First-Ever National Football Championship to Determine Nation’s Top 8th Grade Team Kicks off Thanksgiving Weekend
40 Teams Nationwide to Compete in Inaugural “March Madness” Style Tourney
Top Sports Brands Join As National Sponsors
Wharton, NJ (Nov. 15, 2011) – All American Games, producers of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Football University (FBU), announced today the first-ever national football championship to determine the nation’s top 8th-grade football team. The inaugural FBU National Championship is a football version of the Little League World Series featuring 40 teams competing in a NCAA-style bracket tournament to select a true national champion in youth football’s 8th-grade division. Inaugural national sponsors include adidas, Eastbay, Gatorade, SKLZ and the Youth Football Coaches Association (YFBCA).
The FBU National Championship begins Thanksgiving weekend, kicking off Saturday, Nov. 26, at various locations across America. Winners advance to the second round of the single-elimination, five-round long tournament that features 40 state-based teams. The first three rounds will take place at regional sites and the semifinals and finals will take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, with the champion being crowned following the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday, January 7, 2012. All participating 8thgraders cannot turn age 15 before September 1, 2011.
“This is more than a regional all-star game or weekend jamboree tournament; this is a real national championship that brings together the whole country,” said All American Games president Rich McGuinness. “This is a chance to play with great athletes and represent your state. Baseball has the Little League World Series, basketball has AAU all-star teams, and now more than 2,000 eighth-grade football athletes will have the chance to test their ability and challenge themselves for a chance at the National Championship. That is core to our philosophy.”
Official National Brackets & In-Studio Video News Updates: Please click here for official FBU National Championship tournament information, including brackets. Brackets will be finalized early next week and updated throughout the tournament. Additionally, studio-produced news updates will air regularly on the site, providing detailed, round-by-round updates hosted by long-time TV/radio play-by-play announcer Neil Sika of the Columbus Crew, Big Ten Network and SportsTime Ohio.
The Championship Tournament is produced by All American Games and its premier national training academy, Football University (FBU), elite invitation-only football camps with NFL faculty designed for football athletes from grades six through 11. The 8th-grade teams are comprised of the top 35 athletes from various regions throughout the United States. Athletes are identified through FBU’s network of state tournament directors from more than 40 FBU camps in various U.S. cities, and through those nominated on the tournament’s page located at www.footballuniversity.org.
All American Games, LLC: Wharton, N.J.-based All American Games owns and produces elite youth/prep national sporting events and properties including the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Football University, FBU National Championship, Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl, and American Baseball University. Web: www.allamericangames.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/USArmyAllAmericanBowl & www.facebook.com/FootballUniversity.
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CONTACTS
Adam Liberman: 678-643-7784; aliberman@allamericangames.com
Amy Sorrells: 404-550-4885; asorrells@allamericangames.com
All American Games, LLC: Wharton, N.J.-based All American Games owns and produces elite youth/prep national sporting events and properties including the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Football University, FBU National Championship, Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl, and American Baseball University. Web: www.allamericangames.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/USArmyAllAmericanBowl & www.facebook.com/FootballUniversity.
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