Scoop
The NFL is launching an annual developmental football camp in Africa with the help of Osi Umenyiora & Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
With the help of two-time Super Bowl-winning defensive end with the New York Giants Osi Umenyiora, who is of Nigerian descent and Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who is of Ghanaian descent, the National Football League (NFL) is starting a development football camp in Africa every year.
This will give young players from all over the continent a chance to play in the league.
In June, a three-day camp will be held in Accra, Ghana’s capital. The dates for the camp and a fan event in June have not been determined.
“To bring the NFL to Africa has long been a dream of mine,” said Osi Umenyiora. “Today that dream is a reality. The opportunities that will come to so many Africans cannot be understated, and we are thankful for them. We cannot wait to show the world what we can do.”
View this post on Instagram
Osi Umenyiora is the founder of The Uprise, a football program in Nigeria that has staged regional camps in South Africa and Ghana, with another camp in Nigeria on the way. Three Nigerian athletes — Kehinde Hassan Oginni, Chigbo Roy Mbaeteka, and Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi — earned the opportunity to participate in the NFL’s International Combine in London in October 2021 thanks to Umenyiora and The Uprise. As part of the International Player Pathway program, they were chosen to train in the United States.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
“We look forward to hosting our first camp in Ghana and will look to activate in Nigeria and other African countries in the future,” said Damani Leech, the NFL’s chief operating officer for international events. “We want to provide an opportunity for the next generation of African prospects to showcase … their talent. As we continue to look for ways to strengthen the pipeline of international players in the NFL, we hope this camp, and future camps, provide a path forward for aspiring players from across the continent.
“We are excited about the potential to identify talent to participate in international combines, the International Player Pathway program, and for those athletes ages 16 to 19, the opportunity to attend the NFL Academy in London.”
