NFL coming to Leeds Beckett after competition win

British amateur teams were invited to send a video to NFL UK over the Thanksgiving period, showing why they deserved the coaching of Super Bowl-winning duo Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell.

The entry from the Leeds Academy was shot during training at Leeds Beckett’s Headingley Campus on Saturday morning and narrated by safety and wide receiver and BA (Hons) International Business student, Sheldon Campbell.

Speaking in the video to the American Football stars, he said: “This Thanksgiving we want you to come down and help the Leeds Academy Assassins improve their skills because only the NFL, with two huge stars like you, care about developing the skills of the younger kids.

“We have under-fives to under-19s training with us. We are very committed to the cause out here at 8am on a Saturday morning.

“Where else would you rather be?”

The video caught the eye of former New York Giants duo Umenyiora and Bell, the hosts of the BBC’s NFL highlights show, who selected it as one of two winning entries alongside the Surrey-based Cobham Cougars.

And the winner is...@OsiUmenyiora & @JasonBell33 pick which team they'll be giving a practice session too! https://t.co/eu7RqGwLNy

— NFL UK (@NFLUK) November 24, 2016

They will now join youngsters for a special coaching session in Leeds at a future date.

Dale Bottomley, Leeds Beckett University Sports Development Officer, runs American sports within the Carnegie Junior Sports Academy with the popular American Football programme attracting numbers of between 80 and 100 every single week.

He said: “I think chuffed is the word. It’s nice to see them come outside London really and come up north, especially because we are a hub for the sport in the region.

“Hopefully when they come down we can learn plenty from them.”