friends with her. First year 1 friend, the next year 3 and and so on. This year 8 members from her team went. Two others signed up but could not go due to a schedule conflict and the other one had an injury. Both received a prompt 100% refund. Every year Dennis Lukens brings in excellent high level coaches with a low player to coach ratio and they have provided my daughter and her friends with coaching that is 2nd to none. They have on campus a multi million dollar soccer stadium and a private beach so they are really as good as you can find. I now know Dennis personally and the last 4 years I handed my young daughter off to him and his staff. She has always been completely safe and happy at that camp. They swim in the ocean every day, play soccer, walk around the campus and I have never seen or heard of any problems or major injuries in the 4 years we have been sending our daughter and her friends. This year they were sold out so it is an extremely successful soccer camp business for all the reason I have mentioned. I have recommended Premier Soccer Camps and Dennis Lukens to my friends and the friends of my daughter for the last 4 years and will continue to do so. My daughter and friends will attend again next year in 2017. This is a great, great camp.

Obviously, by reading these most recent reviews they are not objective reviews but slander and character assassination. Some seem to be written by the same person. In today's new age you can write anything that what you want anonymously online and not be sued or held accountable. I have know Coach Lukens since 2009 when I first sent my twin boys for the first time to his camp as 9 year olds. My boys went to Premier Soccer Camps in Carlsbad for 7 years in a row. Coach Lukens has shown them and all campers nothing but kindness and respect. They started out as 9 year olds and did their last camp in 2015 as 16 year olds. My boys are now Elite Club players in CA with the help of Dennis and Premier Soccer Camps and I am on the Board of Directors of my son's Soccer Club here in CA. The coaches and program put together by Dennis year after year has been outstanding and 100% professional in every way. The facilities we among the best in California. My two sons went back in 2016 as counselors working for Dennis and had a really great work experience. I have have trusted Dennis Lukens with my boys year after year and they have always come back safe and with nothing by rave reviews for the great experience they had at Premier Soccer Camps in Carlsbad. I know that they have a very high repeat camper ratio as one of the great things about camp is that my boys got to see the same campers and counselors year after year. I give Dennis and his soccer camp the highest recommendations.

I worked along side * at the Army Navy Academy Camp by the Ocean. Let me save you the money. Stay away. So far I have spoke to several other coaches, kids and parents that all agree this is NOT a safe camp for your kids. I was to watch 70+ kids at the beach with one other supervisor. That ratio from kids to coach is out of control. When the kids actually did play soccer * was no where to be found. There is barely a schedule of activities, and forget about any type of plan, I had no clue what we were doing the whole time. These kids are pretty much just being baby sat at the turf field with limited water and supervision. (at least provide shade and adequate water for the kids)
All and all I am disappointed in MY experience working for the guy. I can imagine the kids had fun, but did they improve their soccer skills? Maybe. Did you get what you paid for? No. And have I been paid yet for the services? NO. I was given a bad check and served a fee from my bank I am still working on getting my payment for working the camp for a week. Please, find another camp.

*Personal information redacted by admin

My son was to begin a week in NYC tomorrow. I called * to see if room for friend to register for tomorrow's NYC camp. THEN... I received letter saying camp was cancelled for inadequate enrollment. FIVE registrants only... for a one week sleep away camp?!... and how is it I was not notified that it was canceled until I contacted him... the day before bringing my son to camp...

We have also registered and paid for the Princeton NJ camp in two weeks... I emailed, demanded full immediate refund for this week - and confirmation that Princeton week is real... I have a bad feeling... But Denis told me personally in April that the Princeton week had 50 kids already registered...

* - if I have a refund - immediately - and Princeton is not a scam - I will be happy to amend this review - and assume that you just had some bad luck registering for this week.

Right now... I am v-e-r-y concerned.

(had to give it one star to submit review)

This is a week later... to follow up:

I did received my refund on the first week. It may be because I am also registered for another week in august. Also that I demanded it back and cc'ed three other families also registered for the august week.

I am certainly still concerned -... but hoping for a good week for my son and three other friends.

*Personal information redacted by admin

You should read all the reviews to understand this question.

