A packed house greeted the Arizona Cardinals Saturday to help launch a new youth flag football league. Hundreds of kids showed up to the Cardinals’ inagural flag football league kickoff. And as the NFL looks to grow its brand worldwide, the club explained that there’s a connection between the Cardinals and Alberta. Approximately 500 kids as young as three years old, all the way up to 15 years old, participated. Players were taken through passing and catching drills while learning other fundamentals of flag football. The Jr. Cardinals Youth Flag Football League is a partnership between the Cardinals and Raw Sports. “We have to make sure it’s inclusive, also, for our kids from different backgrounds, (and) different situations, ” said co-owner Robert Woodson, from Raw Sports. “It’s important to us there is no financial barriers.” The league does provide financial assistance to help make it more inclusive. Several members from the Arizona Cardinals’ cheerleading team made the trip up north, as well as the team’s mascot Big Red, who also flew in which was a big hit with fans. For the Cardinals’ franchise, it’s an opportunity to grow their fan base. “We’re here to create some lifelong fans and really grow the game, expanding the Canada.” NFL teams are able to choose countries in which to grow their brand as part of the NFL’s global outreach. The Cardinals work in Mexico due to geographical proximity, while the team says that opting to come north to Alberta has to do with a different kind of bird. “Snowbirds,” said Horace Raymond, the Cardinals’ director of youth football development. “It’s a real thing,” he added, “and we embrace that. You know, there’s a lot of people who can see the Alberta license plates in Arizona all the time, you know, when it gets a little too nippy up here -- they come down and we know there’s some fans here.” After Saturday evaluation practice, players competed in a number of sessions, to help boost fandom. The team brought in former offensive lineman Earl Watford who said he hopes kids came away with a passion for the game. “You learn so much discipline, you learn how to be teammates, you learn how to work together -- and that goes a long way,” Watford said. For more information, go here.
