The first ever IFAF Coaching Development Tour concluded in Scandinavia with two clinics in Copenhagen and Stockholm educating more than one hundred youth football coaches.
The two-day visits to Denmark and Sweden were part of a series of coaching clinics being conducted in four countries by six American football college and high school coaches selected to spearhead the tour by USA Football.
The goal of the clinics was to continue to strengthen the sport beyond the United States and that target was certainly achieved. The 300 European football coaches, who received the benefit of the instruction, represented roughly 6,500 football-playing European youngsters below the age of 18.
"This is a very positive method of teaching coaches who will in turn coach young players the skills and methods that they have learned," said IFAF President Tommy Wiking. "You can learn coaching from a text book to a certain extent, but there is nothing as motivating and effective as taking on board new ideas from coaches who have been involved with the game at a high level for many years."
The tour arrived in Copenhagen for a two-day IFAF Coaching School at the Danish House of Sports. The clinic was attended by nearly half of the football coaches in Denmark, a football-crazed nation that boasts the third highest participation rate per capita in the world, trailing only the United States and Canada.
The well-attended event also attracted a prominent politician to the House of Sports. U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, James P. Cain, stopped by on the second day of the clinic as he neared the end of his ‘ReDiscovery Bike Tour', an initiative the ambassador embarked upon last summer to reconnect with the people of Denmark.
In addition to his formal duties overseas, Ambassador Cain serves as the spokesperson for the Danish Schools Flag Football Program and is a prominent supporter of American football in the country.
Henrik Ornstrom, President of the Danish American Football Federation (DAFF), said: "The visit from Mr. Cain has given the coaches an understanding of the support the federation is receiving from our own government and the U.S. Embassy here in Denmark.
"This clinic will pay immediate dividends for these coaches. They have shown an eagerness to learn the past two days and I expect to see results on the field this fall."
After the positive experience in Copenhagen, the six American coaches traveled to Stockholm for the final stop on the 17-day IFAF Coaching Development Tour, where they held clinics at the home of the Arlanda Jets.
Thomas Ahlberg, IFAF Technical Committee member and clinic organizer, said, "The coaching clinics this weekend are great for the progression of football in Sweden and it is important that we continue these annually.
"We had a great mix of Swedish coaches attending, from beginners to experienced coaches, and the presenting coaches did a great job connecting with each level of expertise".
The American coaches, who hail from Illinois, Maryland, Missouri and Wisconsin, also passed on knowledge from their many years of coaching American football at successful clinics in Amiens in France and Leicester in the United Kingdom.
After a session incorporating classroom theory and on-field instruction in Amiens, they assisted players and coaches from the French junior national team that will take part in the European Junior Championship in Sevilla, Spain from July 12-20. They then made presentations at the British American Football Coaches Association (BAFCA) annual convention in Leicester, England.