Lee Camp, Nottingham Forrest Number 1, Ex Derby and QPR Goalkeeper and Ex England u21 Goalkeeper joins Sells Goalkeeping Academy to give us an insight into his life.

 

 

2. Lee, thank you for sparing your time to talk to SGA. Can you tell us how and when did you first start playing in goal.

 

My dad used to be a goalkeeper and he sort of pushed me in that direction so I started playing in the park with my dad when I was 6 or 7 and I loved it from the first minute.  I then started playing in a team at the age of 9 or 10.

 

3. You served your apprenticeship at Derby County, working your way through the ranks, eventually earning your first team place. Can you tell us a little bit about how you found this experience?

 

It was really good, in fact I was very lucky.  I had coaching and guidance from Eric Steele who is now the goalkeeper coach at Manchester United and that shows that Eric really is at the top of his game in terms of coaching.  Eric was an outstanding coach for me.

 

4. You have been successful in your career to date, playing at some very good clubs, working with some very good goalkeeper coaches. How influential have the coaches been in your career.

 

My goalkeeper coaches have been very influential in developing me.  Eric Steele played a very big part but I was also fortunate enough to work with Eric McManus who put in a lot of extra sessions and afternoons with me and also Malcolm Webster who made sure I was ready for my debut as a substitute at the age of 18, Malcolm worked me very hard and helped me with the psychological side of my game.

 

 

5. SGA currently are rolling out academies across the country, using professional coaches and keepers to coach grass roots keepers. Is Lee Camp about to join the SGA team and open up academies.  

 

Yes I am, in fact I am looking at starting academies around the Nottingham area.  Its something that I have been thinking about for a while and now I have the opportunity to work with the biggest goalkeeper brand in the UK I’m very excited.

 

Goalkeeping is a true art-form and its very important that goalkeepers get professional goalkeeper coaching.

 

As a youngster I went on goalkeeper coaching courses and now, working with SGA, I have the opportunity to start to teach young goalkeepers and educate them in the art-form that is goalkeeping.  I want to be able to teach them to master their own abilties to a level that they start to understand how they can get even better and know in themselves what they need to practice at.  Its important that goalkeepers know the correct techniques and coaching drills to improve and this can only come from receiving professional coaching.

 

6. Nottingham Forrest is a club with tremendous history, with the success of Brian Clough winning the European cup two times, as well as promotion to the top flight of English football. Gaining premiership status for a club the size of Nottingham Forrest, must be the priority this season. How are you as a team working towards this? 

 

Every player and club wants promotion into the Premier League, it’s the best league in the world.  QPR are investing heavily and have made a great start to the season, but we’ve seen it all before; spending doesn’t guarantee success at the end of the season.  Forest is very much work in progress, we are doing OK with a very good squad and some outstanding young talent.  We are in a healthy position and we will certainly be giving it our all to try and achieve promotion this season.

 

 

7. Tell us a little bit about Lee Camp the person. 

 

·       What do you do when you are not training?

Spending as much time as possible with my daughter, I want to be the best dad I can.

 

·       What type of music are you into? 

Indie, Motown, 80’s, Funky House, R&B.  I don’t know a lot about music but I appreciate good music when I hear it and I’ll try and dance to it.  But I cant dance at all!

 

·       Favourite Film?

Dirty Dancing.

 

·       Career funny moment, either playing a game or at training?

He didn’t have an answer for this and started talking about how ridiculous his last 6 months at QPR became so lets take this out.

 

·       Career Highlight?

Playing at Wembley for England U/21’s and reaching the play-offs with Forest last season.

 

·       Career Low point?

The way I was treated at QPR after being told I was the future of the club, I thought I deserved better.

 

Favourite Goalkeeper

Past – Peter Schmichael.

Present – Edwin Van der Sar and Jose Reina.

 

Favourite Gloves 

Sells Aqua Wrap but I really loved the Sells gloves from a couple of years ago that had black palms.

 

8.     Campy, can you tell us the benefits of having professional coaching for 

grass roots keepers, as SGA has set up. 

 

It means that they will be getting professional coaching from professional and ex-professional keepers who can relate to goalkeepers of all ages to ensure they get the best out of each goalkeeper and teach them something new at each coaching session.

 

9.     SGA is the only academy that coaches grass roots keepers that is backed 

and endorsed by the SELLS brand. With yourself being a keeper that wears the SELLS brand, you must be very happy to be getting involved now with the academy.

 

It’s fantastic that a brand as big as Sells is fully behind all of the academies.  Sells are the leading manufacturer in the UK and I believe they are the best gloves available.

 

10. It’s been reported in the news recently that you would now like to represent Northern Ireland at senior level.  Was it a difficult decision after already playing for England U’21’s?

 

I am just being realistic, I accept that to be able to play for England you really do need to be playing in the Premier League week-in week-out.  There are a lot of very good English keepers in the Premier League at the moment and they are performing well every week.  My grandfather and mother were both from Northern Ireland and I know I will be doing them and my family very proud by playing for Northern Ireland.  My grandfather always told me how he would love me to play for Northern Ireland.

 

11. How is the process of playing for Northern Ireland coming along and what does it involve? 

 

We are about 2 weeks into the process and it involved me declaring to the Irish FA that I wanted to play for Northern Ireland.  They then check my eligibility and then they contact the English FA, once this has taken place they then contact FIFA.  I understand the whole process can take around 6 to 8 weeks but hopefully I don’t have to wait too long.

 

    Lee Camp, thank you for your time talking to SGA. We look forward to seeing you joining the SGA ranks, opening up academies with SGA in the East Midlands area.