The summer football tradition continued at Greenwich Country Day School this week, as an enthusiastic group of young athletes developed their skills in preparation for the upcoming season with a group of experienced coaches, including former NFL quarterback Matt Simms.

For the third consecutive year, former New York Jets quarterback Matt Simms paid a visit to Greenwich Country Day School, where the Greenwich Country Day Tiger Football Academy was held in conjunction with Simms Complete Quarterback Camp.

From 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. this past Monday to Wednesday, the young athletes (elementary to middle school kids) honed their quarterback skills, learned the nuances of playing wide receiver, and received instruction on blocking and tackling, under the direction of Greenwich Country Day School head varsity football coach Kevin Avery, Tigers assistant coaches, current GCDS varsity football players and of course, the camp’s special visitor, former NFL player Matt Simms.

“We’re going into year three for this awesome opportunity for any elementary or middle school kid, who has a passion to play football,” Avery said of the Greenwich Country Day Tiger Football Academy, held in conjunction with Simms Complete Quarterback Camp. “Whether kids play tackle, or flag – for kids that play in the GYFL, for kids that play around Fairfield County, for kids that play in Westchester County – it’s a great experience for everyone. “We’ve got really great representation from all over.”

Avery noted that the Greenwich Country Day Tiger Academy, held in association with Simms Complete Quarterback Experience, drew kids from Connecticut, Westchester County, New Jersey and New York City.

“It’s been really awesome to be able to provide a great work opportunity and development opportunity for people who have a passion for the game,” said Avery, who will soon be starting his third season as head coach of the Greenwich Country Day School varsity football team. The Tigers are only in their third year of existence and are rapidly improving.

There was no down time in this fast-paced football camp, as each day it included numerous stations, with the youngsters testing their skills in each position group.

“Our staff loves football,” Avery said. “We love teaching, we love coaching, we love helping kids get better. We talk about changing your best every single day in our program, that’s a big saying in our program.”

The son of former New York Giants great Phil Simms, Matt Simms played quarterback at the University of Tennessee, prior to competing in the NFL, where besides playing for the Jets, was a part of the Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons organizations.

He coaches football players at all age ranges throughout the year and is especially busy during the summer. Simms always looks forward to bringing his knowledge of the sport to children attending Greenwich Country Day School’s football academy camp.

“This is our third year doing this camp and it’s going great,” Simms said. “Coach Avery is the epitome of what you want as a coach and leader. He has a ton of enthusiasm and so much love and passion for the game. Any parent would be ecstatic to have their child being coached by him. We’ve been having a great time.”

“The kids are having fun and we look forward to building this program as we go together,” Simms continued. “It seems like it’s going well, the kids seem to be having fun. They are responsive to what we’re coaching. There are lot of smiles out there.”

A group of Greenwich Country Day varsity football players spent time helping out at the camp. Team captains Jesse Ripka, Cooper Edwards and Bailey Gendason all of whom are entering their senior year at GCDS, were among some of the varsity athletes that took their time to guide the up-and-coming football players.

“The high school guys are doing a great job of passing their lessons along to them, down to the next generation, so there a lot of positives here,” Simms noted. “We see a lot of future really good football players. Everyone is doing a great job of participating and being active.”

“It’s awesome to have some of our players here, giving back to the community of football,” Avery said. “Our kids being here giving back to the game of football is special and it speaks to their character and just how much they love the game.”

Avery and the Tiger Football Academy were excited to have Simms, once again, make his presence felt during the three-day camp.

“When you have a partnership with someone like Matt Simms, who is an incredibly accomplished player, a phenomenal instructor and someone who doesn’t coach the camp from the sidelines, he is in it every single opportunity, it’s awesome,” Avery said. “The Simms family – they are hands-on coaches. It’s every aligned with how our staff works.”

Matt Simms is the founder of Simms Complete Quarterback Camp, a private and group quarterback training combine, which focuses on player development and building the complete athlete.

At last year’s event at Greenwich Country Day, Matt Simms discussed the goals of the Simms Complete Quarterback Camp.

“The concept of it isn’t for it to just be football camps,” he said. “We’re coaches and mentors for quarterbacks in the tri-state area. We are trying to take what we do to a grander scale. The main concept of how this all began is giving back to the kids and allowing them to enjoy the game as much as we did when we were growing up.”