Carolina Panthers punter Jason Baker had a choice to make.

He could build this year's NFL Junior Player Development camp in Fort Wayne around his schedule or his 40 coaches' schedules.

It wasn't a tough choice when he looked at what was best for the 300-plus middle school campers. He set it up for the coaches.

“We're having two camps, we're moving to a different time of year and we're making it easier on everybody that way,” Baker said. “A lot of these coaches are really animated about the camp, and they said, ‘This is what we'd like to do differently.' I think we've made it better.”

The camp, for football players ages 12 to 14, will run 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday the last two weeks of April at Wayne and Concordia Lutheran high schools, with a jamboree May 1 at Concordia. The camp is free.

Although most of the spots have already been reserved for athletes by Fort Wayne middle school and high school coaches, any remaining spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis noon-2 p.m. Saturday at Wayne. Those already scheduled to participate should register 9 a.m.-noon Saturday at Wayne.

The camp, a full-padded, full-contact event, was moved from the summer to the spring this season at the request of the coaches. Baker, who worked with the NFL to start the camp, will attend as often as possible, but starts mandatory mini-camp with the Panthers during the second week.

“We're trying to intertwine life skills at the camp, and this shows the kids I have responsibility to my team, too,” Baker said.

The camp was held last summer exclusively at Wayne, where Baker played high school football. But the camp was split into two locations to reduce commuting times for parents and players.

Costs for the camp are paid by the Catie B. Foundation (Baker's charitable organization) and NFL Youth Football Fund. The NFL and its partners supply equipment. Baker said he will review the camps after this year before deciding whether to expand to another location.

“We need to see how this goes because every time you add a site, it requires additional corporate support and time and energy,” Baker said.