There might be nothing more exciting for football fans than going to an NFL game. For youth football players, it's an opportunity to see the best talent play their sport. And some young athletes have never had the opportunity to attend a game until now.
USA Football's partnership with the NFL, NFL Players Association and all 32 NFL teams as the "Official Youth Football Development Partner" has given youth leagues across the country the chance to see some of the best athletes in the world.
The USA Football relationship marks the first time in the NFL's 89-year history that it has named an official youth football development partner. To highlight the partnership, the NFL, NFLPA and all NFL teams recognized August as "USA Football Month."
Some new features of this relationship include:
*USA Football public service announcements promoting youth football during NFL preseason and regular season games
*Free NFL team-branded USA Football "Captain's Packs," which reward youth players for strong character and teamwork. Each pack includes 25 "C" Captain jersey patches, 200 helmet recognition decals, and 25 "Captain's Pledges," which a player signs as a commitment to good sportsmanship
*NFL team sites will feature a 20-week series of instructional football video clips, produced by USA Football
Another "USA Football Month" initiative was for more than 100,000 NFL team-donated preseason game tickets to be given to youth football players. Stony Johnston, commissioner of Wyandot County Midget Football League in Sandusky, Ohio, attended an NFL game for the first time when he watched the Cleveland Browns take on the Tennessee Titans.
"For most of us, it was our first time ever," Johnston said. "I grew up a Browns fan, but had never been to a game."
Johnston's league consists of just 88 players ages 9-11. Being such a small organization, Johnston said he was surprised the league was chosen to go.
"For us to be able to do something like that - it was a pretty rare thing for a league as small as ours, and we're just very appreciative of it," he said.
Tony Neumann, commissioner of the Mid-State Youth Football & Cheerleading Conference, attended the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bill game in Green Bay, Wis. Neumann's conference has well over 1,000 kids ages 8-12. For many of the attendees it was their first time seeing an NFL game as well.
"For some, it was the first time they'd ever been to Lambeau Field," Neumann said. "And a lot of them have only experienced Packer Family Night, which is a scrimmage, so that was fantastic."
Neumann has also been to Packer Family Night, but never a preseason or regular season game. He said he and the kids had a memorable experience, and were treated well from beginning to end.
"I thought everything was fantastic," Neumann said. "From the moment we got there to the moment we left - it was a blast. The whole experience was great."
And the football experience was also one Johnston and his league will remember for a long time as well.
"It was our first time at a professional game, and it was inspiring to say the least," Johnston said. "We all got treated so well and I appreciated the tickets, it was a fantastic experience."
