The NFL will bring more than football to Mexico City as the Oakland Raiders host the New England Patriots at Azteca Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 19. Through hospital visits, a Youth Football Workshop and NFL PLAY 60 Character Camps, the NFL will celebrate the local community and leave a positive impact in Mexico City.
The following are some ways the NFL will engage the community leading up to the Mexico City game. Full details on each of these events and participating players will be available via media advisories this week.
NFL PLAY 60 Character Camps
Throughout the week leading up to the Patriots-Raiders game on Sunday, Nov. 19, the NFL will host six PLAY 60 Character Camps. NFL PLAY 60 Character Camps aim to positively impact youth through teaching football skills, emphasizing exercise and reinforcing the importance of character in athletics and life. Following the earthquake in Mexico City, the NFL teamed with government entities including the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of the Navy and the Federal Police to invite 1,500 local boys and girls ages 6-12 to participate.
The schedule for the camps is as follows:
- Mexico City
- Thursday, Nov. 16 – Universidad Anáhuac Norte from 10 AM – 1 PM
- Saturday, Nov. 18 – Campo Militar #1 from 9 – 11:30 AM
- Saturday, Nov. 18 – Campo Militar #1 from 3 – 5:30 PM
- Sunday, Nov. 19 – Centro Deportivo Chapultepec from 9 – 11:30 AM
- Monterrey
- Wednesday, Nov. 15 – PepsiCo’s Foundation Plant Field from 2 – 4:30 PM
- Toluca
- Friday, Nov. 17 – PepsiCo’s Foundation Plant Field from 2 – 4:30 PM from 3 – 5:30 PM
Beyond Sport Mexico – Community in Action
Beyond Sport, the global force for sustainable social change through sport, will host a three-day program on sport, health and education from Wednesday, Nov. 15 – Friday, Nov. 17 at Universidad Anáhuac Norte in Mexico City. Beyond Sport Mexico will be the inaugural gathering of its kind in the country, in a region that has developed innovative and ground-breaking sport for development work throughout its communities.
Community in Action, an event bringing together local youth to celebrate how sport engages communities, will take place on Thursday, Nov. 16. As a founding supporter of Beyond Sport, the NFL will host an NFL PLAY 60 Character Camp throughout the morning. This season the NFL is celebrating ten years of NFL PLAY 60, the league’s youth health and wellness campaign that encourages kids to get active for 60 minutes a day, every day. Other session leaders include World Boxing Council, Tigres F.C. and Major League Baseball.
Learn more about the three-day program here.
PLAY 60 All-Ability Event
On Friday, Nov. 17, from 10 AM – 1 PM, the NFL, with support from the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders, will host a PLAY 60 All-Ability Event at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Mexico. PLAY 60 All-Ability stations will be set up for Shriners Hospitals patients and siblings.
New England Patriots Legends KEVIN FAULK and STEVE GROGAN and Oakland Raiders Legends FRED BILETNIKOFF and WILLIE BROWN will participate in the event and be made available to media at 11:10 AM. Patients will rotate through PLAY 60 stations including ultimate football, various all-ability fitness stations, football-themed art projects, face painting and a visit from FezzyÒ the Shriners Hospitals for Children mascot, team mascots Pat the Patriot and Raider Rusher, and Patriots and Raiders Cheerleaders.
To ensure all kids have an equal opportunity to play, the NFL teamed with Shriners Hospitals for Children, a recognized leader in caring for children with orthopedic conditions and spinal cord injuries to create the NFL PLAY 60 All-Ability Guide. The NFL and Shriners Hospitals for Children are committed to teaching kids the benefits of leading an active and healthy lifestyle and encouraging them to get out and have fun.
Youth Football Workshop
To support local youth football programs in Mexico City and share best practices at all levels of the game, the NFL will host a Youth Football Workshop at the CODEME Facilities on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 9 AM – 2 PM. The NFL is teaming with USA Football, Gatorade, Riddell and other experts in the field to share information on a range of football topics including: tackling technique, equipment fitting, athlete development and player health and safety.
Attendees will be divided into groups and rotate through five breakout sessions:
- Helmet Manufacturers: Equipment Fitting, Reconditioning and the Importance of Proper Equipment
- Gatorade: Heat and Hydration and Health
- Health and Safety: Importance of the Concussion Protocol, Signs/Symptoms and Preventative Measures, Emergency Action Planning, Cardiac Arrest, On-Site Injury Diagnosis and Treatment
- Athlete Development: 2016 NSCA High School Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award winner Micah Kurtz will review long-term athlete development and proper strength and conditioning techniques
- On-Field Tackling/Blocking Circuit: featuring USA Football Master Trainer Leah Hinkle and local coaches
Oakland Raiders, Jack Del Rio Foundation Check Presentation
For the second consecutive year, Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio’s Foundation, dedicated to providing opportunities for undeserved youth, will present a $10,000 check to Mano Amiga, a local non-profit organization. Wife and daughter of Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio LINDA and LAUREN DEL RIO will present the donation as well as lead the Raiders contingent in distributing backpacks stuffed with Raiders-themed items and school supplies to local underserved children.
The event will take place at the NFL Fan Fest at Zocalo Square – Tochito Field on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 3 – 4 PM. The Raiders are matching the Jack Del Rio Foundation’s $10,000 donation to Mano Amiga, while the NFL Foundation will award an additional $10,000 for a total of $30,000. Mano Amiga was founded in Mexico to bring a higher level of education to impoverished areas of the country.
In addition to the Del Rios, Raiders Alumni including Pro Football Hall of Famers FRED BILETNIKOFF and WILLIE BROWN, Raiderettes, Raider Rusher, the team’s youth ambassador and members of the Raiders Women’s Association, which consists of spouses and significant others of players, coaches and staff as well as front office staff members, will participate in the event.
Immediately following the presentation, the Raiders will host a free youth football clinic for local students in the Mano Amiga organization. The boys and girls will participate in activities that feature the educational and recreational benefits of football presented in a safe and fun environment.
Mano Amiga is a non-profit organization that promotes the integral formation of underprivileged children and young people, providing them with tools and opportunities to become successful people and active members of their community. Today the network has 21 schools around the country and serves 14,283 students and their families.
Mexico City Earthquake Relief Efforts
Last month, the NFL Foundation, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers announced their joint contribution of $200,000 to Banorte’s Fundación Banorte to support disaster relief efforts following the earthquake in Mexico City. Fundación Banorte matched these donations dollar-for-dollar. Funds were used to help rebuild homes affected by the earthquake in and around Mexico City.
The Dallas Cowboys also committed $50,000 to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts in Mexico City to assist with crisis intervention services for victims and first responders. Through this donation, the Salvation Army will provide water, food, shelter and emotional care to those immediately affected by the disaster and work with local officials to address long-term assistance for the most vulnerable and in need.
NFL.com release
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