Search for NFL Europe League National Players begins
THE search for home-grown players to compete in the 2005 NFL Europe League season begins this weekend with two athlete testing dates taking place in Greenock on Saturday, October 9 and a day later in London, on Sunday October 10.  |
| Coach McCusker |
Running the rule at the session taking place at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre will be NFL Europe Manager of Game and Player Development JEFF REINEBOLD, who boasts a wealth of coaching experience on the professional and collegiate level in the US, Canada and Europe.
The hunt for national players to compete in NFL Europe this season and ultimately in the NFL in years to come - headed by NFL Europe Director of Game Development TONY ALLEN - will cover every corner of Europe in the coming weeks and months, as well as territories further afield such as Mexico and Japan.
The testing date in Grangemouth begins at 9:30a.m. with athlete registration before the invited players are put through a series of professional-standard conditioning skills including shuttle runs, 40-yard sprints, vertical leaps and bench presses before moving onto the football field to show their worth in game-type situations.
Preparing to kick off an intense period of work with national player prospects around the world, Allen said: "Our whole National Player Development Programme has taken a huge leap forward following the introduction of development spots on NFL teams. That has been the missing link in the past. Now a young athlete from any sport has a true pathway to a career in American football, from the NFL Europe League to NFL camps and an NFL roster."
Athletes who are successful in the UK testing sessions will advance to the National Player Combine being held in Cologne, Germany, from November 9-12. From there, the elite prospects from Europe, Japan and Mexico will advance to National Player Mini Camp, which will take place in St. Petersburg, Florida, from February 21-24, 2005.
The top 48 players from that camp will then be assigned to the rosters of the six NFL Europe League teams - eight per club - in time to begin preparations for the 2005 NFL Europe League season, which kicks off in April.
07 Oct, 04 | 9:06 pm