American Football Gaining International PopularityBy JonathonIn most parts of the world, if you say the word “football” people assume you are referring to soccer, the most popular and most widely followed sport in the world. However, American football is starting to spark more interest overseas. The National Football League actively promotes American-style football overseas, sending players as ambassadors and holding pre-season games in Europe, Mexico and

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American Football Association Hall Of Fame Weekend To Include “old Timers Game”
As part of the AFA’s Football Hall of Fame weekend - family and friends attending the national association’s 23rd annual Semi-Pro Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will be treated to a football game between many of the veteran “Legends” of the sports semi-pro level.The Legends Hall of Fame “Old Timers” game will take place on Saturday, December 13th and will be played on a new form of artificial turf (soft white beach sand) at the AFA’s headquarters hotel in Sarasota, Florida. The Radisson Lido Beach Resort Hotel is located two miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico due west of Florida’s Suncoast City of Sarasota.Although it’s been a very long time since many of the Hall of Famers have ’strapped ‘em on’ in a real football game - the effort and spirit that made these semi-pro legends ‘greats’ on their level in the first place - should prove to be very entertaining - both from a spectators and players point of view. The fun filled afternoon will feature the AFA Hall of Fame Class of 2003 inductees playing a team made up of AFA/HOF alumni. The game will be played using sand-lot (pardon the pun) flag football rules and will have all the trappings of a real game including the use of ‘very experienced’ players, coaches, game officials, PA announcers, film crews, a chain gang, ball boys, Gatorade girls, and bikini clad cheerleaders. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 PM (EST).Players and coaches from both teams will be individually introduced by the PA announcer as they take the field.

A special half-time show is planned and will feature the arrangements of a well known ‘tropical music performer’ as well as a (not so high stepping) marching band sponsored by the AFA/HOF Ladies Auxiliary.The film crew will do sideline interviews with players, coaches and fans during the course of the game. A game highlight film (video production) is planned as part of the AFA’s Hall of Fame weekend events.On Friday evening (Dec.12) the AFA will host its 23rd annual Hall of Fame Induction Dinner at the Lido Beach Radisson Resort Hotel as well. Tickets for the annual enshrinement fund-raising banquet are available at $50 each. Over the past 23 years the AFA has inducted 431 individuals into their elite brotherhood of people who were standouts on the semi-pro level of the game. Dinner ticket holders will also receive ’surf side’ seats for the “old timers” Hall of Fame Game on Saturday.

Planning to attend? Although its still nearly two months away - the AFA national office recommends you get your dinner ticket reservations early as the HOF induction dinner has been a sold-out event for years. Special room rates at the Radisson (for the Hall of Fame Week) are available for American Football Association members, inductees, their families and fans. For more information about the AFA’s Hall of Fame weekend football events go to the national association’s website at www.AmericanFootballAssn.com.