BRICK TOWNSHIP — School may be out, but last Saturday the field of Veterans Memorial Middle School was filed with kids as Ballers and Bookworms hosted the first ever Tyler Davis Ballers & Bookworms Youth Football Camp.
The volunteer-run nonprofit organization was established in 2022 and works to ensure all student-athletes have access to quality athletic training, nutrition, academic support and financial assistance, no matter their family’s economic situation.
According to the nonprofit, by establishing this new and free football camp, Ballers & Bookworms will be complementing its powerful mission to level the playing field for kids in underserved communities.
Over 100 kids flooded the field of Veterans Memorial Middle School over the weekend as the volunteers from Ballers & Bookworms worked with these children to give them a fun and exciting day of football training.
Tyler Kazio, executive director and co-founder of the organization, told The Ocean Star, “We provide free academic, athletic and financial support to youth in underserved communities.”
This was the first ever, and hopefully first annual, youth football camp Ballers & Bookworms hosted, and was open to any children from ages 5 to 18 years old.
Tyler Davis, who is one of the board members of Ballers & Bookworms, is the tight end for the Green Bay Packers NFL team. Kazio said, “We thought it would be a good opportunity to combine the nonprofit and his speciality of football to give back.”
The reason Kazio wanted to hold this event was because he used to be a high school football coach where the school implemented the “Pay to Play” fee, where kids had to pay to play varsity sports.
“I unfortunately saw some kids unable to make that payment. I then went on to coach junior college football and a lot of those kids came from rough areas. I believe academics and athletics are something we should have an equal opportunity for,” said Kazio.
Overall, Kazio said the day went phenomenal. The great weather throughout the day offered for a hot, but exciting day of football on the field. Kazio thanked all the parents who brought their kids out to the field, entrusting Ballers & Bookworms with coaching their kids for the day.
Ballers & Bookworms are all about giving back to underprivileged children, or any child as a matter of fact, according to Kazio. So much so that when one kid arrived at the camp without proper sneakers to play in, Kazio offered his own shoes to the kid to keep. While his feet may have been sore at the end of the day from not wearing shoes on the turf field, Kazio told The Ocean Star that it is all worth it to help give the kids what they need.
When asked why he feels opportunities like these are so important to the community, Kazio said, “It is a tough question because it should be an easy one. Our slogan is we are here to level the playing field and equal opportunity to everyone. Why should one kid get better academics over the other? Why should one be able to go to a trainer when another kid can’t? I definitely saw it in the public school system. It is a tough situation, but we brought our passion for academics and athletics together to give back to the community.”
Davis said, “This is an amazing event Ballers & Bookworms helped put on, something that has been years in the making. I was just so excited to get out here and be able to work with the kids and pass on the knowledge, the passion for the game with these guys and to just be able to run around with them was the best part.”
Davis said he got involved with this after Kazio reached out to him and asked him if he would be interested in becoming a board member, which he greatly appreciated and eagerly jumped at that opportunity.
When he first signed on, Davis had no idea the camp would be named after him. He told The Ocean Star, “That was a very nice gesture by (Kazio). It meant the world to me. I have been dreaming of doing one of these since I was young, when I was in the kids’ shoes and I was going to NFL players’ camps. It has been cool to be on the other side of that now. It truly meant the world to me.”
After the camp, Davis was swamped by the kids, as many wanted autographs, pictures and just to throw a ball around a little more. Davis said he felt the kids had an amazing day and was glad the day went as well as it did.
“These events are huge. These kids get to see that I was once in their shoes. As long as you have a dream you are willing to work for, anything is possible. I truly believe that and I try to pass along the messages of hardwork and discipline. You can dream whatever you want as long as you are willing to put in the work.” said Davis.
With positive impacts such as piloting a student-athlete sponsorship program with students in Burlington Township; awarding academic scholarships to deserving Central Jersey high school graduates; donating equipment to NJ youth programs; and, funding a wrestling standout’s trip to a national championship, Ballers & Bookworms provides opportunities for New Jersey youth to realize their full potential.
“We believe in giving every child a shot at success both on and off the field, no matter the background or situation,” said Kazio. “This camp will empower young athletes, build teamwork, and create opportunities for brighter futures.”
Co-founders Julian Viera and Kazio share a history in academics and athletics. In the fall of 2016, Viera was a captain and Kazio was an assistant coach of the New Egypt High School varsity football team. As an older cousin and coach, Kazio guided Viera through football practices, strength and conditioning and playbooks.
As the valedictorian of his high school class and a graduate of MIT, Viera has been a STEM tutor since he was 14. Growing up low-income and being a first-generation college student himself, Viera is extremely passionate about ensuring equal access to academic resources.
As a former coach of the New Jersey Warriors (the only junior college football team in New Jersey at the time), Kazio helped kids from all over the state improve their high school football film and raise their grades. However, he also saw that there was only so much an expensive football program could do on its own.
After years of discussions about the inequities in academics and athletics and with the shared desire to level the playing field, Kazio and Viera founded Ballers & Bookworms. Their goal now is the same as it was when Kazio was a coach and Viera was a tutor: provide student-athletes the resources they need to thrive on the field, in the classroom and anywhere their life takes them.
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