For the past three years, the only way Sergei Starodoubtsev experienced the NFL was by watching highlights of JuJu Smith-Schuster and other players on Instagram.
That the 17-year-old found himself sharing a field with the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver — he was the one in workout clothes, not Smith-Schuster — was a little more than even he could comprehend.
“He’s a different athlete and such an amazing player,” Starodoubtsev said, awe-struck and struggling to find his words as Smith-Schuster addressed a group of fellow teenagers nearby. “I’m trying to succeed in this career and be on the big TV and play in the NFL and be in the same situation as JuJu.”
At 190.5cm and 108kg with eye-catching quickness, Starodoubtsev is exactly what football coaches and recruiters across the US desire. His only disadvantage is that he lives in East London.
That is why Starodoubtsev was at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium earlier this month, one of 150 hopefuls trying to land one of 80 spots in the inaugural class of the NFL Academy this fall.
The league has been playing regular-season games in London since 2007, but wants a more lasting presence in the city. It believes it can do that — and grow the sport — by identifying and cultivating young British talent.
Players in the US have a well-developed path to playing professional sports, progressing from youth leagues to high school and college.
The setup in Europe differs significantly. It is far more common for prospects to join a sports club’s academy at a young age and receive coaching in a structured environment all the way through to a senior-team debut.
NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood wants to follow that model — with a twist. By partnering with Barnet & Southgate College in north London, those who have been selected to enroll in the NFL Academy would begin classes in September with up to 12 hours of football practice added on each week.
The initial enrollment would include young men aged 16 to 18. Kirkwood speculated about plans to target other age groups, and even girls, at other locations over time.
More than 1,500 prospects applied for a spot in the academy, with 150 finalists drawn from that pool after two months of workouts and interviews.
Those finalists were put through a final round of combine-style workouts, including the 40-yard dash, the broad jump, the vertical leap and the 20-yard shuttle run.
Tony Allen, who is to serve as the academy’s head coach, believes that applicants’ backgrounds are not important as long as they show some degree of athletic ability.
Starodoubtsev plays rugby. David Ani, a 16-year-old from Manchester who is already 188cm, has a basketball background.
Nearly all who tried out harbor that NFL dream.
Starodoubtsev, who thinks that he is to become a defensive end, was reassured that he would have a place in the initial class once a coach saw him run the 40-yard dash in 4.85 seconds.
Ani, who plays in a league in Manchester as a tight end, wants to be back at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which begins hosting NFL games in October.
“Hopefully, when I’m older, I’ll be here,” Ani said, gesturing toward the field. “I’ll be here balling out for everybody.”
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