Egypt Day 1 with Gary Barnidge

First day in Cairo, Egypt with @AFWB was great. Love the food and history of this city. First stop of the day was the Great Pyramid. I’d already been once before, but I’ve always been fascinated by Egyptian culture and history so seeing the pyramids will never get old. Plus, so many guys in our group had never been before, so the expressions on their faces were enough to bring back the excitement for me. Once we parked the van, we snapped a couple photos and hopped on our camels to get to the Great Pyramid. Trying to climb through the pyramid’s tunnels to get to the tomb was something else. Definitely not made with big people in mind…My back was killing me after making that TREK! But our tour guide for the day did a great job and for that, AFWB thanks @EforEgypt.

Next stop was the Sphinx which is also incredible. We met up with Thomson Reuters, a great international news agency there, for an interview. Happy to talk with them about or trip and AFWB.

After a quick break at the hotel, we spent a few hours at the U.S. Embassy in Egypt. The ambassador, Stephen Beecroft, was a great host and we all appreciated his hospitality.

TMZ got a hold of me on the way to dinner and asked if I could do a quick interview with them after photo bombing DeAngelo Williams earlier today. Interview was fun and I’m real glad they reached out and took an interest in our organization.

All this was just day one. I can’t wait to start the camps and help spread the game of America Football in Cairo!

– Gary Barnidge, 82

AFWBPRESSRELEASE-EGYPT-02_23_2016

NFL PLAYERS INTRODUCE AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN EGYPT

WITH A HUMANITARIAN MESSAGE

American Football Without Barriers aims to globalize the sport of American Football, with camps and outreach to underserved communities.

Egypt Air and Lenovo are proud to sponsor the 4th annual American Football without Barriers (AFWB) camp and charity visit to take place in Cairo, Egypt, March 2nd thru 5th, 2016. The event is organized by the Egyptian Federation of American Football (EFAF) in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports and Egyptian Ministry of Tourism.   After successful camps in China in 2013, Brazil in 2014, and Turkey in 2015, 10 top National Football League (NFL) players are heading to Egypt, the first AFWB International camp in Africa.

The NFL players working with AFWB are passionate about sharing their professional skills with emerging fan bases around the world and spreading their commitment to service and leadership. The 10 professional athlete include All-Pro Tight Ends Gary Barnidge and Jordan Cameron, Super Bowl Champions Marshawn Lynch and Breno Giacomini, and one of the NFL’s top running backs DeAngelo Williams.  Over the course of two days they will teach on-field technical skill building and leadership to over 450 Egyptian and international American football players and enthusiasts.  The players will also hold a Coaches Clinic with in-class instruction and on-field implementation.  The week will conclude with an All-Star Football game between the camp’s best players, followed by a concert and party hosted by The Egyptian Federation of American Football (EFAF).

As part of their global goodwill tour, the players have designated two days of community outreach and will be visiting the Children’s Cancer Hospital 57357 and LeBaladna which seeks to help Egypt’s underprivileged communities and reform their infrastructure which includes education, health, food supply, and shelter.

The NFL players will be hosted locally by EFAF, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) recognized governing body of American Football in Egypt, and the organizers of the Egyptian National Team.  EFAF currently has 7 teams affiliated with their league, with over 400 players, and is a socially responsible organization seeking the expansion, popularization, and the development of both tackle and flag football in Egypt.  American Football in Egypt is growing rapidly and just recently held their first international club friendly between the Cairo Wolves and Jordan’s Amman Barracudas.  International guests representing all nations across the Middle East and North Africa region will also be participating in this year’s camp in an effort to include and further promote American Football.

Media interested in attending any portion of the camp or charity events should make arranges through Todd Buelow, AFWB Board of Director Member (contact below).  Members of the Press, with credentials from their outlet, are invited to the Media Press Conference on March 5th.

Activities for the Press:

• Saturday, March 5th Media Press Conference, 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Social Media to Follow:

• Egypt Camp Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/183446722021475/
• AFWB Main Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afwbcamp/
• AFWB Main Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afwb11/?fref=ts
• AFWB Main Twitter: https://twitter.com/AFWBCAMP
• EFAF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EFAF2014/

Roster of Players:

• Breno Giacomini: New York Jets, Offensive Lineman
• DeAngelo Williams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Running Back
• Erik Lorig: New Orleans Saints / Free Agent, Fullback
• Gary Barnidge: Cleveland Browns, Tight End
• Johnson Bademosi: Cleveland Browns, Defensive End/Special Teams
• Colby Cameron, Fujitsu Frontiers, Quarterback
• Jordan Cameron: Miami Dolphins, Tight End
• Marshawn Lynch: Seattle Seahawks, Running Back
• Oday Aboushi: Houston Texans, Offensive Lineman
• Craig Loston: Jacksonville Jaguars, Safety

About American Football Without Barriers

American Football Without Barriers is a non-profit organization dedicated to globalizing American football and reaching underprivileged communities with a humanitarian message. In addition to international camps, AFWB hosts several camps in the U.S. aimed at teaching underprivileged kids to play American football. To learn more about American Football Without Barriers please visit www.afwbcamp.com.

