Rookie Orange Julius of the London Royals decided to take a trip to Lagos, Nigeria to sponsor and train players for a startup developmental football league. While the Nigerians mainly focus on track and field events as well as Basketball and Soccer, it seemed like a great time for this constantly growing populace to try out the sport of American Football. Orange Julius spent some time working with the skill position players, the TEs, WRs and QBs on how to read defenses as well as make shifty moves to help the players get open. He also spent sometime with the defense working out proper placement and adjustments in their coverage as OJ currently calls the strategies for the London Royals. He was impressed by how quickly the Nigerian players took to the game, and sees a bright future in Lagos and for the rest of the country to develop a league of their own and hopefully send more players to all of the major leagues based in the USA.
I jumped at the opportunity to travel to my ancestors homeland of Italy this offseason to help grow the game that we all love so much. As part of a joint initiative with Juventus, where they sent over a few star players to Bondi Beach, I joined the club for a weeks worth of time sharing the goals and ideals of American football, while also teaching me a thing or two about futbol.
It was a great week of doing outreach within the community and getting everyone excited to learn more about the game. At the end of our week together, we had a crowd upwards of 1000 people gathered around to learn about the sport. I have to say, it was a once in a lifetime experience, not only did they have questions galore, ranging from the rules to the different positions, but there were some even afterwards that wanted to have more in-depth conversations about tactics and how different teams approach different scenarios. It was great to engage with such a receptive audience and be able to relate it back to their own futbol in such a way that made both games easier to understand for everyone involved. Truthfully, I don't know if Italy will every fully embrace football in the same way that we do here in the States, but I'd like to say that I was able to make an impact on both their understanding of the game, as well their perspective on why we love the sport so much.
With Sailor Moon being a Japanese born player, the country of Japan has asked her to do a training camp there to teach them to be better at the game. While Sailor was happy to visit her home country, she did realize that she had her work cut out for her as the Japanese only had football knowledge from various American films and the Ultimus being broadcasted there. She decided to first start out by teaching them the rules of the game through various classes and videos. Once they eventually had the rules down, she let them do various drills to see which of them had the most potential to be great players and picked the best of the bunch to have pickup flag football games with each other.
The games ended up being a fun time for everyone involved, and Sailor Moon was a bit sad when she had to go back to Honolulu. Still, she told them that she loved her time there and that she hopes to teach there again.
During the offseason, I had the remarkable opportunity to travel to Germany, a country with interest in American football. Arriving in Berlin, I was met with excitement and enthusiasm from a group of passionate players and coaches eager to refine their understanding of the sport. The workshop was a collaborative endeavor, combining theoretical knowledge with practical training to foster a comprehensive learning experience.
We delved into the intricacies of American football, covering playbook analysis, position-specific drills, and strategic game planning. Through interactive sessions, video breakdowns, and on-field simulations, we aimed to equip the participants with a deeper insight into the game's nuances. The dedication and thirst for knowledge displayed by the attendees were truly inspiring, and their determination to master the sport was evident. One of the highlights was a friendly scrimmage that allowed the participants to put their newfound skills to the test. The workshop also emphasized the values of teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship, transcending the field. As I departed from Germany, I carried with me the satisfaction of having contributed to the growth of American football in a nation eager to embrace its intricacies and challenges.
The ISFL, while being international, doesn't have a presence in Asia. Sure, there's the Bondi Beach Buccaneers in Australia, but I'm talking East Asia. Am I biased because that's where my family is from? Heck yeah, I'm sure there's an argument to be made for viewership numbers too! Think of the billions of people on the planet in Asia that aren't watching ISFL.
