IFAF names coaching staff for 2012 World Development Team: 3 Canadians

The International Federation of American Football has completed the coaching staff that will lead the IFAF World Development Team as part of the USA Football International Bowl in Austin, Texas. The aim of bringing together the group of World Development Team athletes is to identify and develop candidates who are eligible for future IFAF World Team rosters.

Started last year, the IFAF World Development Team is comprised of the best players from around the world born in 1993 and 1994. A select number of players from the World Development Team will be elevated to fill the final spots on the IFAF World Team roster that will take on the U.S. Under-19 National Team on Wednesday, February 1 in Austin, Texas, as happened at the 2011 event. The IFAF World Team will consist of teenage football players selected from as many as five continents.

The 2011-12 IFAF Development Team coaching staff is comprised of coaches representing Canada, France, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, Spain and Sweden.

IFAF World Development Team Coaching Staff:

Coach Country Position

Tim Enger Canada Development Team Coordinator

Michael Faulds Canada Quarterbacks

Hiroki Uno Japan Running Backs

Hugo Lira Mexico Wide Receivers

Stefan Bjorkman Sweden Offensive Line

Wayne Hill Great Britain Linebackers

Aitor Trabado Spain Defensive Backs

Olivier Moret France Special Teams

Barclay Spady Canada Defensive Line

Position coaches named to the IFAF World Development Team – bios and quotes:

CANADIANS

TIM ENGER

The IFAF World Development Team is an ongoing player development initiative for talented athletes and will come under the supervision of World Development Team Coordinator TIM ENGER (2nd from left). The Canadian has been employed at Football Alberta for the past 21 years and has developed several programs including the Senior Bowl High School All-Star Game, the Bantam Bowl, football’s participation in the Alberta Summer Games, and Minor Provincials. His coaching experiences have spanned all levels of the tackle game and as a head coach his teams have won eight league or Provincial Championships.

MICHAEL FAULDS

The former 2011 Canadian Senior national team star quarterback, MICHAEL FAULDS will assume the role of quarterbacks coach. He most recently led Canada to a silver medal at the 2011 IFAF Senior World Championship defeating two-time champions Japan to reach the Gold Medal game and he was named to the tournament’s second All-Star team.

Faulds works under World Team defensive coordinator Warren Craney as the offensive coordinator of York University. As a player, Faulds led the University of Western Ontartio to back-to-back Yates Cup championships in 2007 and 2008 and was named the game’s most valuable player. He finished his career in 2009 as the CIS all-time passing leader with a total of 10,811 yards. He was also named the OUA most valuable player in his final season and led the Mustangs back to the Yates Cup before falling to the Queen’s Gaels in an epic 43-39 final.

“It is a great honor to be selected to help coach the World Development Team,” said coach Faulds. “There are a lot of talented young football players around the world and I am very excited that I get to share my knowledge with them. It is a great opportunity for me and I will work extremely hard to help the World Team in any way I can.”

BARCLAY SPADY

The defensive line will be led by BARCLAY SPADY who is a very successful high school football head coach for the Bev Facey Falcons holding a 120-31-1 record (.789%) having taken over the program in 1999. During his tenure, Spady has led the Falcons to a 2002 Alberta Tier I Provincial Championship and was named Frank Morris Tier I High School Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005.

In 2007-2009, he was also the defensive coordinator of the Alberta U-17 North Provincial All-Star Team and was the head coach of the Team Alberta Provincial Under-19 Team from 2004-2006. In his playing career, Spady played defensive tackle at the University of Alberta being named to the 1995 CIAU Football All-Canadian Defense second team.

“It is a great opportunity to represent the best of Canadian coaching and an honor to work with quality coaches from across the world,” said Coach Spady. “This event will showcase the best talent available and will undoubtedly increase exposure of football across the globe.”

Coach OLIVIER MORET returns for a third stint with the IFAF World Team program, this year as the development team Special Teams Coordinator, a position he held the two previous years with the IFAF World Team. Moret coached France to the silver medal at the 2011 European Junior Championship and seventh place at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship. He was a member of the France coaching staff whose team won to back-to-back Junior European Championships in 2004 and 2006. He was the director of the French Pôle Espoir, which ensures young players can continue their academic studies while playing American Football. In 1987 Moret was a founder of the Amiens Spartiates, one of the most successful clubs in France.

