Justin Alumbaugh was at a Nike coaches summit last year when one of his former La Salle football players, a senior executive in the sports giant’s marketing department, mentioned that his group was looking for a high school team to play in London.
Wait what?
Alumbaugh’s stunned reaction quickly turned into genuine interest.
“I love to travel and I’m obviously deeply rooted in education,” said Alumbaugh, an English teacher. “I believe in educational sport. He said to me: “Would you go to London, Coach?” I was like, “I would absolutely go to London.” What do we have to do?'”
What started as a casual conversation between the coach and former player became a reality Wednesday when the NFL – as part of the release of its international schedule – announced that De La Salle would make a trip to the other across the Atlantic this fall to play at the NFL Academy.
The match will take place on October 8 – a Tuesday – at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“What a unique opportunity,” Alumbaugh said. “You can’t let something like this go. A lot of our guys haven’t even been out of state. I’m sure some of our guys didn’t even get on a plane.
The NFL Academy is an elite football development program for high school students based in the United Kingdom. The academy was launched in 2019 but was only able to play in 2022 due to the pandemic.
Last season, NFL Academy beat a Brooklyn high school team 35-0 and also beat IMG Academy’s “B” team 31-14. IMG is a longtime Florida power that California Interscholastic Federation schools such as De La Salle are not allowed to play.
De La Salle worked with CIF and North Coast chapter leaders to get the green light for overseas play, which the Concord school said was only possible financially through its partnership with Nike .
According to De La Salle’s press release, Nike is “funding the entire trip as part of its commitment to helping children reach their greatest potential.”
The itinerary isn’t quite set, but Alumbaugh said the team’s visit will include visits to sites such as Big Ben and Parliament, a charity event with the NFL Academy and an NFL game at London on the Sunday before Tuesday’s high school game. .
“There’s going to be an educational aspect, there’s going to be a charitable aspect,” Alumbaugh said, adding that he spoke about the trip with the Brooklyn coach whose team played at the NFL Academy last season.
“He said the kids’ only problem was food,” Alumbaugh added with a laugh. “The food was different. But it’s good for everyone.
Although there have been rumors around De La Salle about a big football trip this fall, the school kept tight-lipped until the official announcement.
Alumbaugh planned to meet with the team Wednesday, the next step in a process that began when his former player, Zach Klaas, a lineman in De La Salle’s 2007 class, mentioned the idea more than a year ago year at the Nike Coaches Summit.
“As we started getting each approval, it started to gain momentum,” Alumbaugh said. “We had crossed most of the T’s and crossed most of the I’s, and then on the Nike trip this year to Florida, the two guys who were in charge, the NFL Academy coach and myself were all in the same room for the first time. We agreed that it seemed like a good solution. We discussed it throughout the process.
From there, De La Salle athletic director Leo Lopoz worked out the logistics to take the plans to the finish line.
Now, a DLS team that returns lightning-fast quarterback Toa Faavae and highly touted four-star Matthew Johnson from a team that won NCS and regional championships last season will be on a trip of a lifetime.
The London game will take place between a Sept. 27 visit to El Cerrito and an Oct. 18 home game against San Ramon Valley.
Check later for updates
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