USA FOOTBALL DELIVERS $340,000 TO SUPPORT YOUTH PROGRAMS THROUGH SPRING GRANTS
USA Football’s spring grants provide programs nationwide with new equipment
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – USA Football, the sport’s National Governing Body, is awarding $340,000 in new football equipment to 808 youth sports organizations nationwide. USA Football and its partners, Riddell and BSN SPORTS, fulfill spring grants for the benefit of grassroots programs that introduce young athletes to America’s favorite sport.
“It’s heartwarming to examine all the grant applications and learn about the time and effort volunteers put forward to support young athletes and their communities,” said USA Football Senior Director of Grants Beth Porreca. “Congratulations to all of this spring’s grants recipients, and please continue to provide safe, fun learning environments for athletes across the country.”
Spring grants play a crucial role in USA Football’s offerings, which are made possible through the NFL Foundation. USA Football’s grants programs include fall grants, AED grants and girls’ flag football grants. Combined, these opportunities help youth programs meet the needs of their communities by securing important equipment without passing expenses on to the athletes and their families.
“New Britain Youth Football and Cheer has received numerous grants from USA football for equipment and our flag program,” said New Britain Youth Football & Cheer coach and long-time board member Heriberto Rodriguez. “The grants make it possible to add more equipment to our program. As we all know, equipment is expensive, so grants make it possible to help youth organizations with this expense.”
“We have received a Riddell grant from USA Football,” said Goldbacks Youth Football & Cheer League President, Rick Ceglio. “This allowed us to get new equipment for our expanding program and ensured we have the best equipment for our athletes at a cost that is more affordable.”
Additionally, USA Football is supporting the growth of flag football by distributing more than 16,000 flag belts and 2,800 footballs to programs beginning or expanding flag football offerings. Flag football plays an important role in introducing young athletes to the sport’s fundamentals and may be pursued collegiately for women and at the Olympic level for men and women.
Since 2006, USA Football has awarded more than $21 million in grants to youth and school-based football programs, which has directly benefited athletes across more than 14,000 programs in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Over the past two years, USA Football has delivered approximately $3.9 million in grants to more than 3,000 organizations.
USA Football offers grant opportunities throughout the year to enrolled organizations. It is free to enroll with USA Football. To learn more or to apply for available grants, visit usafootball.com/grants.
About USA Football: USA Football is the National Governing Body (NGB) for American Football in the United States and the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport of American football. USA Football selects, trains and leads Team USA in tackle and flag football disciplines, while delivering world-class football development resources, sport standards and competitive opportunities to empower athletes at every level. USA Football is committed to ensuring every athlete has access to develop and compete in the game through safer, inclusive and innovative pathways. For more information, visit usafootball.com.