MOBILE VIRTUAL PLAYER (MVP) 2021 GRANT APPLICATION THROUGH USA FOOTBALL NOW OPEN
INDIANAPOLIS – Youth, middle school and high school football programs may apply now through June 1 for a grant from Mobile Virtual Player (MVP), USA Football’s preferred tackling equipment partner. The $35,000 in available grants from MVP is part of the $2 million in resources USA Football will dedicate to benefit young athletes this season through its expanded grant program.
Schools and youth football organizations may submit applications by 5:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 1, at this link to be eligible for an MVP grant. USA Football awards grants based on need, merit and a program’s commitment to coaching education and best practices.
MVP developed and patented the world’s first self-righting robotic tackling dummy to help reduce player-on-player contact and the overall incidence of injuries suffered during football practices. Engineered to replicate an in-game experience by simulating the size, speed and agility of an elite player, MVP’s robotic tackling dummies range from 120 to 190 pounds and reach speeds up to 18 mph on both grass and turf surfaces. The robotic tackling dummies address player safety while improving player performance and technique.
“We’re proud to partner with MVP to offer $35,000 in grants this season to schools and youth football organizations nationwide,” USA Football CEO & Executive Director SCOTT HALLENBECK said. “MVP’s cutting-edge technology, paired with USA Football’s best-in-class tackling and blocking techniques, elevates teaching and learning across our sport and advances player safety. Though MVP is largely associated with helping coaches teach the fundamentals around contact, their products can benefit every position on the field.”
"Protecting athletes is vitally important and was the very reason MVP was developed,” said Dartmouth College head coach and MVP’s board chairman BUDDY TEEVENS. Teevens, a member of USA Football’s Football Development Model Council, was the first college or NFL head coach to employ the MVP at his team’s practices. “We’ve used MVP to teach contact skills at Dartmouth for years and from both a safety and skill development aspect, there’s no better equipment that exists in this category.”
School-based and youth football programs may email USA Football at grants@usafootball.com for more information about the MVP grant or its grant application.
About USA Football: USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental and competitive programs to advance, unify and grow the sport. As the sport’s national governing body, a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the United States’ sole delegate to the International Federation of American Football, USA Football assembles and directs U.S. National Teams for international competition. The independent non-profit also partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school and other amateur players. Visit usafootball.com to learn more.
About Mobile Virtual Player: Mobile Virtual Player LLC is an independent, privately held company headquartered in Lincoln, Mass. and Bradford, Vt., that specializes in innovating and developing game-changing technology that simulates human motion and performance for sport and other training applications so that athletes can train and compete in a safer environment. MVP created the world’s first rigorously engineered robotic mobile tackling dummy. Using state-of-the-art mechanical and electronic design, MVP’s team of engineers and designers are revolutionizing how athletes train for any sport, safely.