Former Warriors player, Wairangi Koopu ran some of the trials, and was interviewed by ANZ Sports Scene
Aspiring professional sportsmen looking for the opportunity to crack a career in American football came to our Mt Albert campus on Wednesday to try-out for a slot in the ‘National Football League’s International Combine’ camp, being held in the Gold Coast in October. This is the first time that the NFL has formally scouted for talent outside the U.S.
Run by the NFL’s Australian business partner, Pacific Sports Management, the try-outs are also being run in Australia, Samoa and Fiji. Those selected will then attend the International Combine and from that event just five athletes will be invited to attend the NFL international pathway programme; a fully-funded three-month training programme in Florida.
Those that make it through will then enter the NFL draft or be placed with an NFL franchise and begin their career as professional sportsmen in the world’s richest sports league!
The New Zealand trials were run at just Unitec in Auckland with a session also in Wellington. The focus is on assessing size, speed, strength and agility, and on our sports field at Mt Albert campus, after being registered, weighed and measured, the 26 candidates were put through a series of tests and time trials, that included broad and vertical jump challenges, a 40-yard dash, a short shuttle with a series of direction changes and three cone drills, all timed.
The candidates came from a background of rugby, league and also from local gridiron clubs.
The media was also on site, capturing the guys in action, including ONE News, The Crowd Goes Wild and ANZ Sport Scene with special guest, former NZ Warriors player, Wairangi Koopu, who set the standard in the cone drill.
The NFL’s call to make their first ever scout of the Pacific was partly influenced by Samoan, Jordan Mailata, an NRL player who was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles this year, despite never having played the sport.