Contacts:

Todd Buelow                                                               Ahmed Awadallah

Board Member, AFWB                                                Director, AFWB

todd@afwbcamp.com                                                 Director@afwbcamp.com

Amr Hebbo

Founder, Egyptian Federation of American Football

amrhebbo@afwbcamp.com

By Jordan Cameron

What’s up everyone?

What an amazing time I have had in Istanbul, Turkey on my second-year with AFWB International trip.  It has been a nice distraction as I head into my free agency campaign.

I have really enjoyed getting to know the Istanbul people, their culture, and helping them learn the game of football.

It was really cool to see how much passion the women have for the game.  On day 2 of our camp we had about 50 women – many who started the Turkey flag football leagues – attend our camp.  These women were really good and have created a nice foundation for future generations to come.  Also, they are breaking down many cultural walls that previously existed with women playing sports.  The Huffington Post wrote a nice article that sums up what we are doing here in Istanbul as well as how women playing sports is impacting the culture.  You can read the article here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/women-football-turkey-_n_6781756.html

Also, here is a great picture of me getting photo bombed by one of the players:

Today we had the opportunity to work with the children from Darüşşafaka Schools.   Kids that attend Darüşşafaka Schools have lost either one or both of their parents.  These kids were great and had a lot of natural talent.  The Darüşşafaka kids soccer team showed up too – many around twelve years old – and they were fast with great football moves.  It was the first time many of them had ever seen a football and at first they thought it was for juggling.  I quickly corrected them and taught them how to run pass patterns.  They caught on quick and loved just having catch.  It was a great experience for them as well as me.  I cannot imagine growing up without parents; however the joy these children had in their eyes truly was a great lesson in overcoming adversity.

Camps are now over and it is off to sightseeing the last few days and then for me off to figure out where I will be playing next year.

Thanks for reading.

Jordan

By DeAngelo Williams

Hey everyone it’s DeAngelo!  Hello from Istanbul, Turkey!  I am here with my former teammate Gary Barnidge helping out with his charity American Football without Barriers (AFWB).

Today was an amazing today for me.  We were able to serve kids in the Special Olympics as well as perform a surprise visits to the US Marines that guard our US Consulate.

Our day began with the Special Olympics and it was amazing to watch the Special Olympics Kids and Families really enjoy themselves during their drills.  Marshawn Lynch and I ran the kids through several ladder drills and the kids showed some impressive footwork.

Here is a picture of me with two of the campers:

Also, here is a great picture of the campers we took at the end of the day.

After the camp wrapped up we headed over to the Istanbul US Consulate to do a surprise visit and honor the US Marines that put their lives on the line everyday for us.  Here is a picture of us standing outside their house on the US Consulate grounds:

We were able to shoot some pool with the guys, eat lunch, and just talk about everything that is going on their lives.  Every time I see a Service Person I think I am the one that should be thanking them versus them thanking us for coming.  They put their butts on the line everyday to make our country the best place to live.  It was great to meet them today.

Tomorrow should be another humbling experience as we are visiting a Turkish School where the children have either lost both parents and/or have only one parent living.  I love working with kids and I am glad I have been blessed with a platform that allows me to spread hope and inspiration to many of the kids I meet.

Make sure you connect with us with us social media to follow our travels as well as AFWB on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram (afwbcamps).

DeAngelo

By: Marshawn Lynch and Cooper Helfet

Hey its Marshawn.  It has been great to help out our former teammate Breno Giacomini (Pictured Above) with his AFWB charity.

Today was the first day of camp and we hosted the University Football Federation and Turkish American Football Federation teams.   The morning consisted of non-contact drills and the afternoon was full contact.

Throughout the day I was paired with fellow Carolina Panthers Running Back DeAngelo Williams and Coop was paired with Cleveland Browns Special Teams Ace Johnson Bademosi.

