
af2 teams up with AFL to designate May as Youth Football Month
May 2, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
CHICAGO - The arenafootball2 league (af2), in conjunction with the Arena Football League and League partners Russell Athletic, Schutt Sports, Spalding, Pop Warner Little Scholars and USA Football, have declared the month of May as AFL Youth Football Month.
Beginning Friday, May 4, all 30 af2 teams and 19 AFL teams will participate in Youth Football Month with an overall goal of increasing awareness of local youth football leagues and driving local program registrations. Each team will distribute a "Pass & Catch" CD to the first 5,000 youths, ages 7-17, that pass through the turnstiles at the teams respective "Youth Football Night." The CD content, which features Chicago Rush quarterback and former af2 standout MATT D'ORAZIO on the cover, includes USA Football-approved passing and catching drills, an interactive game and facts about each AFL and af2 team. The CD is sponsored by USA Football, Schutt Sports and Spalding.
"USA Football's mission is to aid in the development and growth of youth, high school and international amateur football," said Scott Hallenbeck, Executive Director of USA Football. "Through unique programs like the AFL's Youth Football Month, we hope to inspire participation and improve the overall quality of the sport."
"All of us at Pop Warner Little Scholars are thrilled to be working so closely with the Arena Football family, especially since Pop Warner is the oldest and largest youth football organization in the world," said Jon Butler, Executive Director, Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. "We're exited to help celebrate AFL Youth Football Month. Many AFL and af2 players began their careers in Pop Warner, so the relationship is a natural one for them, and it's a huge thrill for our Pop Warner players to meet and interact with the players."
Other activities include pregame, halftime, or postgame youth football games, youth football players participating in pregame ceremonies & coin tosses, and youth football clinics featuring AFL coaching staffs. To find out what activities are planned in your local market, please visit your AFL or af2 team's Web site.
A sampling of scheduled af2 Youth Football Nights includes:
Date Time Team Opponent
Sunday, May 6 6:00 p.m. ET Everett Hawks Central Valley Coyotes
Friday, May 11 8:00 p.m. ET Corpus Christi Sharks Rio Grande Valley Dorados
Saturday, May 12 8:00 p.m. ET Arkansas Twisters Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings
Saturday, May 12 7:00 p.m. ET Mahoning Valley Thunder Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
Saturday, May 12 7:30 p.m. ET South Georgia Wildcats Florida Firecats
Friday, May 18 8:30 p.m. ET Amarillo Dusters Tulsa Talons
Friday, May 18 8:30 p.m. ET Bossier-Shrev. Battle Wings Manchester Wolves
Saturday, May 19 10:00 p.m. ET Bakersfield Blitz Tri-Cities Fever
Saturday, May 19 7:30 p.m. ET Florida Firecats Mahoning Valley Thunder
Saturday, May 19 8:30 p.m. ET Texas Copperheads Corpus Christi Sharks
Saturday, May 26 9:00 p.m. ET Boise Burn Stockton Lightning
Saturday, May 26 7:30 p.m. ET Cincinnati Jungle Kats Alabama Steeldogs
Saturday, May 26 7:00 p.m. ET Fort Wayne Fusion Tennessee Valley Vipers
Saturday, May 26 8:00 p.m. ET Lubbock Renegades Laredo Lobos
Saturday, May 26 8:30 p.m. ET Rio Grande Valley Dorados Amarillo Dusters
Saturday, May 26 8:00 p.m. ET Spokane Shock Central Valley Coyotes
Saturday, May 26 8:00 p.m. ET Tri-Cities Fever Texas Copperheads
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