Realistically, the choice is to go to China where the most people are and holding team sponsored camps to try and grow grass-roots viewership and engagement. Even though that's the case, I get Arizona to send me to Korea, where I can hold some introductory camps on football, and use my professional player fame to guest on some variety shows and TV programming. My variety show appearance would be a lot of interviewing, which is usual, while holding a short practice sessions with kpop stars or television personalities on how to run while carrying the ball, how to properly tackle, and maybe a bit of route running. My show would end with a scrimmage flag football games where people might come out with giant inflatable screens to block passes, a double ball play, and finally a 1v11 where I have to get through the entire celebrity team from one endzone to the next. Ultimus: S46, S47
ISFL Most Dedicated Member: S46
Gemini Awards: S42 Best Article (Series), S44 Best Article (Limited), S46 Best Author, S47 Best Author, S48 Best Article (Limited)
DSFL Most Dedicated Member: S42
Getting Defensive Podcast: S42 New Player Silver Medalist
ISFL All-Rookie Team: WR1 (S45)
DSFL Offensive Player of the Year: S43
DSFL First-team All-Pro: S43, S44
DSFL Pro Bowl: S42, S43, S44
S43 R1.01 - Arizona Outlaws
S42 R1.04 - Minnesota Grey Ducks
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Kirby Bernard, a skilled tight end in the DSFL, embarked on a unique journey to England in pursuit of enhancing his game. Seeking to infuse a heightened physicality into his playing style, he embarked on an unconventional training regimen – practicing alongside seasoned rugby players, as he took in and understood the endurance to undertake such a sport. This fusion of American football and rugby techniques promises to be a game-changer, as Bernard endeavors to adapt rugby's rugged tactics and endurance to the football field. In the heart of England, he embraced the collision-driven nature of rugby, aiming to improve his blocking, tackling, and overall toughness. As he soaked in the strategies of rugby's bruising scrums and intense teamwork, Bernard's quest to bring a fresh dimension to his football prowess unfolded. The result of this cross-sport collaboration remains to be seen, but Kirby Bernard's cross-continental training adventure holds the promise of elevating his performance and leaving an indelible mark on both sports.
Given that the league already has grown outside of American borders and into Europe, we thought it made sense for at least one of the London Royals to go somewhere outside of the Anglosphere. I'm also learning Spanish, so I thought the best place to visit would be Havana. My first impression of the city was just how authentic everything felt. It was like going back to simpler times before the 'rat race' of life got to us as adults. One of the best indicators of this are the 'paladare' which are essentially converted parts of family homes that are used as a restaurant. It's much more intimate and fun to be served in someone's own home! The Internet was something you needed a card for and it was kind of good to disconnect for a while. Rolling blackouts contributed to this a lot but I'm told this was something after the recent damage done from hurricanes. The main thing that stuck to be was the art! Fabrica de Arte was beautiful, and the architecture was at first crumbling but the attention to detail was so amazing that you understood why they're just to to upkeep it. I also visited the Estadio Latinoamericano which is something I feel all lovers of baseball should do. It also made me realize just how impactful it could be if the league expanded here. When I reached out, it was with a certain man who was a fanatic of American football and had led me to believe that was universal. Instead, I found a people who enjoyed the sport but preferred baseball when it came to playing. My Spanish actually helped show genuine interest from our end, and I was able to make more connections in the city. Overall, I think reaching out more would do the league good.
During this last offseason, Duvernay was invited back to his home country, France to help host a football workshop to stir interest in the sport among the youth in the country. The non-profit company that had contacted him brought him out to help host football drills and simple class breakdowns and workshops breaking down how the sport works in simple terms. Duvernay also had the opportunity to share his life story on how he got into football, moved to Louisiana to pursue it as his career attending Louisiana State University, and eventually making ISFL as a Portland Python and Arizona Outlaw. During football drills, Duvernay was overjoyed to see how many of the youth were quickly taking to a sport and even spotting some nice spirals amid the flurry of balls flying through the air during the throwing drills. Overall, this workshop venture proved to be significant and fruitful effort as there has been a considerable increase of football programs in France since.
Anchor: After a preseason not full of victory, the New Orleans Secondline attempted to teach football success to South America with a new workshop sponsored by the ISFL. Our sports reporter has the story.
Reporter: In the off-season between the preseason and the regular season, professional football players from the Secondline took a 2-day trip down to São Paulo Brazil for the 1st annual ISFL Worldwise Workshop attempting to scout and teaching possible future players from around the globe. Delusional: Yeah, it was a wonderful trip. We taught and watched special teams, offense, and defensive drills to look at all the talented players that don't have a chance to play somewhere where a regular ISFL team plays. We found some promising candidates. Reporter: Other teams selected places like St. Petersberg, Russia, and Calgary, Alberta, Canada. New Orleans has already chosen the location for next year... Beijing, China. Back to you in the studio. Anchor: The Secondline open their season at home against the Chicago Butchers on Monday night. Code: 168 Words |
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