The highlight of day was when a Turkish Reporter asked to have a “Taste” of American Football.   We suited him up, had him sign two waivers, and sent him straight into our tackling drill. Of course I wanted to take it easy on the reporter because I usually have so much to say to them. I will let you watch the video to see the results….

Good news is the Reporter is okay; however the bad news I think he may have retired from football after his first day playing. The reporter was a great sport and here is a picture of him after the hit with Will Svitek (Tennessee Titans) and Barkevious Mingo (Cleveland Browns).

Also, after the tackle we made sure we taught the players to tackle correctly.  This player led with his head.  One thing that is not natural to people that did not grow up playing football is tackling.

On the field we saw a lot of great potential. Of course it helped that I was able to teach the quarterbacks how to throw the ball.   Maybe I have a career as Quarterback after my Running Back days are over.

All and all we have been having a great time in Turkey and the Turkish people have been great. Last night we were hosted at a Euro League basketball game and sat front row and were honored at half time. It was a cool experience to take in an international game.

With that let me turn it over to Coop.

What a great time we have had over here. Today was a lot of fun working with the players on different aspects of their game. Many have a great grasp of the fundamentals so we used this time to introduce them to a bunch of the drills we do at practice as well as back to my days at Duke University.

I worked mainly with the defensive backs – no don’t worry I am not switching to the defensive side of the ball they just needed some help – and I was able to show some of my skills throwing the balls during the drills.

It was a lot of fun working with Johnson Bademosi (Cleveland Browns) as he brought a lot of energy to every drill we did.

Tomorrow we have the teenage campers along with a group of women that play football coming, which should be a lot of fun. Also, I cannot wait to explore more of Istanbul. This city is pretty amazing with all the history surrounding the city.

Make sure you connect with us with us social media to follow our travels as well as AFWB on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram (afwbcamps).

Marshawn and Coop

By:  Breno Giacomini (NY Jets) and Gary Barnidge (Cleveland Browns)

We have arrived in Istanbul, Turkey!  Ready to spread American Football as well as give back to the Istanbul communities.

Amazing to think this city is over 7000 years old.   Our hotel is located in Europe; however right across the Bosphorus River is Asia.  It is crazy to think you can be on two different continents in five minutes.

Last night Charles Hunter, Istanbul’s Consulate General, welcomed us to the US Consulate’s House.  The party was a great way to kick off our camp as well as get to meet some great kids from the Special Olympics that we will be working with later in the week.

Today we had our media event and there were a lot of great questions about the future of American Football in Istanbul.

We were interested to find out that American Football was started in Turkey in 1980; however  did not really start its growth until 2001 when the developing teams began to receive the equipment necessary to play American football and that has helped Turkey to structure their game more professionally.  They even have produced one standout NFL football player – Tunch Ilken – who played twelve seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and one with the Green Bay Packers and was named to two pro bowls.

Today there are two main leagues – University Football Federation and Turkish American Football Federation.  The University Football Federation caters to college and has 36 teams and Turkish American Football Federation caters to adults and has 20 teams.  Additionally, there is Turkish website dedicated solely to College, Turkish, and NFL American Football called www.nfltr.com – Fox Sports even televised the Super Bowl this year with commentators  in Turkey.

This afternoon Istanbul Technical University (ITU) has been gracious enough to allow us to use their facilities and host a Coaches Clinic for the Turkish American Football Coaches Association.  Over 300 Coaches will be in attendance and we will be breaking down game films and providing drills to help further the game of American Football.

Erkin Palaz, one of the ITU Hornets Coaches and Player, has quickly become a great friend of AFWB Camps and has been instrumental in helping us get this event organized.

We are excited to be here in Istanbul and are hoping we will find several more players that will sometime have the opportunity to lineup next to us in the NFL.

From now through March 6th be sure you follow AFWB Camps – @afwbcamps / www.afwbcamp.com / instagram / facebook – as well as the social media outlets of our NFL players in attendance.

Alex Mack – @alexmack55
Gary Barnidge – @garybarnidge
Jordan Cameron – @jordancameron
Barkevious Mingo – @keke_mingo
Johnson Bademosi – @j_bademosi24
DeAngelo Williams – @DeAngeloRB
Thomas Keiser – @ThomasKeiser
Breno Giacomini – @68Breno
Marshawn Lynch – @MoneyLynch
Cooper Helfet – @CooperHelfet
Will Sivtek – @WillSvitek
Erik Lorig

Can’t wait to experience the Turkey culture and meeting our Turkish fans.

Thanks,

Breno Giacomini and Gary Barnidge