This week, Bengals running back Giovani Bernard joined a handful of current and former NFL stars for the NFL Academy Final Trials at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in London.
This marked the first-ever NFL event at the state-of-the-art venue and will determine which promising young athletes will earn a spot at the new NFL Academy, which begins at Barnet and Southgate College in September.
The trials featured the largest group of visiting NFL players ever gathered in the UK during an offseason, including NFL Academy ambassadors as well as players from NFL teams playing in the NFL London Games this Fall.
The Bengals will play the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Oct. 27 at Wembley Stadium in London. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET.
ABOUT THE NFL ACADEMY: STADIUM SHOWCASE
The NFL made its debut at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 2 when 150 teenagers took part in NFL Academy: Stadium Showcase the final tryout for selection in the first intake of the landmark NFL Academy, which will begin operations in Sept. 2019.
The trialists were put through a series of NFL Combine-style drills under the scrutiny of NFL Academy head coach Tony Allen and NFL UK head of player development Will Bryce.
The NFL Academy, the first of its kind outside of the United States, will be based at Barnet and Southgate College and will give student athletes aged 16-18 the life-changing opportunity to combine education with life skills and intensive training in the sport under full-time professional coaches.
Students will not only be given pathways into employment and further education, but even the opportunity to play NCAA college football in the United States.
"It's been fantastic seeing these young aspiring athletes represent the NFL in its first-ever event at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium today," Alistair Kirkwood, NFL UK Managing Director, said. I'm very excited to watch the successful applicants grow and develop from September onwards."
To find out more about the NFL Academy, please visit: nflacademy.com.
