NFL Academy in Australia to Open in September 2024

The National Football League will open an NFL Academy in Australia in September 2024 to service the Asia-Pacific region, as the league continues to invest in long-term global football development efforts and pathways for international talent.

NFL Academy talent recruitment camps will take place in Australia and New Zealand beginning in June, with successful participants from these trials joining the first academic class of the NFL Academy in Australia, which will offer athletes the opportunity to combine full-time education alongside training in tackle football.

“The NFL Academy program is a significant league initiative that is driving football development efforts globally and successfully changing the lives of young people around the world,” said Brett Gosper, head of Europe and APAC with the National Football League. “We look forward to bringing the program to the Gold Coast, Australia and continuing to build authentic player pathways for international talent, giving more young people from across the Asia-Pacific region the opportunity to play the game in the years ahead.”

This will be the second NFL Academy for the league globally, with the first in the United Kingdom. More than 40 alumni have secured college football scholarships in the U.S. since its inception and 19 of those athletes on Division I college programs. Two years ago, the NFL and British American Football Association announced a strategic partnership to increase participation in flag football across the UK.

The first recruitment camp will take place in Gold Coast, Australia, at A.B. Paterson College on June 29. The second camp will be at The Hills Sports High School in Sydney on July 6. The final camp is at Bruce Pulman Park in Auckland, New Zealand, on August 24. The NFL Academy will be based at A.B. Paterson for athletes aged 12–18 years old to apply for a spot in the elite football development program in Australia. The NFL and A.B. Paterson College will also fund and build an NFL facility on existing college grounds that will also be available for community use to be completed by 2026.

“Queensland, and the broader Pacific, is home to some of the most naturally gifted athletes in the world. It comes as no surprise that a globally significant brand such as the NFL has identified this region as having the necessary potential for its Asia Pacific headquarters and its next international Academy,” said Justin McGowan, chief executive officer of Queensland trade and investment.

Australian Jordan Mailata, an offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles and alumni of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, will be an ambassador for the NFL Academy in Australia.

“Football has changed my life, and opening an NFL Academy in Australia will no doubt help many more young people change theirs,” said Mailata. “The Asia-Pacific region is rich in sporting talent, and I look forward to seeing the next generation of football players out there craft their own pathway to playing in the NFL in the years to come.”

The program will also be central to continuing to grow flag football in the region following the sport’s inclusion at the 2028 Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles. In partnership with the International Federation of American Football, the league is investing in the development and growth of flag football at both grassroots and elite levels across Australia, New Zealand and around the world.