American Football Without Barriers taking 17 NFL players to develop football in Portugal

| Algarve Sharks | 01/28/2018

American Football Without Barriers (AFWB) is spreading the word of the sport of American Football, throughout the world and this year has chosen Algarve, Portugal where it will hold  camps and outreach events.

AFWB has announced that it will hold its 6th annual camp and charity visit in Algarve, Portugal, March 10-11, 2018. The event is organized by the Algarve Sharks American football club along with the Portuguese Federation of American Football. The training camp will be free and open to everyone of any skill set, age, sex or nationality.

The event will be more than just a training camp, however.

The players will be in the Algarve for one full week, taking part in a number of events such as visiting orphanages and spending days at well-known attractions.

According to Lance Heron, head coach of the Algarve Sharks who play in Portugal’s top league, and the driving force behind the camp, the event will truly highlight not just American football, but Portugal and the local region:

“This event will reach millions of people all over the world. Having NFL players come to Portugal will generate interest in Portugal and this region. But with football growing in Portugal, this visit will really spark interest in the game throughout the country.

Heron also said that a key supporter has been the US Embassy:

“Apparently, the Ambassador, is a big fan of American Football.”

After successful camps in China in 2013, Brazil in 2014, Turkey in 2015, and Egypt in 2016 and Finland, 17 current and former National Football League (NFL) players are heading to Portugal, the third AFWB International camp in Europe.

Those confirmed so far are Marshawn Lynch (Oakland Raiders), Kevin Hogan (Cleveland Browns), Roosevelt Nix (Pittsburgh Steelers), Breno Giacomini (Houston Texans), Ben Garland (Atlanta Falcons), Barkevious Mingo, Jabaal Sheard, Chris Milton and Matthias Farley (Indianapolis Colts), DeAngelo Williams (Pro Bowl Running Back), Gary Barnidge (Pro Bowl Tight End), Johnson Bademosi (New England Patriots), Jabaal Sheard (Indianapolis Colts), Michael Thomas (Miami Dolphins), Xavier Grimble (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Erik Lorig (7-Year NFL Veteran).

The NFL players working with AFWB are passionate about sharing their professional skills with emerging fan bases around the world and spreading their commitment to service and leadership. Over the course of the week they will teach on-field technical skill building and leadership to young people and older interested in American football. The players will also hold a coaches clinic with in-class instruction and on-field implementation.

For more information and to keep updated on the camp visit the AFWB Portugal website.

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