*The NFL will enhance its initiatives in Africa by holding a talent identification camp in Nigeria.
According to the NFL, over 135 players of African descent are currently playing in the league.
Andscape reports that this month, a three-day camp will be held in Lagos, featuring 21 prospects from 10 African countries. The camp aims to identify future participants for the NFL’s two international training programs: the NFL Academy in England and the International Player Pathway (IPP) program.
This camp builds on initiatives held in Ghana and Kenya in 2022 and Cape Town, South Africa, in 2023, as the NFL aims to establish a fan base on the continent.
“Nigeria, for the most part, is going to be a big focal part of what the NFL is doing,” said Osi Umenyiora, a two-time Super Bowl champion and the NFL’s lead ambassador, per Andscape. “So we wanted to make sure that when we got there that we had everything right and we were doing things the right way.”
“As the countries start to get more and more revenue, as they start to get younger, they start to get more technology, they’re going to start consuming more and more NFL as content,” Umenyiora said.
“The minute we have the infrastructure there that can host an NFL game, wherever that is, the minute we have that, they have to do it,” he said.
“You can’t be a global sport, and you can’t go … all around the world and say ‘nah’ to Africa.”
Umenyiora hopes the NFL expands camps into Rwanda, Morocco, Egypt, and Angola.
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