Israeli Youth Catching Flag
Football Fever
NEW YORK, NY, May 25, 2006 -- Less than a
year ago, JCC Association teamed up with the NFL Youth Football
Fund to introduce after-school flag football to Israeli children
and teens. Now, 350 youth are learning to snap, kick, punt,
and pass in Jerusalem, Efrat and Hashmonaim. Jerusalem-based
American Football in Israel (AFI) is the third member of the
innovative partnership dedicated to promoting sportsmanship,
physical fitness and healthy lifestyle choices. Beit Shemesh
and Modi’in are among several additional cities that
have already begun organizing flag football programs of their
own, with many discovering the joys of this quintessentially
American sport for the first time.
According to Steve Liebowitz, AFI president,
about three hundred of the kids are Israeli citizens, while
fifty or so were teens visiting or studying in Israel. Approximately
a third of the Israelis are native-born, thus learning a sport
previously unfamiliar to them. And nearly a quarter of the
players are female, a result of the coalition’s effort
to get girls more physically active. “We feel that a
strong foundation was laid this year,” Liebowitz asserted,
“which will allow our various programs to continue and
flourish for many years to come.”
Children attend instructional sessions after
school, which have been held weekly in different localities.
League and tournament play take place at AFI’s Kraft
Family Stadium in Jerusalem. Special events are also a feature
of the AFI program. In March, 80 middle school students traveled
to Kraft Stadium from their hometown of Har Adar for a three-hour
crash course in American football. An AFI open house scheduled
for this month is already heavily subscribed. More than 150
youth are registered for the event’s organized football
drills and games, which will be played under the supervision
of AFI staff. AFI’s annual summer sports camp is generating
more interest than ever, with record enrollment expected.
Looking ahead to the coming year, Liebowitz
said that recruitment of more experienced coaches and cultivation
of closer ties between Israeli youth and young people from
the U.S. and other countries will help propel AFI’s
program forward and facilitate penetration into more cities
throughout Israel. “An emphasis will be placed on well-coordinated
visits by JCC Association youth groups and teams affiliated
with local JCCs, so that all youngsters may meet, practice
and play football together,” Liebowitz noted. Sharing
his vision for the global expansion of flag football, he said
that among the new ideas under consideration is the creation
of an international JCC/AFI Youth Tournament that would draw
delegations from Israel, the US and elsewhere.
###
JCC Association
is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish
Community Center Movement, which is comprised of 350 JCC,
YM-YWHA and camp sites in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association
offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen
the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural,
social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs
to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and
backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens
connections between North American Jews and Israel as well
as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also the U.S. government
accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs
of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients
in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
Miriam
Rinn
Communications Manager
JCC Association
15 E. 26 St., NY, NY 10010
212-786-5092
grounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens
connections between North American Jews and Israel as well
as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also a U.S. government
accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs
of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients
in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
The NFL Youth Football Fund (YFF) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization
founded by the National Football League and NFL Players Association
in 1998 to use football as a catalyst to promote positive
youth development. Through the YFF, hundreds of thousands
of youngsters have been given the opportunity to learn the
game of football, get physically fit, and stay involved in
productive after-school activities with adult mentors. The
YFF also provides youth football participants with safe and
accessible places to play, as well as programs and initiatives
that address the importance of proper coaching, academics,
health and safety, and life skills development.
fax: 212-481-4174
send an e-mail
Back to Press Releases |
Privacy policy | Contact
us | Home
|
