London school in NFL exercise drive wins £6,500 prize

 
Capital idea: Ryan Tannehill of Miami Dolphins, who play in London this year (Picture: Getty)
Rashid Razaq17 February 2015

A London primary school has been awarded first prize in an NFL scheme to improve children's fitness through daily games of American football.

Carlton Vale Infants School in Kilburn, north-west London, was presented with a $10,000 (£6,500) cheque after being selected from the 30 schools that took part in the NFL UK Play 60 Challenge last year. The six-week programme encouraged pupils to do at least 60 minutes of exercise per day.

The schools were given booklets and classroom scoreboards so the children could track their activity.

The scheme ran during the 2014 NFL International Series. The three matches, held at Wembley Stadium, were all sell-outs.

NFL UK’s head of community affairs, Aden Durde, presented the cheque to Carlton Vale headteacher Helen Mooney. She said: “We are a very disadvantaged school economically and this will go a long way for us. It’s made our week to hear we’ve won.”

During the 2015 season, which starts in September, schools in Brent and Lambeth will be paired with the six NFL sides heading to London.

Pupils will take part in flag football tournaments and drills, as well as receive coaching on character development skills.

Mr Durde said: “We are excited to be able to involve the 2015 NFL International Series teams in our Play 60 initiative.

“We look forward to teaching children about the fundamentals of American football while engaging them in activities that will help develop their social and classroom skills.”

The gridiron teams due to play in the capital this autumn are Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions.

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