Europe could soon have NFL franchises, academy head coach says

Now he is applying his experience to teach the next generation as head coach of the NFL Academy, external, which aims to unearth the best talent from across Europe and Africa.

The academy launched in 2019 in London, and is now based at Loughborough University, where players between the ages of 16 and 19 train five days a week alongside full-time education.

This is with a view to equipping them with the skills and qualifications to seal a place at a Division One or Division Two college team in the US – and ultimately a place in the NFL draft.

This year, there will be 72 players from 19 different countries and territories involved, with 34 newcomers from more than 2,500 applicants.

There are currently 19 academy alumni playing in Division One and English former rugby player Travis Clayton was drafted by Buffalo Bills in April, having spent time in the academy and later joining the international player pathway.

A second academy is due to open in Gold Coast, Australia, in September, opening up the pathway to young people in other parts of the world.

“We do what American footballers do, they play their sport and they go to school,” Hagen said.

“Ultimately, we’d like for these guys to have an extended football career. We’ve taught them enough so that they can go to continue to play in America, that to me is success.”

He added: “And that they capture the standard of this programme for their life and eliminate average in their own life. They become a professional, one way or another.

“Not everyone’s going to become a professional football player but they can become a professional doctor, lawyer, plumber – it doesn’t matter what they do, and then they can become a father and a husband and be a really good, sound person.”