European youths eye trip of a lifetime; Berth in NFL Flag Football World Championship in Japan beckons
YOUNG American football players from around the globe will gather in Tokyo, Japan, this summer to compete for the NFL Flag Football World ChampionshipChildren aged 11 to 14 from across Europe will be battling to make the trip of a lifetime to the Far East as they compete in qualifying tournaments this spring.
NFL Europe League teams will be holding qualifying tournaments during the 2003 NFLEL season, with the European school final being played ahead of World Bowl XI at Glasgow's Hampden Park on Saturday June 14.
Two European teams will qualify for the annual tournament and compete against representatives from Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Thailand and the USA.
The NFL Flag Football World Championship will kick off with preliminary round action on Thursday July 31. The second round will take place on Friday August 1, with the finals being played on Saturday August 2 as part of the American Bowl festivities as the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets meet in preseason action at the Tokyo Dome.
The qualifying action in Europe begins in earnest on Saturday May 17, when the German school final is held at Berlin's Olympic Stadium ahead of the Thunder's Week 7 clash with the F.C. Barcelona Dragons. The event will feature nine teams from across Germany.
The Admirals Bowl will feature 11 teams from the Netherlands and will be played at the Amsterdam ArenA, prior to the Week 8 meeting between the Admirals and Scottish Claymores on Saturday May 24.
The Dragons Bowl will be played the same day at F.C. Barcelona's Mini-Estadi, ahead of the Dragons meeting with the Frankfurt Galaxy.
The English Flag Final will be held on Sunday May 25, with the Claymores Bowl deciding the Scottish schools champion on Sunday June 1. The two winners will meet in the GB Bowl on Friday June 13 to decide who will represent the United Kingdom in the European School Final on Saturday June 14.
Qualifying tournaments will also be held in Austria, Denmark, Finland and France. The winner of each European qualifying competition will go on to compete at the European School Final, where the top two teams will be able to pack their bags in preparation for the trip to Japan.
Europe was represented by three teams in last year's tournament, which was held in Mexico City, Mexico, and won by the USA's IMPERIAL VALLEY CHARGERS. Austria's AIR FORCE GRAZ finished fifth among the 10 competing teams, with Germany's AGNES MIGEL SCHOOL ranking ninth ahead of Holland's LEONARDO DA VINCI.
Flag football is the NFL's core international grassroots programme involving more than one million boys and girls ages 8 to 14. NFL Flag Football helps children learn the basics of the sport and is played in more than 20 countries around the world, including: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, USA and Thailand.
11 Apr, 03 | 3:50 pm