The Green Bay Packers and USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels, will host 88 youth football players from the Neighborhood Children's Sports League of Milwaukee on Thursday, Aug. 28, at Lambeau Field to celebrate the "Play Football ... it's more than a game" campaign.
The four teams, who regularly play at Mitchell Park in Milwaukee, will stand on the south goal line during the national anthem. Later, at halftime, the Redskins will compete against the Buccaneers in the north end zone, while the Broncos take on the Packers in the south end zone. In addition to the players, 40 cheerleaders from the league will make the trip to Lambeau Field to cheer on the players. Green Bay-area Pop Warner teams were featured at the Aug. 11 preseason contest.
These youth football players are among 100,000 youngsters who will attend preseason games nationwide as part of "Play Football" through team-donated tickets. The Aug. 28 game also will feature in-stadium promotion through "USA Football" field stencils, banners and public address announcements.
USA Football is also distributing "Captain's Packs" free of charge through usafootball.com to the first 5,000 youth football leagues wishing to recognize youngsters' leadership qualities. By receiving a free Captain's Pack, youth coaches obtain 25 "C" Captain jersey patches, 200 helmet decals, and 25 Captain's Pledges that a young player signs as a commitment to good sportsmanship.
The "Play Football" campaign will feature "I Played" public service announcements, featuring six everyday professionals in their respective work environments united by the leadership and strong character traits they gained by playing football - a sport that employs teamwork to attain success. The "I Played" television message invites viewers to usafootball.com to share memories of playing football and how the game has enriched them as people.
"We're excited to welcome the players and cheerleaders of Neighborhood Children's Sports League of Milwaukee to Lambeau Field for Thursday night's game," said Mark Murphy, Packers President/CEO. "We salute the young athletes and anticipate they'll have a great time under the lights at Lambeau."
In addition to promoting football's values, the Play Football campaign also celebrates the sport's rising participation figures. According to the independent sports marketing firm The Bonham Group, 3.2 million youngsters ages 6-14 played tackle football in 2007, up from 3.0 million in 2006.
*About USA Football
USA Football, the national governing body of America's favorite sport on youth and amateur levels, hosts nearly 100 football training events per year offering education for coaches and game officials, skill development for players and resources for youth football league administrators. The independent non-profit manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football is chaired by former U.S. Congressman and professional quarterback JACK KEMP.*
