IFAF / Nigeria …
A group representing the IFAF, USA Football and the Amobi Okoye Foundation visited Nigeria from March 12-22 as part of a continuing initiative to establish the sport of American Football in Africa.
The traveling party was led by IFAF President Tommy Wiking, USA Football Executive Director and IFAF Treasurer Scott Hallenbeck, IFAF Develoment Director for Africa Marc-Angelo Soumah, IFAF Development Manager Jack Reed and representatives of the Amobi Okoye Foundation.
The group includes four current NFL players – Amobi Okoye and Conner Barwin of the Houston Texans, Frank Okam of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and James Ihedigbo of the New York Jets. They will spearhead the fourth annual C.A.T.E. (Changing Africa Through Education) program run by the Amobi Okoye Foundation.
Follow the trip – including videos & photos – at the IFAF Blog:
http://ifaf.blogspot.com/
| Japan… Japan claimed the eighth and final berth at this summer’s 2011 IFAF Senior World Championship of American Football with a convincing 76-0 win over Korea at Kawasaki Stadium near Tokyo. Japan was crowned champion of the Asian Federation of American Football (AFAF) and now joins Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and the United States to compete for the title of American Football world champions in Austria this summer from July 8 to 16, 2011. The IFAF Senior World Championship is held every four years having first been contested in 1999 and the eight nations from four continents will compete in Vienna, Innsbruck and Graz in the fourth edition. Japan boasts the world’s most impressive resume, having reached the final in each of the previous three tournaments, winning in both 1999 and 2003, before falling 23-20 in double overtime to the United States in 2007. Read entire game recap at IFAF.org. |
| Austria… Head Coach Rick Rhoades and his coaching staff convened the squad for the first national team camp of the year. There is one big surprise: After ten years of absence and six years of not playing football at all Martin HammermĆ¼ller returns to the national team. After winning the National Championship in 2005 with his club, the Raiffeisen Vikings of Vienna, the 38-year-old offensive lineman put his career to an end. Several times HammermĆ¼ller won the National Championship and he was also part of the Raiffeisen Vikings first two Eurobowl Championship teams. After his career, HammermĆ¼ller still supported his club as an offensive line coach and his passion for the sport came back. Due to the fact that he stayed in shape he realized that he still had the physical ability to compete. In summer HammermĆ¼ller had intensive talks with coach Chris Calaycay about a possible return. “Of course I did not want to loose him as a coach, however I also wanted to support him. He trained very hard and he changed his position form tackle to guard”, reveals Head Coach Chris Calaycay of the Raiffeisen Vikings and Defense Coordinator of the national team. With his experience and knowledge he is a great support for the national team. “It is always difficult to find good people. Martin is a very intelligent player and he strengthens the team. However this doesn’t mean that he is a part of this team yet”, Coach Calaycay further explains. His ongoing absence and his age bring several difficulties along. “He has to stay healthy. A return after five years can be dangerous”, Calaycay states. Before the big showdown, the Austrian senior national team will have three other training camps. The camps will be held in Innsbruck in May, Vienna in June and the final camp in July in Wolfsberg. Visit Official Senior World Championship website: |
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Canada…
The Football Canada Coaches Association (FCCA) held the first annual 2011 FCCA Coaches Convention April 2-3 in Burlington, Ontario. |
| Australia… The Bayside Ravens ‘Flight Path’ has seen another two players given the opportunity to take on the world of US football, this time in the Junior College ranks at Snow College in Utah. Linemen Elijah Pati and Nick Kramer will enrol in August at Snow College where they will be part of one of the powerhouse programs in the Junior College system. The duo have spent the past two seasons with the Ravens, using the experience as a springboard to these collegiate opportunities, following Jesse Wlliams as Ravens in the US. “I feel very obliged and honored to be given a chance to show what I can do in the class room and on the football field at Snow College,” said Kramer. “The Ravens have laid out a foundation to my football, and I will be forever grateful, and the boys at Judy Holt Park will be a big part of my motivation to succeed,” added Kramer. Fellow big man Elijah Pati echoed these sentiments “I would like to give special thanks to, again, the Bayside Ravens, and especially the Coaches, for the love, support, and motivation I’ve received.” “I feel privileged to achieve a dream that many strive for, to play American Football with a great program like Snow College”.
