2019-2020 Community Report CommunityReport-2019-2020 | Page 32

Girls flag athletes
huddle up and get
coaching during the
Gatorade Junior Train-
ing Camp: Girls Flag
Football Edition hosted
by Jaguars PREP to
sharpen the skills of the
student athletes before
their respective team
tryouts.
To commemorate 100 years of NFL football, during the 2019 season
the Jaguars also hosted the “For the Love of Football Fan Fest”
powered by Miller Electric. This event featured a special treat for
some lucky up-and-coming football players, as the Jaguars
welcomed six local Pop Warner teams from around Northeast
Florida to play their Saturday game inside the Dream Finder’s
Homes Flex Field at Daily’s Place. Each of the three games
throughout the day featured the hallmarks of a real NFL game
including team introductions, personalized hype videos by Jaguars
players such as Fournette and Calais Campbell, play-by-play
commentary and video board highlights, not to mention a big
crowd to cheer them on.
Success on the field only comes with proper preparation off the
field, which is why the Jaguars Foundation’s youth football
initiatives place on emphasis on training and recognition for c
oaches. In 2019, the Jaguars introduced the first ever girls flag
football edition of the Jaguars’ Whataburger High School Coach of
the Week honor. The inaugural recipient was Russ Koenig, head
coach of the girls’ flag football team at the Florida School for the
Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) in St. Augustine, Fla.
“What you learn from the field, it really does apply off the field and
even applies to other sports - commitment, dedication, sportsman-
ship,” Koenig said. “Of course, we really want to improve their skill
set, techniques and their basic understanding of the sport as well.”
Wrapping up the season, the First Coast YMCA (FCYMCA) boys
team from the Dye Clay Family YMCA headed south to compete
under the Jaguars banner at the NFL FLAG National
Championships in advance of the 2019 Pro Bowl. In advance of
their tournament appearance, the Jaguars hosted the entire team
on the field for pregame warmups during the final game of the
regular season.
“It means a lot,” said Burt Cannon, operations director for the Dye
Clay Family YMCA and the FCYMCA head coach. “I’ve coached for
a number of years in all different sports and having an impact on a
child’s life no matter how small is something I will cherish forever.
This weekend, we get to do that and represent 1 of just 32 teams in
the NFL, and that is incredible. I lived in this community my whole
life and to see the positive impact the Jaguars have had on the
First Coast community is tremendous!”
The Pop Warner Sweetwater
Cardinals team poses for a
team photo before they join
their opponent on the Dream
Finders Homes Flex Field at
Daily’s Place during the For the
Love of Football Event.