User:Motaykay/sandbox
The NFL Academy is a program run by the National Football League (NFL) to increase the number of non-American and Canadian players in the NFL. The program was formed as part of the NFL's strategy to grow globally as it provides athletes with the opportunity to play in the league which will increase the pool of talent and ultimately drive fan growth globally.[1][2]
Background[edit]
The International Player Pathway Program was not the first initiative by the NFL to introduce foreign talent into its pool of players and neither is it, as yet, the longest running. The first such program was the NFL International Development Practice Squad Program that ran between 2004 and 2009. Following a short hiatus of seven years there was a single incarnation of NFL Undiscovered in 2016 and building immediately on the success of that trial the IPPP was instituted in 2017.[3][4][5]
Eligibility[edit]
In 2017, potential applicants to NFL Undiscovered were asked to meet specific requirements and were advised to follow a particular application process.[6] Some of these criteria have either changed over time or there is some discretion applied during the selection process, as not all the athletes that have come through the program in the intervening years meet all of the following criteria.
- age 16 to 18 years old
- eligible to study in the United Kingdom
- American football not required
- ^ "Four International Players Added to Practice Squads for 2017 Season | NFL Football Operations". operations.nfl.com.
- ^ "What exactly is the NFL International Pathway Player program?". americanfootballinternational.com.
- ^ "New program opens doors for four NFL hopefuls". ESPN.com. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "The International Player Pathway Program: What it is, and why it will change the NFL". 26 June 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ "International players added to four practice squads". NFL.com. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ Malyon, Ed (February 23, 2017). "The NFL want talented young European athletes to enter the draft - here's how to be in with the chance of a lifetime". The Independent.