IFAF U-19 World Championship brings 8 teams to Texas this summer

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Under-19 World Championship returns to the United States this summer, as eight national teams from four continents compete at Burger Stadium in Austin, Texas.

The Under-19 national teams of American Samoa, Austria, Canada, France, Japan, Panama, Sweden and the United States kick off the tournament with a schedule of four games on Saturday, June 30, and conclude on Saturday, July 7, with the Bronze and Gold Medal contests. Second-round games are scheduled for July 3-4 with fifth- and seventh-place games on July 6.

The tournament seeding, which will determine the schedule and order of games, will be released following IFAF technical meetings that will take place in the host city this month. Teams will reside on the University of Texas campus while in Austin.

“IFAF is excited to bring the best football talent aged 19-and-under from eight nations and four continents to the United States where football’s biggest prize for junior players will be fiercely contested,” said IFAF President TOMMY WIKING.

“The sport of American football continues to develop around the world and this showcase will provide fans with top-quality competition and entertainment. Whether the United States defends its title, or if we crown a new champion, IFAF and USA Football promise a spectacular and memorable event.”

The United States returns as defending champion having won the inaugural IFAF Under-19 World Championship in Canton, Ohio, in 2009. Head coach STEVE SPECHT, a two-time Ohio Division I coach of the year from St Xavier High School in Cincinnati, was a member of that successful coaching staff and also took charge of the USA U-19 team at the 2012 International Bowl. NFL Draft prospect and Virginia Tech running back DAVID WILSON earned 2009 IFAF Under-19 World Championship Most Valuable Player honors as he ran for 427 yards and eight touchdowns on 33 carries to lead Team USA to a 3-0 record and the gold medal.

Beaten finalist in 2009, Canada will arrive under new head coach NOEL THORPE, who is the defensive coordinator at the University of Montreal and has included experienced IFAF World Team defensive coordinator WARREN CRANEY on his staff. In 2009 Canada opened the inaugural IFAF U-19 World Championship by putting 55 points past New Zealand without reply in the opening game and won a thrilling clash with Japan 38-35 in the dying minutes to set up a Gold Medal meeting with the United States, which they lost 41-3.

Japan will again bring their brand of fast and efficiently executed football to Austin under TAKAO YAMAZAKI of Osaka Sangyo University Junior & Senior High School, who was named Coach of the Tournament in 2009.

Three countries new to the IFAF Under-19 World Championship platform are Austria, American Samoa and Panama, while Sweden and France return having placed sixth and seventh respectively in 2009.

Austria and head coach HORST OBERMAYER won the 2011 European Junior Championship with a 21-14 victory over France to claim the Gold Medal and also secure a trip to Austin as Europe’s top-ranked nation. American Samoa traveled to Australia in February and came home having qualified as Oceania’s sole representative in Austin as head coach POOCH TAASE’s team won 93-7 in monsoon conditions in the Oceania Bowl. Panama makes its debut at the IFAF Under-19 World Championship as the tournament’s third Pan-American representative.

In 2009, France under head coach OLIVIER MORET faced a daunting first game against the United States and was beaten 78-0 then lost 24-14 to European rival Sweden. Playing for seventh place overall, the French enjoyed a 34-6 victory over New Zealand.

Sweden qualified for the right to play in Austin by claiming third place at the 2011 European Junior Championship under head coach MATS HAGSTEN with victory over Germany, the team that had beaten them in the fifth place game in Canton in 2009.

“Exciting football played by tremendously talented teams from across the world is the heart of this tournament, but its significance is even greater and transcends sport,” said USA Football Executive Director SCOTT HALLENBECK. “This competition embodies the universal values and power of football in a magnificent way.

“When you see the faces of players and coaches from these eight countries and their nations’ flags spanning four continents, it’s striking how we’re united through our passion for the world’s greatest game and the team-oriented values that football inspires.”

The Under-19 World Championship is part of the World Football Festival being held June 24 to July 12 throughout Austin. More than 2,000 players and coaches from around the world will gather to celebrate America’s favorite sport in competition, development and cultural exchange. Other events during the World Football Festival include:

[LIST]
[*] Under-15 International Development Week, June 28 to July 5, Whitaker Fields at University of Texas
[*] NFL FLAG powered by USA Football Regional Tournament, June 30 and July 1, Whitaker Fields at University of Texas
[*] USA Football 7-on-7 Tournament, June 30, Ellie Noack Field Sports Complex
[*] Under-17 International Development Week, July 5-12, Whitaker Field at University of Texas
[*] U.S. Under-19 National Team Trials, July 5-8, Ellie Noack Field Sports Complex
[/LIST]

About IFAF

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) unites 62 countries on six continents through a burgeoning international sport. With national football federations in existence for more than 75 years, IFAF was created in 1998 to organize and further develop the game through international cooperation and global competition. The IFAF office is located near Paris, France.