National Football League to open NFL Academy on Australia's Gold Coast

The National Football League (NFL) has declared plans to establish an NFL Academy in Australia by September 2024. This initiative is aimed at serving the Asia-Pacific region, reinforcing the league’s commitment to global football development and creating opportunities for international talent.

The NFL Academy is a significant worldwide initiative by the NFL. It provides skilled student athletes the chance to pursue full-time education while receiving intensive training in American football (tackle), all under the supervision of a top-tier coaching team.

Brett Gosper, the head of Europe and APAC with the NFL, highlighted the importance of the NFL Academy program. He stated, “This significant league initiative is not only driving global football development efforts but also positively transforming the lives of youth worldwide. We are excited about extending the program to the Gold Coast, Australia. We aim to continue creating authentic player pathways for international talent, thereby offering more youngsters from the Asia-Pacific region an opportunity to participate in the game in the future.”

The NFL Academy will establish its base at A.B. Paterson College in south-east Queensland, on Australia’s Gold Coast. In collaboration with the college, the academy aims to concentrate on athletic, educational, and career pathway opportunities for student-athletes and the broader community.

In September 2024, the elite football development program in Australia will commence, accepting applications from student athletes aged 12-18 years old. The NFL Academy and A.B. Paterson College will offer top-tier education and resources, focusing on enhancing football performance, facilitating player pathways, and promoting future collegiate scholarship opportunities.

The NFL and A.B. Paterson College, with backing from the City of Gold Coast and the Queensland State Government, will co-fund and construct a top-tier NFL Academy facility on the college’s existing grounds. The project, set to complete in 2026, will also serve the community.

The league’s second NFL Academy globally will be established, following the first in the U.K. that supports athletes from Europe and Africa. Since its inception, over 40 alumni have obtained college football scholarships in the U.S., with more than 30 students ready to participate in the 2024 college football season. Out of these, 19 athletes will be playing in Division 1 college programs.

The program will also play a crucial role in expanding flag football among men, women, and youth in the region, following the sport’s successful debut at the LA28 Olympic Games. The league is partnering with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) to invest in the advancement and proliferation of flag football, from grassroots to elite levels, not only in Australia and New Zealand, but globally.

Fast, highly accessible and inclusive, the non-contact format of the game is spearheading extraordinary growth in participation globally. Played by over 20 million people across 100 countries, women and girls are driving some of the fastest growth.
Jordan Mailata, Australian NFL offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles and alumni of the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program, will be an ambassador for the NFL Academy in Australia.

The journey of Mailata, from being scouted by the NFL in 2017 to playing in Super Bowl LVII, serves as a significant inspiration for young athletes in the region.

“Football has transformed my life, and without a doubt, establishing an NFL Academy in Australia will enable numerous young individuals to transform their own lives,” Mailata stated. “The Asia-Pacific area is abundant with athletic talent, and I am eager to watch the upcoming generation of football athletes create their unique journey towards participating in the NFL in the future.”

“A.B. Paterson College is proud to be the new home of the NFL Academy in Australia,” said Joanne Sheehy, A.B. Paterson College principal. “We are excited to announce this landmark partnership and celebrate the start of generational opportunities for our students, staff and the Gold Coast community. A key pillar of the partnership for A.B. Paterson College is the NFL Futures Program which will provide employment, training, and pathway opportunities for school students through the NFL, the Academy and
the NFL’s wider partner network. The NFL is not only strongly aligned with the College through a shared commitment to high standards in education, but the NFL are supporting A.B. Paterson College’s unwavering dedication to emphasizing character development to best prepare students for life beyond the College.”

“We are absolutely delighted to partner with the National Football League to create a state-of-the-art NFL Academy facility right here on the Gold Coast,” said Mayor Tom Tate. “This deal represents a major sporting windfall for our city that will deliver capital investment benefits across 10 years. Not only will the city benefit from significant global marketing exposure, but the local community will have access to a new high-performance field and facility that will also allow us to attract more national and international sporting teams to the coast. We know that the Gold Coast is one of the top sporting cities in the world and
securing this lucrative deal with a major international sporting body is proof of that. We can’t wait to welcome the NFL to our city.”

“Queensland, and the broader Pacific is home to some of the most naturally gifted athletes in the world. It comes as no surprise that a globally significant brand such as the NFL has identified this region as having the necessary potential for its Asia Pacific headquarters and its next international Academy,” said Justin McGowan, Trade and Investment Queensland CEO. “The NFL’s goals in the region strongly align with the Queensland Pacific Trade Strategy, the first of its kind in any State or Territory, and we look forward to building on our existing relationship with such a renowned international partner to unlock and grow further
opportunities throughout the region.”

NFL Academy talent recruitment camps will take place in Australia and New Zealand beginning in June 2024, with successful participants from these trials joining the first academic class of the NFL Academy in Australia. Athletes who cannot attend a camp are also eligible to apply at www.NFLAcademy.com.

For more information on the NFL Academy visit here. Follow the NFL Academy on TikTok, X, Instagram and YouTube.