NFL, GENYOUth, and NFL FLAG Will Distribute
Over 4,000 FREE NFL FLAG-In-School Flag Football Kits for the
Upcoming School Year, Inspiring Youth to Develop a Love of
Sport
NEW
YORK, April 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The
National Football League (NFL), GENYOUth, and NFL FLAG are
celebrating the 11th year of GENYOUth's NFL
FLAG-In-School program with the opening of national
applications for the 2024-2025 school year. Beginning today,
educators and school-based community organizations can apply for a
free NFL FLAG-In-School flag football kit to strengthen and
enhance their physical education curriculum and equipment.
Applications will close May 15,
2024.
Through a renewed commitment of $1.5
million from the NFL Foundation, NFL FLAG-In-School offers
opportunities for physical activity to students regardless of
gender, ability, or skill level. Since 2014 and through the 2024-25
school year, 37,000 kits will have been provided to U.S. schools
and school-based community organizations, engaging an estimated 17
million students to become more active before, during, and after
school.
NFL FLAG-In-School is a proven resource that inspires youth to
participate in sport. The program fuels interest and engagement in
sport while providing an equitable solution for schools which lack
accessibility to physical activity opportunities for students due
to budget constraints. NFL FLAG-In-School's positive impact on
girls is particularly notable, with schools reporting increases in
female students' participation in physical activity, a growing
number of all-girl after school flag football programs, and a
movement toward girls' flag football as a varsity sport at the high
school level.
And flag football, already one of the fastest-growing team
sports in the United States, is
going global with the recent decision to add it to the Olympics
program for the 2028 summer games in Los
Angeles. Overall, flag football is experiencing a strong
level of expansion to which NFL FLAG-In-School has undoubtedly
contributed.
"With fewer than 1 in 4 school-aged youth getting the
recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity¹, the need for
NFL FLAG-In-School and the opportunities it provides for students
to be physically active has never been greater," said
Ann Marie Krautheim, CEO of
GENYOUth. "Educators tell us that the tools and resources we
provide are a critical part of their efforts to support the health
and well-being of their students. We are proud of NFL
FLAG-In-School's role in inspiring youth to embrace a lifelong love
of sport."
"NFL FLAG-In-School provides a path for students to benefit from
the many transferable values that the game of football has to
offer, regardless of gender, age, class, disability, and
ethnicity," said Troy Vincent,
Sr., NFL Executive Vice President of Football
Operations. "The NFL, GENYOUth, and NFL FLAG partnership is a
critical resource for ensuring under-resourced schools can meet
their students' physical activity needs with America's most popular
and fastest emerging team sport. Football needs to be for
all students!"
"The NFL Foundation is proud of our longstanding partnership
with GENYOUth to provide kids more opportunities
to PLAY 60," said Alexia Gallagher, NFL Vice President of
Philanthropy and Executive Director of NFL Foundation. "As
youth need opportunities to be active and healthy,
high-quality resources like these kits ensure that flag
football and sports in general are accessible to all."
"NFL FLAG's commitment is to make sports accessible to all
athletes," said Izell Reese, NFL
FLAG Executive Director and CEO of RCX Sports. "Working with
our partners GENYOUth and the NFL, we are committed to ensuring
that NFL FLAG-In-School and the game of flag football are available
to students across the nation."
NFL FLAG-In-School is hitting the road in 2024 with a series
of in-school flag football clinics/unboxing events in cities
including Orlando and Indianapolis. The events, hosted by NFL Legend and
Global Flag Football Ambassador Bobby
Taylor, provide opportunities for students to learn more
about flag football while taking to the field to develop their flag
skills.
Momentum will continue to build next week in the Detroit region as GENYOUth partners with the
Detroit Sports Commission, the NFL, and Alltroo to bring NFL
FLAG-In-School to middle schools in Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties for the 2024-25 school year.
The partnership, aligned with the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, will launch an Alltroo Rally
fundraising effort, in support of NFL FLAG-In-School, a featured
component of the Detroit Sports Commission's long-term Living
Legacy initiative focusing on Education (Literacy) and Youth Sports
(Girls In Sports), beginning with the 2024 NFL Draft and extending
across all major sporting events coming to Detroit.
To learn more and apply for an NFL FLAG-In-School kit for your
school, visit https://flag.genyouthnow.org/. To find or start an
NFL FLAG league in your community,
visit www.nflflag.com/school. For NFL FLAG-In-School updates
and more, follow NFL FLAG, NFL PLAY 60,
and @GENYOUthNow on Twitter. And use hashtag
#PlayFootball to share your stories of NFL FLAG-In-School best
practices and on how the program is positively contributing to
youth development in your community.
About The NFL Foundation
The National Football
League Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
improving the lives of those touched by the game of football – from
players at all levels to communities across the country. The NFL
Foundation and its members, the 32 NFL clubs, support the health,
safety and wellness of athletes, youth football, and the
communities that support our game. For more information on the NFL
Foundation,
visit: www.NFLFoundation.org.
About GENYOUth
GENYOUth is a 501c3 national nonprofit dedicated to helping school
children thrive by living well-nourished and physically active
lives. A catalyst for youth health and wellness, GENYOUth has
supported over 77,000 U.S. schools to equip them with the resources
needed to ensure millions of children have equitable access to
nutrition and physical activity. Founded by America's dairy farmers
and the NFL, GENYOUth convenes a network of private and public
partners, including Fortune 100 companies and foundations to ensure
all children are nourished and active to be their best selves. With
a commitment to end student hunger, GENYOUth provides nutrition
grants to increase access to healthy school meals among food
insecure students. GENYOUth is the official charitable partner of
Taste of the NFL, a purpose-driven Super Bowl culinary experience
that raises awareness and generates funds to fight hunger and food
insecurity to support the organization's commitment to end student
hunger. To learn more and support GENYOUth visit
www.GENYOUthnow.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter.
About NFL FLAG
NFL FLAG is an NFL-licensed
property of more than 1,800 locally operated leagues and over
585,000 youth athletes across all 50 states. NFL FLAG is a fun and
accessible non-contact program available for girls and boys ages
5-17. Players benefit by being physically active through
non-contact, continuous action while learning the fundamentals of
football as well as lessons in teamwork and sportsmanship. RCX
Sports is the official operator of NFL FLAG.
About RCX SPORTS
RCX Sports is the premier youth
sports experiences business, running and operating leagues, camps,
combines, tournaments, and events. Working directly with
professional leagues, national governing bodies, and sports-centric
businesses, such as the NFL, Jr. NBA, MLB, NHL, and NAIA, RCX is
committed to improving the accessibility and inclusivity of sports
by creating opportunities for all athletes to play. For more
information, visit rcxsports.com.
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SOURCE GENYOUth