“I’m excited to return for a third time and I hope we will win this time,” said Coach Moret. “We are closer every year and I will help all the coaches especially the special team coach to be successful.”

The running back duties will rest with HIROKI UNO, the head coach of Rikkyo University Rushers in Japan. In 2011, Uno was the running backs coach for the IFAF World Team. Uno has been at the helm at Rikkyo since 2009 having previously been the university’s defensive coordinator for three seasons and has coached in the Ivy Samurai Bowl and three college all-star games.

Coaching the offensive line will be STEFAN BJORKMAN, who has established himself as a successful OL coach with one of Sweden’s top club teams the Stockholm Mean Machines, winning ten national championships. During his playing career, Bjorkman was selected as part of the Operation Discovery program as an offensive guard with the San Antonio Roughriders of the World League in 1991 under head coach Mike Riley.

While the Swedish senior national team defensive line coach he won the 2003 and 2008 European championships and fourth place at the IFAF Senior World Championship in Tokyo Japan in 2007. Most recently, he coached the Swedish junior national team that claimed the bronze medal at the 2011 European Junior Championship and before that was the offensive line coach for the IFAF World Team in 2011.

“It means a lot to represent my country and my federation to help develop the quality of football and a chance to beat team USA and make history,” said Coach Bjorkman. “The quality of football around the world is improving and this event is helping spread the gospel of football. And this development team will help improve our program, because we need more depth within the IFAF World Team in order to be even more competitive.”

HUGO LIRA will be the wide receivers coach. The head coach of the Youth football program ITESM-CEM, Lira is a native of Queretaro, Mexico,and played in NFL Europe for three seasons as a member of the Frankfurt Galaxy in 2003-2004 and Berlin Thunder in 2005. He helped Frankfurt to a NFL Europe World Bowl Championship in 2003. He was ranked third in the league with a 22.5 kickoff return average for Berlin in 2005 and appeared in World Bowl XII for Frankfurt in 2004, producing a World Bowl record 64-yard kickoff return. Lira attended the NFL’s Carolina Panthers training camp in 2005. He began his football career in Mexico and played his college career at Universidad Americas.

“It is a great honor to be part of this team and work with great coaches and players from the entire world,” said Coach Lira. “One of my goals as a coach is to increase the impact in a positive way because coaches can improve someone’s competencies in order to affront their professional and individual life.”

“I believe American football is growing around the world outside of the United States. This kind of event increases the interest and also creates an opportunity for the young players to compete at the best football level.”

Great Britain’s University of Birmingham Lions head coach WAYNE HILL will lead the linebackers. Since Hill has been at the helm of the program, the Lions have turned into one of the top teams on and off the field. The Lions have reached the playoffs each of the 14 years that Hill has been involved with the program.

In 2005, Hill led the Lions to a College Bowl XIX title completing a perfect 12-0 season. In 2006, the Lions became the first team to complete three straight undefeated (8-0) regular seasons. As a defensive coordinator, the Birmingham Lions won the National Championship in 2009 and 2010 and in 2011 Hill returned as head coach.

“This is not only a great opportunity for the players but also for every coach involved,” said Coach Hill. “This program gives me and every coach in it the chance to develop our knowledge, coaching and delivery. From this we can then take it back to our respective countries, programs and players and share this enhanced knowledge. I cannot wait to get started.”

AITOR TRABADO will lead the IFAF Development team defensive backs. Trabado is the head coach of Spain’s senior and junior national teams and is also a member of the IFAF Technical Committee, most recently working at the 2011 IFAF Senior World Championship in Austria. Trabado was in charge of the host junior national team that competed at the 2011 European Junior Championship in Spain.

“It is a pleasure and an honor for me being part of such a great group of experienced coaches and athletes from around the world and contributing my best effort to help the IFAF World Team reach its main goal which is beating the USA,” said Coach Trabado. “I think that this one is going to be the best moments of my coaching career, and also is a big step for all of us to make football a greater and more important game.

About USA Football’s International Bowl: The NCAA recognizes USA Football’s International Bowl as a national team competition, meaning the game is not an all-star game. Playing for the United States in the International Bowl is exempt from high school seniors’ two all-star game appearances. In 2011 the IFAF World Team narrowly lost 21-14 to Team USA and in the first year in 2010, the Americans were held scoreless until the final play of the first half and went on to win 17-0.

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.