NFL to open training academy for young players in Australia

The NFL will play its first game in Brazil this September and that month will also see the league’s push to expand its international footprint move forward in Australia.

The league announced on Thursday that a NFL Academy will open on Australia’s Gold Coast later this year. The academy will be housed at A.B. Paterson college and will offer young players between 12 and 18 a full-time education as well as intensive football training. The initiative also includes the construction of a high-performance facility that is set to open in 2026.

Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata is an Australian native and he will serve as an ambassador for the project.

“Football has changed my life, and opening an NFL Academy in Australia will no doubt help many more young people change theirs,” Mailata said in a statement. “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 Australian academy will be the second the NFL has opened. The first is in the United Kingdom and more than 40 players from that program have received college football scholarships.