NFL event to scout Chinese talents

CHINA Sea Dragons, a local American football club, is joining with the American Football Without Barriers (AFWB) to hold the first NFL Football Scouting Combine in Shanghai next month to select and train young Chinese for the college league in the United States.

The AFWB event from March 8 to 10 will draw participation of well-known NFL players Steve Smith (WR, Carolina Panthers), DeAngelo Williams (RB, Carolina Panthers), Thomas Keiser (DE, Carolina Panthers), Gary Barnidge (TE, Carolina Panthers) and Breno Giacomini (OT, Seattle Seahawks).

About 150 young Chinese, aged 8 to 22, from the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, are expected to join the camp and train under the guidance of the NFL professional players.

Students in the 15-19 age group will be filmed during the training and their videos and scores will be sent to US universities and colleges for recruitment purpose. The best performer at the Shanghai combine will have a chance to participate in a top-level high school combine in the US, and get enlisted by a top American university.

"For many of my Chinese athletes, this represents an opportunity to fulfill their American football dream - a chance to be rewarded a scholarship to study and play football in a top American university," said Memo Mata, director of China Sea Dragons.

In addition to Shanghai, the NFL delegation will also go to Beijing to participate in a charity outreach event at the SOS Children's Village in Daxing District.

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