NFL ACADEMY READY FOR LATEST HIGH SCHOOL CHALLENGE
The festival of football that accompanies the annual arrival of the NFL International Series to London continues between the two games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the latest meeting between the NFL Academy and a leading US high school.
This year, following victory in the inaugural match-up with New York’s Erasmus Hall in 2023 and defeat to California’s De La Salle last season, the Loughborough-based Academy will face St. Thomas Aquinas at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday (8th October).
“The NFL Academy game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has quickly become one of the most unique and inspiring showcases in our global football calendar” said Roman Oben, NFL vice-president of football development. “Bringing together one of the premier high school football programmes in the United States with the Academy’s talented international roster goes beyond competition; it’s a cultural exchange that highlights how the game of football continues to grow worldwide.”
St. Thomas Aquinas is amongst the very best institutions at the high school level, having won three national and 16 state championships, including six consecutive state titles between 2019-24. The programme has produced at least one Division I signee every year since 1978, as well as notable NFL alumni including Geno Atkins, Nik Bonitto, Joey and Nick Bosa, Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, Josh Palmer and James White.
During their trip, the Fort Lauderdale-based team and its staff will spend time visiting and learning about cultural landmarks in London, hosting a football clinic at Lift Aylward Academy and attending Sunday’s Week 5 International Series game between the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. More than 60 St. Thomas Aquinas student-athletes will serve as ambassadors by exchanging culture and knowledge of football with NFL Academy student-athletes from several international markets.
The game marks the third consecutive year that Nike and the NFL have sponsored a U.S-based high school to play in London.