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Samoa Gridiron sending players to U.S. football camps

Samoa Gridiron players during a practice session

Apia, SAMOA — In a first-time trip to have local American football players seen by scouts in the United States, Samoa Gridiron is sending nine young men to football camps in California this summer.

The student-athletes will visit five camps at four campuses in California: two camps at Stanford University, one at the University of California-Berkeley, San Jose State University and Contra Costa College.

In a statement, Samoa Gridiron Coach Callum Jones expressed his excitement with this major step in the program, the dream of late Coach Agatupu Lefao who died in September 2018.

“His (Lefao’s) vision was to bring the latest coaching methodologies from the U.S. to Samoa, using American football as a vehicle to build self-confidence, self-reliance and resilience needed by our student-athletes to succeed in life,” said Coach Jones.

“Coach Tupu was an amazing mentor, motivator and champion for the student-athletes in his care. His goal was to provide an educational pathway for the youth of Samoa by providing access to scholarships in the U.S.A.”

Jones and Lefao launched the Samoa Gridiron program in April 2017 hosting a game against the Tafuna High School Warriors from American Samoa for the first international game of American football to be played in Samoa.

When Samoa Gridiron lost Coach Lefao last year, the players doubled their efforts to honour their late coach and make his dream a reality.

Read more at Newsline Samoa