COMMUNITY ROUND UP
COMMUNITY ROUND UP
Belfast 21 February 2024
We were delighted to showcase an All-Girls JagTag coaching session in Cookstown, Northern Ireland at the end of February.
Presented by AO, this groundbreaking new initiative featured 50 young leaders aged 16-17 who collectively represented local American Football Ireland teams Donegal Derry Vipers, Causeway Giants and Belfast Knights.
Jaguars UK lead female coaches, Tash Crump, Rose Wilford and Sarah Shay Okelola travelled to Belfast and trained the 50 participants to teach JagTag to year 8 students (aged 12) in their 5 respective schools across NI.
The session was in partnership with Community Sports Network (CSN) and will culminate in a school finals day on April 19th when the project will finish with a celebration event in which the participating coaches will lead their year 8 teams into competing in a JagTag 5v5 Tournament against the other schools represented.
We will bring you all the news after this showcase day takes place on April 19th.
Thank you to everyone involved, and especially our excellent coaches, delivery partner CSN, and of course all those that took part and contributed to the success of the day.
JagTag 101
On Saturday 20th January, the Jaguars UK community team launched JagTag 101, Presented by AO and held at Ealing Trailfinders Sports Club W13.
JagTag 101 is the Jaguars introductory ‘drop-in and play’ weekly sessions to new and existing participants from our JagTag schools that are already established in Ealing and Brent.
The young people aged between 8-16 split into relevant groups, can learn and develop new skills whilst making friends and having fun in a non-competitive environment. These camps will run every Saturday from 12pm to 1:30pm and are FREE to participants.
In addition, those wishing to progress to British American Football Association (BAFA) Cadet Flag football programme have a direct pathway to Ealing Fruit Bats and Wembley Stalions contact teams (U17s & U19s) so, it is a fantastic way to not only have fun, but also have a progression in the sport if desired.
Also hosted on the indoor arena was a Jaguars UK and BAFA Offensive Clinic, featuring four of the best UK BAFA coaches who delivered the position-based skills of Tight Ends, Running Backs, Offensive Line and Quarterback play to over 80 participants.
This clinic will see young people from JagTag Xtra Time, BAFA and BUCs teams learn the techniques and fundamentals of the positions to take back to their respective clubs.
The focus is on pathways from JagTag Xtra Time to higher-level coaching, so they have opportunities to progress to Great Britain/NFL Academy or a United States High School. This clinic is endorsed and supported by the CEO of BAFA.
The Jaguars UK are delighted to be able to showcase programmes that offer progression pathways for young people to participate in the sport of American Football, with the support of partners AO, and BAFA.
Community Round Up - NOVEMBER 2023
On Friday 24th November the community team hosted a Thanksgiving event at Ealing Trailfinders W13 which saw four primary schools across Ealing and Brent come together to take part in a PE Enrichment session, where our experienced JagTag coaches guided young players through the drills and skills of JagTag, advancing to 5v5 games to complete the day.
Thanksgiving is an important part of the NFL calendar in the United States, and we like to follow the tradition over here by going out into the community to with our coaching team to deliver initiatives that not only get kids active by teaching them the basic skills of JagTag, but hopefully get them involved in watching the NFL and in particular the Jaguars.
The participating schools were Preston Park and Park Lane in Brent, and Little Ealing and Grange in the borough of Ealing with approximately 100 mixed gender kids in total taking part across the day and as you can see by the fantastic images, they all had a great time!
You can also take a look at a video we made of the day here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0UYqnHIvWh/
Community Round Up - September and October 2023
With the team in town for an extended period, we were given a great opportunity to really showcase the growth of our community programmes, which we were incredibly excited about.
On the day of the team’s arrival in London, we presented or flagship UK Grassroots programme, JagTag, on the training field ahead of the team’s practice session on Friday 29 September. This event featured 80 mixed gender participants with one all-girls school and three JagTag MVP Schools.
The young people practiced drills and skills before playing 5v5 games and were joined by practice squad players on field who gave them tips and encouragement as they played.
This event was also attended by T.A.P.S Military Group (US & UK), fans, plus Club Wembley and a number of Corporate Partners.
On Game Day we were able to continue the theme of showcasing JagTag with young people ranging in age from 8 – 18. The event was activated with our experienced JagTag Coaches outside the East concourse ‘Green Zone’ at Wembley.
The activation featured two JagTag groups from our ‘Reward Rows’ programme and totalled over 100 mixed gender participants across four sessions, all enjoying drills and skills and presenting an opportunity to play JagTag or it out for the very first time. It was a great day!
Our Reward Rows initiative continued the game day buzz into the stadium with 550 Participants of JagTag, JagTag Xtra Time, NFL Flag and BAFA being rewarded with FREE tickets to our game at Wembley. Representing 20 schools and six community programmes, the young people enjoyed the day with bus travel, refreshments and Lunch provided, along with T-Shirt and game memorabilia to make the day perfect for them.
Seats awarded based on the young person’s commitment to:
J – Joining in the community
A – Academic Improvement
G – Governing Behaviour
S – Sports and Nutrition
Following the fantastic victory against the Falcons, the players moved hotels and we had a further opportunity to visit some of the schools we currently work in, so on Monday 2nd October Shaquille Quaterman, Erick Hallet and DeShaan Dixon visited Queens School in Bushey and The Bishop Stortford High School respectively, both partner secondary schools who have graduated JagTag.
All players took part in Q&A sessions in front of pupils, and then moved into a smaller classroom setting where groups of students were able to pose questions relating directly to their curriculum. Our Cheerleaders also participated leading a routine with 40 girls at Queens school.
The guys then took part in on field activity with the students playing JagTag. Shaquille coached an all-female group with Erick and DeShaan joing a mixed gender group, both were high-performance training sessions that saw the young people build on the skills of teamwork, play design and game play.
At the conclusion of the afternoon, the schools were delighted with the interactions, and the students were thrilled at the opportunity to play ball with some elite athletes.
Another day, another activation, and Tuesday saw the Jaguars UK team keeping their foot on the gas with another of our increasingly regular BAFA Clinics – this one being the 4th of 2023.
These events teach British American Football youth and university aged participants the detail and skills around their specific positions.
Tuesday’s clinic focussed on Tight End (OL & RB play) and was led by Jaguars Legend Ben Koyack, and our high level BAFA Coaches. 75 Participants Aged between 16 and 24 participated in position specific drills and skills in a full kit practice session. Ben was fantastic, imparting his expertise for the benefit of the young people who were delighted to be coached by a former Jaguar. As the only NFL Team to be running these clinics in the UK, we are very proud that we will continue to keep them coming.
Our final event was the official launch of the Union Jax Foundation on Thursday 5 October. The Jaguars are the only NFL team to launch a Foundation outside of the United States.
It was a fantastic evening celebrating the programmes that have already made a difference to the lives of young people across the Country, but also emphasising our commitment to the growth of the Foundation’s programmes across the UK and Ireland. Joining Jaguars President Mark Lamping was the NFL’s commissioner Roger Goodell, along with footballers, executives, participants, and donors, it was a truly great evening that has inspired us into the next phase of the Foundation’s mission: to make a positive difference to the lives of young people, whatever their ability or gender.
With another victory against the Bills at the following Sunday’s game, it really was a fantastic week for the Jaguars UK team and all the young participants who joined us.
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