(CLOSED) First DownYouth American Football Academy

First DownYouth American Football Academy is the latest Football Academy to open in Shenzhen. After seeing the growth of American Football in China over the past few years, two longtime Shenzhen expats founded First Down in the summer of 2018.

First Down opened wanting to provide a safe and fun football experience for kids in the community. The head coaches are USA Football certified Tackle and Flag Football coaches with over 25 years of combined experience. Using this knowledge, they have been able to create the only authentic American Football experience in Shenzhen. This is not just about learning how to play a sport, but a cultural experience too.

The core values and principles of Football go far and beyond the playing field. Sportsmanship, teamwork, discipline, life skills, humility, perseverance, camaraderie and respect are just a few of the things young athletes will learn about when playing and learning about this sport.

American Football is an extremely team oriented sport. Every person on a team is as important as the next. If one teammate fails to do their job, the entire team will fail. There is an old adage that applies to football, “You are only as strong as your weakest link”. This is what makes this sport unique. It provides a platform for children to learn how to communicate and work together to achieve a common goal through sports. If a team works together they can achieve anything, the sky is the limit!

For now, practices are held in the Shekou area but there will be expansions to other areas in the future. Boys and girls from 3 years old to 13 years old are welcome to attend and every child is encouraged to attend a free trial class before signing up. 7 years and under will be playing non-contact flag football while 8 and older will play tackle football.

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