FFWC Youngsters To Join Katrina Project
Before the 10 teams participating in the 2007 NFL Flag Football World Championship (FFWC) take the field in New Orleans, they will meet with local children and work with them to build an international garden at the NFL Youth Education Town.The New Orleans Saints are hosting FFWC from August 7-10, and Saints owner/executive vice president Rita Benson LeBlanc will also be in attendance to meet the international players, most of whom have never been to the United States.
The international garden will be a sanctuary where local children can relax, read, and enjoy the outdoors. Each team will plant a different flower that represents their country and decorate their space in the garden with their home country flag. Long after the FFWC players leave, New Orleans children enjoying the garden will experience a tour of the globe right in their backyard.
In 1993, the NFL created a permanent legacy of the Super Bowl for the children in the host community by donating $1 million towards the development of the first NFL Youth Education Town, an after school facility that would restore hope and growth in at-risk neighborhoods. The New Orleans NFL Youth Education Town suffered substantial damage at the hands of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed. The New Orleans Saints were instrumental in funding the rebuilding effort and helped restore the building and lost resources. 
The FFWC players will also explore New Orleans trips to Mother’s Next Door, the Louisiana Swamp Exhibit at the Audubon Zoo, and the Blue Bayou Water & Amusement Park. Teams comprised of 12 to 14-year-olds from ten nations and three continents will compete in the United States for the first time in the event’s eight-year history.
First round games will be played at the Saints practice facility in Metairie on August 9 and 10. The two teams that qualify for the championship game will meet at the Louisiana Superdome at 4pm CT on Friday, August 10, prior to the Saints’ NFL preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Ticket holders for the Saints game will see the Championship game at the Superdome, and preliminary rounds at the Saints facility are open to the public. Seating is limited.
“I am excited to welcome NFL Flag players from across the world to New Orleans on behalf of the Saints,” said Saints quarterback and former flag football player Drew Brees. “This is a wonderful opportunity for young people from as far away as Asia and Europe to join fellow athletes from North America in witnessing the revitalization of this great city while playing NFL Flag football. I am sure they will enjoy their stay in Louisiana.”