As NFL curiosity continues to develop in Europe, the Chicago Bears are certainly one of two groups placing down roots in Spain.
The Bears simply accomplished a visit there with former offensive lineman Roberto Garza as the right ambassador for the group as a bilingual speaker. Garza, who began 145 video games for the Bears over 10 seasons — the fourth-most for a lineman in membership historical past, performed two Mini Monsters youth clinics for 5 consecutive days, visiting Madrid and Barcelona.
“The kids loved it,” Garza informed the Tribune. “You could tell they had never held a football before. By the end of the camp, they had picked up a couple drills. The message was getting 60 minutes a day of exercise, promoting healthy living, flag football and the Bears. It was a lot of fun. The kids has a blast. To me, it was a huge success.”
There is a small soccer presence in Spain with youth packages, flag soccer leagues, a semipro league and the Barcelona Dragons, who compete within the 17-team European Football League.
In January 2022, the Bears and Dolphins have been granted entry to Spain as a part of the NFL’s International Home Market Area program. It gave them rights to “marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of a long-term, strategic effort to enable clubs to build their global brands while driving NFL fan growth internationally.” Nineteen groups have entry to 30 IMHAs throughout 10 nations — Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The Bears and Dolphins hosted a joint fan occasion and watch celebration for the Nov. 6 sport at Soldier Field, a 35-32 victory for the Dolphins regardless of three landing passes by Justin Fields, who additionally rushed for 178 yards. Shaun Gayle, a Super Bowl XX member and Pro Bowl security, joined former Dolphins huge receiver Nat Moore on the occasion.
On their Spain journey, the Bears went into the group, laying the groundwork for what could possibly be a possible return.
“There were a couple kids that came in with Bears gear,” Garza mentioned. “There is a fan base there. They are rising the game.
“I would imagine now after that camp and having all those kids wear the Mini Monsters shirt, there is going to be a big presence. There are programs out there playing football, so it was great to partner with them and introduce the game to kids that are not playing the sport and the Bears brand.”
Last summer season, the Bears ran an analogous program of youth clinics within the United Kingdom with former huge receiver Johnny Knox and tight finish Kaseem Sinceno. But with the IHMA program, the franchise may lean into extra alternatives in Spain.
The NFL performed 5 worldwide video games in 2022 — three in England, one in Munich, Germany, and one in Mexico City. The league has dedicated to play at the least three extra video games in Germany by means of 2025. In 2023, the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans will play house video games in England, with the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots the house groups for video games in Germany.
Spain is “very much on our radar” for a future sport, Brett Gosper, the NFL’s head of Europe and the UK, informed The Associated Press in November. The NFL’s objective, in fact, is to drive tv scores for the game globally.
When the NFL expanded the common season to 17 video games in 2021, it outlined a plan for every crew to play one house sport internationally each eight years. The Bears have performed two regular-season video games in London and one in Toronto, every time because the customer. The Bears have performed preseason video games in Dublin, Ireland; Berlin; Gothenburg, Sweden; and London. In 1961, they performed an exhibition on the Montreal Alouettes.
“We hope that there is going to be a game (in Spain) at some point,” mentioned Gustavo Silva, the Bears supervisor of youth soccer and group packages, who accompanied Garza on the journey. “We would love to have a game there. It would be well received.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com