AUSTIN, TEXAS, TO HOST 2011 ‘TEAM USA VS. THE WORLD’

The World’s Best American Football Players Aged 19 And Under To Meet Again

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tuesday, August 3 – PARIS, FRANCE – The world’s best high school American Football players are heading to Austin, Texas.

‘Team USA vs. The World’, the annual international friendly matching USA Football’s U19 National Team – composed of graduating high school seniors – against a World Select team of players chosen from IFAF member federations on as many as four continents, will be played in Austin next year.  Both teams will field a 45-player roster.

The game will be played in early 2011.  Details regarding coaching staffs, Austin training sites for both teams and ticket information will be announced during the upcoming fall football season.

In January 2010, the World Team held Team USA scoreless until the final play of the first half in an eventual 17-0 defeat, suggesting that that gap between the best the U.S. has to offer at 19-and-under level and their international counterparts is narrowing as the game’s popularity spreads internationally.

“IFAF is excited to again send a World Team of the best under-19 players from among our 59 member federations to take on USA Football’s Team USA,” said IFAF President TOMMY WIKING.  “In the last game, the World Team showed that they can compete with the best the United States has to offer.  When we play again in 2011, with more IFAF countries represented, we will be out there believing we not only compete, but win.”

USA Football, the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels, is America’s delegate to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).  USA Football is also the official football development partner of the NFL, the NFL Players Association and each of the league’s 32 teams.

USA Football will determine its roster of 45 players by December through scouting evaluations and nominations submitted to www.usafootball.com/teamusa. USA Football will accept nominations from players, coaches and parents.  In addition to being among America’s top high school senior football players, Team USA athletes will personify football’s inherent values of teamwork and leadership befitting a national team.

The Team USA vs. The World series kicked off this past January in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where Team USA earned a 17-0 victory.  Below are some of the players who took part in the 2010 “Team USA vs. The World” game:

“With the help of events such as Team USA vs. The World, Austin is quickly gaining ground as an international destination in sports,” Austin Sports Commission Executive Director MATTHEW PAYNE said.  “As the capital of Texas, we’re proud to showcase our enthusiasm for the great sport of football and excited to partner for the first time with such an esteemed organization as USA Football.”

Participation in “Team USA vs. The World” is recognized as a U.S. National Team competition by the NCAA and not considered an all-star game.

“There’s no better place to bring the world’s best in football than Austin,” USA Football Chairman CARL PETERSON said.  “The passion for this sport in South Texas is deep and generational. Whether a player is from Seattle or Sydney, he’s going to love playing in this atmosphere in front of these fans.”

About IFAF

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) unites more than 50 countries on five continents through a burgeoning international sport.  With national football federations in existence for more than 75 years, IFAF was created in 1998 to organize and further develop the game through international cooperation and global competition. The IFAF office is located near Paris, France. For more information, visit www.ifaf.org.

About USA Football

USA Football, the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels, leads the game’s development, inspires participation, and ensures a positive experience for all youth, high school, and other amateur players.The independent non-profit hosts more than 80 football training events annually for coaches, players and youth football league commissioners. USA Football is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association and manages U.S. national teams for international competition. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football distributes $1 million annually in equipment grants and offers youth league volunteer background check subsidies. Former NFL team executive Carl Peterson is USA Football’s chairman.