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| Canada… In preparation for the 2011 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Senior World Championship, Football Canada conducted a series of three selection camps to determine the players who will represent Canada as members of the Senior Men’s National Team. The IFAF Senior World Championship is slated for July 6-18, 2011 in Austria. The first of these selection camps took place in Moncton on January 30. The remaining two camps were Saturday, February 26 in Saskatoon at the Saskatchewan Soccer Centre and Sunday, February 27 in Guelph at the Marden Fieldhouse. Canada will be lead by head coach Larry Haylor, defensive coordinator Glen Constantin, and offensive coordinator Greg Marshall. See full coaches bios. For more information on the Canadian National Team please visit www.footballcanada2011.com. |
| United States…
Mel Tjeerdsma, the former head coach at Northwest Missouri State University, will lead the 2011 U.S. Men’s National Team in football in the fourth International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Senior World Championship July 8-16 in Austria. USA Football assembles America’s national teams in the sport for international competition. The U.S. Men’s National Team offensive coordinator is Larry Kehres, head coach of the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. Kehres is 303-23-3 (.926) in 25 seasons with the Purple Raiders, winning 10 NCAA Division III national championships in 14 title game appearances. His teams also have won 19 consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference crowns, 21 in all. The U.S. defensive coordinator is Lou Tepper, a former head coach at Illinois, Edinboro (Pa.) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tepper was the Illini head coach from 1991-96, going 25-31-2 and reaching three bowl games. He is 101-75-2 (.573) overall in 16 seasons a head coach. Tepper has served as the architect of elite defenses in his 17 years as a Division I defensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, Colorado and Illinois. See full article at www.IFAF.org or www.usafootball.com. |
| France…
Results from Week 3 of FFFA Elite Championship League: Spartans 12 Flash 14 After three weeks of play, the Flash and Argonauts are on top of the leaders board currently holding an undefeated 3-0 record. The Centaurs and Flash are currently 2-1 and the Spartans and Black Panthers have one win a piece as the Templars and Dolphins are still looking for their first win of the season. See full game recaps at www.FFFA.org. |
| Finland…
The third annual Taft Snow Bowl tournament was held in Vantaa, Finland on March 5. The tournament attracted a record number 17 teams in the one-day event which features three categories of play – U11, U13, and U15. The Taft Vantaa won the U11, Porvoo Butchers claimed the U13 title and Helsinki Roosters won U15. See full tournament results…> |
| The first ever women’s student flag American Football game to be staged in the UK will take place at the University of Warwick. Last month saw the birth of the UK’s first women’s student teams, the Warwick Wolverines and Coventry University Jets Ladies, and now they are set to go head-to-head. Coventry Jets Academy and Plymouth Pirates have thrown their weight behind the event and will be fielding mixed and men’s teams in a round-robin of unofficial matches against the women’s teams. Andrew Gambrill, who helped organize and coaches both the Warwick and Coventry sides, said: “I’m immensely proud of the job my coaching staff has done. Taking complete novices and turning them into teams that will put on excellent games. But the real praise has to go to the girls who have embraced the challenge and worked so very hard.” |
| Poland… The officials of the Polish League of American Football (PLFA) have joined forces with the DKMS Foundation to combat this common enemy. The campaign, titled “Flag Leukemia” (“Rzuć Flagę Białaczce” in Polish), aims to actively promote the fight against a disease that does not eventually have to become terminal, and will run throughout the entire 2011 football season. Action will be centered in the 25 Polish cities that host the 30 teams participating in Poland’s three levels of organized American football, and will be supplemented by promotion on the Internet. Current information about the campaign, together with answers to questions that frequently arise for potential marrow donors, can be found at [url]http://www.rzucflage.pl. |
Brazil… With the help of funding from the IFAF Education Development Program, Brazil’s American Football Federation – Associacao De Futebol Americano Do Brasil (AFAB) – hosted a National Coaching Clinic on April 2-3 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The event united coaches, players and administrators for the first time in the history of American football in Brazil, which has athletes active on more than 35 clubs and is being run in conjunction with SAB Sports.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) provided grants to 15 of its member federations spanning four continents to benefit youth and junior American Football development through the IFAF Education Development Program.
IFAF representatives met with the AFAB board and sport leaders in Brazil to discuss the further growth and development of the game of American football.
The two-day clinic in Sao Paulo was be led by former U.S. Under-19 National Team coaches CHRIS MERRITT and STEVE SPECHT. The first day will focus on offensive strategies with the following day switching gears to defense. The coaches will go over individual drills and techniques coupled with informational DVDs.
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