Plans have been finalized and this week, American Football Without Barriers’ (AFWB) contingent, featuring 19 current and former NFL players, will arrive in Budapest, Hungary where the group will conduct two days of free football camps for men, women, and children, while also participating in a host of community and experiential activities. The football camps will take place on Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1.
On Saturday, Feb. 29, the first camp will take place from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the Panorama Sports Center, located at Kolozsvári Tamás u. 11, 1023 Budapest, Hungary. Later that day, AFWB will move its operation to the 68,000-seat Puskás Aréna in Budapest for a second camp that will run from 5-7 p.m. On Sunday, March 1, two more camps will take place at the Panorama Sports Center from 11-1 p.m. and 2-4 p.m.
American Football Without Barriers is a nonprofit foundation that was co-created by former NFL tight end and 2015 Pro Bowler Gary Barnidge. Its mission is to teach American football to men, women and children all around the globe.
Joining Barnidge in Budapest will be a list of current and former NFL players that includes three-time Pro Bowl running back Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams, Mike Davis of the Carolina Panthers and 2009 Pro Bowler DeAngelo Williams (Retired) of the Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers; quarterback Brett Hundley of the Arizona Cardinals; defensive backs Kenny Moore of the Indianapolis Colts, Matthias Farley of the New York Jets, Damarious Randall of the Cleveland Browns and Chris Milton and Joshua Kalu of the Tennessee Titans; linebacker and 2016 Super Bowl champion Barkevious Mingo of the Houston Texans, 2017 Pro Bowler Deion “Debo” Jones of the Atlanta Falcons and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo of the Rams; two-time Pro Bowl tight end Austin Hooper from the Falcons and 2013 Pro Bowler Jordan Cameron (Retired) of the Browns and Miami Dolphins; 2019 Pro Bowl defensive lineman Grady Jarrett from the Falcons; six-time Pro Bowl offensive linemen Alex Mack also from the Falcons and Dan Brunskill of the 2019 NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers, and 2017 Pro Bowl fullback Roosevelt Nix of the Steelers.
Among the community activities scheduled for AFWB’s trip to Budapest are a visit to the American International School of Budapest (AISB), a trip to the Mozgásjavító Insitute, an activation with the Ferencváros Torna Club Men’s Handball Team of the Hungarian Handball League, and a private dinner with David B. Cornstein, the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary.
For football fans not able to attend the AFWB camps, a public fan meet-up is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28 from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Allee Mall in Budapest. AFWB players and staff will be available for autographs and photo opportunities with Hungarian football fans.
Additional scheduled experiential opportunities for AFWB’s contingent include visits to the Citadella, Central Market Hall, Buda Castle, the Chain Bridge, Hungary’s Parliament Building, an evening boat tour of the Danube River, a visit to Eger to participate in a pig feast and tour the Eger Castle, a tour of historic Heroes’ Square in Budapest, and a visit to the Széchenyi Thermal baths.
Sponsors and partners for AFWB’s visit to Budapest include Pizza Forte, Puskás Aréna, Yum! Brands Foundation, the Budapest American Football League, the Hungarian American Football League, Sharpie, Intertanker, Bodega Bisztró és Barbecue, Hungarian Antique Pine, Petrény, Vándor Hús and the Aquincum Hotel Budapest.
AFWB Football Camps are FREE and open to men, women and children of all ages and experience levels. A coaching clinic is also planned. The camps are at capacity, however space is still available for the coaching clinic. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/afwbhungary/, or contact Adam Osvald of the Budapest Eagles at afwbhungary@gmail.com.
About American Football Without Barriers
American Football Without Barriers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to globalizing American football and reaching underprivileged communities with a humanitarian message. It was founded by Barnidge, former NFL offensive tackle Breno Giacomini and Yum Brands engineer Ahmed Awadallah. All three were classmates at the University of Louisville. In addition to its international camps, Barnidge and Giacomini host camps in the U.S. aimed at teaching underprivileged kids to play American football. Hungary will join China (2013), Brazil (2014), Turkey (2015), Egypt (2016), Finland (2017), Portugal (2018) and Germany (2019) as international countries that have hosted AFWB camps. To learn more about American Football Without Barriers, please visit https://afwbcamp.com/.