China Sports: Past NFL stars Ron Jaworski, Dick Vermeil set to introduce American football to China
Cristian Andal | | Jul 07, 2016 12:59 PM EDT |
(Photo : Getty Images) Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski is set to introduce American football to China via a government-approved launching of the China Arena Football League (CAFL) this October.
Former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Ron Jaworski and head coach Dick Vermeil are reportedly set to introduce American football to China via a government-approved launching of the China Arena Football League (CAFL) this October.
CAFL is said to be the "first ever professional league of American-style football" in the Far East nation that is envisioned to be "played by the best players in the world" in the future, according to AFL Global president David Niu.
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AFL Global is the founding company of CAFL, which is based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania in the United States, as per Sporting News.
American football is the sport played in the US' NFL and is quite different from association football, or soccer, which is the more familiar sport in China.
Early ideas for the CAFL allegedly began back in 2014 as the organizers were planning to kick it off a year after. However, working towards the approval of the Chinese government delayed the project's launching by more than a year. