Head coach Neal Brown and the Troy University football team hosted the Football 101 Women’s Clinic on Thursday night to raise money for the Pike County Child Advocacy Center.

Brown and the football staff greeted participants and treated them to a dinner reception before starting various camp activities.

“I am really excited. We had a huge turnout tonight,” Brown said. “We are able to support the Pike County Child Advocacy Center, which I think it is very important to give back. This is a fun event. Our players and coaches like it, and it gives the women some behind the scenes access. It lets them understand what our student athletes go through.”

After dinner and an introduction from Brown and his staff, camp participants were separated into three different groups and brought around to different stages of the camp.

One of the activities the campers were rewarded with was a tour of the newly renovated Tine Davis Field House.

“I think the best marketing is grass-roots marketing,” Brown said. “Whenever you can get people on your campus, and you show them what you have done and you show them the campus that spreads by word of mouth. When you can get them on campus and take care of them, then I think that really speaks to it.”

In addition to touring the field house participants were also invited to take part in an on-field challenge, which gave them the opportunity to work on the same drills the players work on during practice and before a game.

Quarterback drills, offensive and defensive line drills and defensive back drills were part of the on-field experience.

Participants were also invited to attend a game strategy session and vote for a game day uniform combination.

“This is a great opportunity for the members of the public and the staff,” said Carrie Manning. “I am also a member of the board for the Child Advocacy Center for Pike County. It’s just a great opportunity to be here and for the coaching staff to support us.”

Attending this camp also let participants have the opportunity to learn new things about football that they previously were unaware of.

“Off sides, I never understood what the ball and the positioning of the players meant,” Manning said.

More importantly the event helped raise money for a worthy cause on Thursday evening.

“It means quite a bit to us, it really does. It helps children here in Pike County that need it so much along with their families. It also gives us the chance to spread the word to other people in the community about the Child Advocacy Center,” Manning said.

At the end of the evening the participants of the camp were treated to a closing reception in the Trojan Tower to round out their time at the clinic.

“It’s a lot of fun and they do a great job doing it,” said Stacy Chase, one of the numerous attendants to the clinic. “They make it real engaging and they get everybody really involved, and that makes it a lot of fun. I have learned a lot. I learned that it is always harder than it looks.