Because of football's ever-growing popularity and its grand exposure to the American public, there's little doubt that the game has assumed the identity of "America's Game."
However, the game has begun to pick up steam overseas, where the development of youth and junior football was discussed amongst USA Football and International Federation of American Football (IFAF) officials. Over the course of three days from June 6-8, USA Football, members of the IFAF Executive Committee and 50 delegates from 32 countries in five continents met at the Stay at Bromma hotel in Stockholm, Sweden to discuss how to develop "America's Game," specifically at the youth and junior level, around the world.
"This was an opportunity to connect the game globally," said USA Football Director of Youth Development Nick Inzerello, who was in attendance at the meetings in Stockholm. "We know that there are 45 member-countries that are playing the game of American football in both the tackle and the flag football discipline, so we see that the game is growing and now, through our collective efforts with IFAF and it's Technical Committee, it is bringing those nations together to talk about how we can develop the game, provide resources and work together in terms of establishing competition, standards and best practices of the game."
Even countries that have little experience in dealing with American football, such as India, New Zealand, Guatemala, Ireland, Uruguay, Ukraine and Argentina (all IFAF members), appear to be willing to bask in the benefits that the game has to offer.
"The interest from these countries in not only playing American football but becoming immersed in the football community and improving the quality of their play is very encouraging. It shows that the popularity of the sport continues to grow around the world," said IFAF President Tommy Wiking.
During multiple Executive Committee meetings and a Technical Conference, the growth of youth and junior-level football appeared to be an imperative topic of discussion among some of the game's top administrators. Items such as coaching education, funding for equipment, competition levels and long-term athlete development were discussed during these meetings, as well as ways to develop and improve these facets--particularly through USA Football's online coaching courses--of youth and junior football in particular countries/regions.