In May, the NFL announced that the Philadelphia Eagles were the first franchise to be granted international commercial rights in Africa.
It was part of the NFL’s expansion of its international marketing program that began last year with 18 teams pairing up with 8 countries.
The Eagles are the 19th team in the program, with rights granted to them in Ghana, Australia and New Zealand.
It only makes sense for a team from “The City of Brotherly Love”.
Last week, the NFL announced that it would be heading to Africa in an effort to build up a new fan base on the continent.
Beginning on June 21st, the league, according to Front Office Sports, will host events in Ghana. That includes a flag football clinic, a fan event and a talent identification camp.
“Top talent from the camp could be invited to participate in International Combines, the International Player Pathway program, and for those athletes ages 16 to 19, there’s the opportunity to attend the NFL Academy in London,” said NFL chief operating officer of international Damani Leech.
According to the NFL, there are more than 100 players on NFL rosters of African descent. That gives the league a strong foundation of support to point to when they land in Ghana.
The camps will feature 40 players that were selected from regional camps led by former NY Giants defensive end, Osi Umenyiora.
“This is a truly remarkable initiative,” said Umenyiora. “This camp is not only giving opportunities to great African athletes, it is also highlighting the incredible African athletes already in the NFL. The positive impact of this cannot be overstated.”
The NFL must be watching a lot of UFC because they selected Ghana and, according to FOS, are looking at holding events and camps in Nigeria and other African countries.
Three current UFC champions are of African descent: Kamaru Usman (Nigeria), Israel Idesanya (Nigeria) and Francis Ngannou (Cameroon).
The athletes are on the continent and now the NFL aims to bring them to the U.S. and add them to a growing list of talent that includes names like the aforementioned Osi, Roman Oben (Cameroon) and Mathias Kiwanuka (Uganda).
