INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AND INDIANA NATIONAL GUARD TEAM UP TO HOST STATE-WIDE 7-ON-7 TOURNAMENT **
Indianapolis- The Indiana National Guard and the Indianapolis Colts will host a 64 team 7-on-7 tournament that will feature 1,400 participants at two locations. This marks the second annual 64-team tournament hosted by the Colts and the Indiana National Guard as part of the NFL's High School Player Development program.
"We are honored to partner with the Indiana National Guard again for our statewide 7-on-7 tournament," Indianapolis Colts Youth Football Commissioner Mike Prior said. "Last year's event was a tremendous success and both organizations look forward to making this year's tournament even better."
The Indiana National Guard has been involved with Indiana High Schools in many facets before, but nothing quite like teaming up with the Indianapolis Colts to reach a large number of Indiana's youth.
"It's an honor for us to be able to partner with a proven, professional, and successful organization like the Colts," said LTC Wesley Russell, Commander of the Indiana National Guard Recruiting and Retention. "We have similar goals, such as community support and community help. I think we can achieve that by working together, as well as helping one and other spread our message. The fact that we get to work with a professional football organization and bring thousands of kids to a professional event is something that they may never experience again."
The first tournament will be held at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center on June 16th. The second tournament will be held at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne on June 23rd. Action will begin at 9AM and the championship game is scheduled to start 4:30PM. These two tournaments will be mirror images of each other with a winning team crowned at each. The two winners will compete in a game where the winning team will represent the Indianapolis Colts at the NFL's High School Player Development National 7-on-7 Tournament in which Indianapolis will serve as the host city.
This partnership also incorporates the NFL's High School Player Development (HSPD) program, which the National Guard had been partnered with for many years. The NFL HSPD program, according to their website, "addresses challenges facing high school football programs across the country focusing primarily on underserved communities. HSPD serves as a free resource for both high school player and coaches. The program emphasizes safety and concussion awareness, character development and life skills, and football fundamentals." (For more information on the NFL HSPD, visit their website http://www.nflhspd.com)
For more information on the tournament and the participating teams, visit http://www.colts.com/myindianafootball