Although my daughter had a great time at this soccer camp, it really didn't have anything to do with the program. The drills were OK, but, the reason she had a great time is because of being away and staying on a college campus not because of the quality of the program.

The program itself was disorganized from the beginning. We were told to go to one place for registration, went there and it had moved to another location with no signs or directions. Found the new place and stood around until they finally figured it out. Then I had to wait around to find out if the program for the girls was even going to go forward because they weren't even sure they had a couch for it.

But, that is not even the worst part. I was billed twice for the event. I found this out the day of registration because I was overdrawn at the bank. I talked to * who heads up this program. He first denied it and then finally confirmed and agreed to refund the money. It wasn't until 6 months later when reconciling my accounts that I found out that it had not been refunded yet. It has now been 2 months since again contacting * and I still have not got my money back. After many emails with little returned correspondence, he first denied it again and then agreed to refund it but has yet to do so.

In researching a way to find him, I spoke to one of his coaches and was disheartened to find out that he and others had not been paid for their time working the event. In addition to that, the corporation has been suspended for more than 6 years and he advertises sites that have never had a program there. This man cannot be trusted.

As noted above, please read all the reviews. You will see stories similar to mine from other parents who had financial challenges with this company. You will also see other see stories from the coaches about not being paid.

So, I guess, the question becomes apparent, are you willing to take a chance or would it be better for you to find another place for your kids to have a safe, enjoyable soccer experience?

*Personal information redacted by admin

The best camp my club has every sent players to. I am Coaching Director of a club in Southern CA and we sent 22 players to Premier Soccer Camps and it was outstanding in every way. Staff, food, facilities all top self. At the Carlsbad Camp my players trained at a $10 million stadium with the highest grade of synthetic turf, with private school living quarters all with access to a private beach on the ocean. Coaches were so much better than typical camp coaches. Would suggest it to my colleagues in a heartbeat.

My two daughters attended Premier Soccer Camps in Carlsbad this past summer 2015. It was one of the best experiences that I have had with any business. My children raved about the coaches, the facilities and really everything about the camp. I was there on registration day and everything was 100% professional. I went and observed my girl's training sessions every evening and I was so impressed by the quality of the coaches. Unfortunately, they did not allow us there the day time training, so we only were able to watch our girls during the evening session. We do club soccer in CA and know a good soccer program and good coaches when we see them. Premier Soccer Camps was absolutely a great soccer camp experience from the beginning when we paid our tuition on line with their web site to the end when my girls came home very, very happy with their week with Premier Soccer Camps in Carlsbad. I will recommend it to all the soccer people that I know in my area.

We sent 24 players from our club and they loved it and almost all gave it rave reviews. Of course you can't please everyone in a group of 24. However, our club (large So. Cal. Club) has overwhelming decided to return for 2015. We invested alot of money for our players to go in 2014 and we will do it again. Most of our group has already signed up and paid for summer 2015. I think the ingredients that made this such a success was the outstanding facilities, high level instruction and a staff that really cared about each and every one of our players. Our players had fun, but they were well supervised and definitely improved a great deal in just one week.

COACHES BE CAREFOUL...!

BE CAREFOUL, *, is not honest and NOT PROFESSIONAL!

STAY AWAY FROM HIM... STAY AWAY FROM HIM... STAY AWAY FROM HIM...!

NB: Coahces... ask him your money only cash and only at the beginning of the camp...
Often he give check but they bounche... and then he run away!
I STILL HAVE THE COPY OF THE CHECK THAT BOUNCE...

This summer happend already with 2 coaches and the same last year...

COACHES, BE CAREFOUL! BE CAREFOUL!

*Personal information redacted by admin

I have sent my 14 year old son the last two years to Premier Soccer Camps and he has been absolutely happy with his experience. He felt that the coaching he got was just about the best he has ever received. That is saying alot because he plays for a US Soccer Development Academy Club and also plays ODP. My son attended PSC's location in NJ his first year and then we sent him to their PA camp last year. Both facilities were excellent in everyway including the dorms, fields and food. As a business owner myself, I felt the communication and everything else on the business side of Premier Soccer Camps was clear and straight forward. I have previoulsy recommended this camp to my friends and my son's teammates and would without question recommend it to anyone else.