NFL to open academy in Australia to identify and develop young prospects
The NFL will expand its international search for talent by opening an academy in rugby-mad Australia to develop promising teenagers in the Asia-Pacific region into college and professional prospects.
The NFL Academy will open in September for student athletes ages 12 to 18, following recruiting camps this summer in Australia and New Zealand, the league announced Thursday.
Ahead of the NFL draft, the announcement says the region is full of talent, such as Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, a 2.08 meter Australian who was deemed too big for rugby league.
âFootball has changed my life, and opening an NFL Academy in Australia will undoubtedly help many more young people change their lives,â Mailata said in the league announcement.
The academy will be based at AB Paterson College on the Gold Coast and plans include building a high-quality facility on the college grounds â due for completion in 2026 â which will also be available for community use.
Mailata, who has completed the league’s International Player Pathway program, will be on the Gold Coast to announce the Eagles’ first-round draft pick.
âThe Asia-Pacific region is rich in sporting talent, and I look forward to seeing the next generation of football players pave their own path to playing in the NFL in the coming years,â he said.
The move is another step in the league’s global expansion. NFL owners voted in December to allow the league to host eight international games each season.
The Green Bay Packers will play the Eagles when the NFL holds its first regular-season game in Brazil on September 6. For the 2024 season, the NFL also has three games in London and one in Germany. And Spain is set to host its first match in 2025, which will be played at Real Madrid’s newly renovated Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
The league already has an academy in Britain and Europe has become a reliable source of Division I recruits.
The Asia-Pacific region has a lot of potential, and not just for Australian gamblers.
New Zealand sprinter Eddie Osei-Nketia switched to American football to play for Hawaii.
Rugby and Australian Rules are potentially good sources of talent, such as Welsh rugby union star Louis Rees-Zammit, who signed for the Kansas City Chiefs as a returner/running back/wide receiver.
The first recruitment camp for the new academy is scheduled for June 29 at AB Paterson College. A second is on July 6 in Sydney, followed by a camp on August 24 in Auckland, New Zealand.
âThe NFL Academy program is a major league initiative that is driving global football development efforts and successfully transforming the lives of young people around the world,â said Brett Gosper, head of Europe and APAC at the NFL.
âWe look forward to bringing the program to the Gold Coast, Australia and continuing to build authentic player pathways for international talent, giving more young people from the Asia Pacific region the opportunity to play the game in the years to come to play.”