January 22, 2025 – The Cleveland Browns are excited to announce a groundbreaking partnership with the Nigerian American Football Association (NAFA) aimed at fostering the growth and development of youth football programs across Nigeria. This historic collaboration will provide invaluable resources, coaching expertise, and support for aspiring athletes, coaches, and communities across the country.
The partnership is designed to expand the sport of American football in Nigeria, creating new opportunities for young athletes to engage in the game and develop both on and off the field. Through this collaboration, the Browns and NAFA will focus on building strong youth football infrastructures, promoting the sport's values of teamwork, discipline, and leadership, and ultimately establishing a pipeline for Nigerian talent to develop their skills.
The Cleveland Browns were awarded marketing rights to Nigeria through the NFL's Global Markets Program in March 2024.
"We are incredibly proud to partner with the Nigerian American Football Association to support the growth of American football in Nigeria," said Brent Rossi, SVP of Marketing and Media for the Cleveland Browns. "This initiative represents a commitment to fostering the next generation of football players while building lasting connections between our organization and the growing football community in Nigeria. We believe this partnership will open doors to new opportunities and inspire countless youth to pursue their dreams in the sport."
As part of the partnership, the Cleveland Browns will provide access to coaching resources, mentorship programs, and training camps to elevate the level of competition in Nigeria. Additionally, players and coaches from NAFA will have the opportunity to attend Browns-sponsored clinics, where they will learn the latest techniques, training methods, and leadership skills that have helped the Browns become a competitive force in the NFL.
"This new partnership we believe supercharges NAFA's mission to create new opportunities through the game of American Football" said Babajide Akeredolu, Co-Founder and President of NAFA. "For us as an organization, it unlocks new potential to grow the game faster than we can ever imagine across the length and breadth of the country. Because of the grassroots focus of this collaboration with the Browns, the biggest winners are the youth who will be exposed to a new sport, creating new pathways to development and exposing them to uncharted opportunities for growth. The future of American football has gone from being a promising idea to being a guaranteed staple in the Nigerian Sports ecosystem."
This partnership comes at a pivotal time as American football gains popularity across the African continent. With NAFA's established presence in Nigeria, the Browns are committed to supporting NAFA's mission of enhancing the accessibility of football and creating pathways for young players to achieve success in the sport, whether at the grassroots, collegiate, or professional levels.
In 2024, the Cleveland Browns partnered with Nigerian sports and culture personality, Ozoemena "Ozo" Chukwu to announce the No. 156 overall pick (Jamari Thrash). Ozo was the Coin Toss Captain during the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
About the Nigerian American Football Association (NAFA)
The Nigerian American Football Association (NAFA) is Nigeria's only National body dedicated to growing the game of American Football. Established in 2019 by Babajide Akeredolu, Seye Obatolu and Lawrence Ojaideh, its vision is to create opportunities through the game of American football and it achieves this through its mission mantra tagged "The HUDDLE Way" an acronym for Health, Unity, Diversity, Development, Livelihood and Entertainment. Since its inception, NAFA has hosted an array of programs dedicated to grassroots development which include its Capacity building initiatives with NFL Flag and its Secondary School (High School) league in collaboration with the Nigerian School Sports Federation. To date, NAFA has introduced the game of American Football directly to over 7000 young men and women in 13 States and over 150 schools. NAFA is an Associate member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
