Sports agency Premier Athlete Advisors is holding a recruiting event in Amsterdam, Netherlands in partnership with the Amsterdam Crusaders.
The BENELUX Region American Football Recruiting Combine will be held on April 23, 2017 and will be run by Premier Athlete Advisors’ own team of professionals, many whom have worked with NFL teams and players in the past. It will be held at the Amsterdam Crusaders team facility, which is located five minutes from Schiphol Airport and easily accessible from most of Europe.
Premier Athlete Advisors is seeking players to participate in a National Football League (NFL) style combine event. Athletes currently playing with well-known American football club teams located in Europe are encouraged to register for the event to come out and show the world their NFL potential. All players looking to participate should show up in peak physical shape and be ready to perform in front of NFL player agents.
The event was created by Premier Athlete Advisors due to the frequent inquiries they receive from European athletes about pursuing NFL, Canadian Football League (CFL), or Arena Football League (AFL) contracts. It’s intended to identify untapped talent in the European leagues and potentially offer National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) contracts to the most impressive participants. The event will give players a chance to show what they can do when being tested by professionals, just like the NFL combine does with college players looking to be drafted.
Participants will be tested on skills such as speed, agility, jumping ability, reach, and position-specific skills. Standout players have the potential to be offered NFLPA contracts the day of the event or shortly thereafter. Regardless of whether any contracts are offered, all players will receive invaluable pointers and training tips from the Premier Athlete Advisors’ staff. Players will also see how they stand up against the competition and will know what they need to improve on if making a NFL roster spot is what they are after.
For many European American football players, their seasons have already started so attending this event may be difficult, however this date has been placed strategically. It’s for the benefit of the players, as the NFL Draft is just one week after the BENELUX Region American Football Recruiting Combine event. When asked about the date of their event, Premier Athlete Advisors said, “The minute the [NFL] draft is over, NFL teams start filling their rosters with free agents for mini camps. This is the best time period that a kid from Europe has any chance to make. We need to be able to show the NFL teams fresh numbers to get them interested. If we did this event in the fall, NFL teams would not be interested in our data come the following April.” This is the time of year when NFL teams will be looking to fill up their OTA rosters.
Recently, the NFL has let teams have off-season training sessions, officially called “Organized Team Activities” or OTAs. Many teams use the OTAs to help develop new players and make them better. These training sessions go from late April to early May. The OTAs are the only practices between the end of the previous season and the start of training camp. Players new to the NFL attend seminars and lectures organized by the NFL from mid-June to mid-July. This is where French WR Anthony Dable signed with the New York Giants last April and stayed with the team through August and possibly where you might find yourself.
For more information on the combine event, take a look at the brochure below. Click here to register yourself for the recruiting combine and for more details, such as what to bring to the event, who will be there, and what to expect.
Note: Registration fee is priced on a tiered basis, depending on the registration date. The sooner you sign up, the cheaper it will be. Registration fees will go towards paying for the use of the Crusaders’ facility, professional scouts time, and event staff trainers.
