Lets Get Ready To Rumble
The champions of the past three NFL Flag Football World Championships have been drawn in the same group ahead of Thursday’s kickoff at the New Orleans Saints practice facility in Metairie.
Two-time reigning Thailand will face the United States along with the event’s three European teams – Austria, England and Spain – in Group B of the eighth annual NFL grassroots event. Canada and Mexico were drawn alongside China, Japan and Korea in Group A at a welcome dinner held at the city’s Aubudon Swamp Exhibit.
Click here for group draw and game schedule.
The opening games at 8am on Thursday, August 9, pitch the Adachi Gauken Wild Bears from Japan against Los Diablitos from Mexico and Canada’s Steeltown Steelers against Sungseo Middle School from Korea. The Woodham Warriors from England meet Miami’s Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center team from the United States.
“It is exciting because we all wanted to come here and play the Americans, so we’re happy we are in the same group as them,” said English head coach Jon Tait. “We know Thailand will be strong and there really will not be any weak teams in the entire competition. Whatever happens we are going to enjoy ourselves.”
Thailand and USA met in a thrilling championship game in Beijing, China, in 2005 when the Thais triumphed on the final play of the game. The two countries will meet again at 9am on Thursday.
“We’re thrilled,” said USA coach David Fried. “To win championships you have to beat the best and we have back-to-back challenges to begin the tournament. We have prepared well and now the team is ready to get on the field and start playing.”
The 12 to 14-year olds worked with local children to build an international garden at the NFL Youth Education Town on Wednesday morning. Each team planted a different flower that represents their country and decorated their space in the garden with their home flag. Long after the FFWC players leave, New Orleans children will enjoy a tour of the globe right in their backyard.
“After the hurricane everyone in our country was shocked to see the devastation in New Orleans, and it is good to do something to help these people,” said wide receiver Jacob Hackel from Austria’s Wenzgasse Vikings.
“We planted some plants from our country and it was nice to build a garden for people here to enjoy after we have gone. The French quarter is very nice and there are many things to see, but you can see here in this area how everything has been destroyed. This is a cool place for the local kids to come and play.”
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.
Inside the YET Center, the FFWC players joined local youngsters to play pool, air hockey and foosball. Canada’s representatives the Steeltown Steelers from Hamilton gave some coaching tips and played an impromptu game of flag football with their new friends.
“We just suffered our first loss of the tournament against these New Orleans kids,” joked Canadian coach Matt Hill. “To see all the different cultures, especially to be playing around with these kids in their home, it was a great experience. I just remember the images on TV where all you saw was water, but now that we can see the aftermath and what they went through. With some buildings still torn down and damaged it really opens your eyes to what happened here.”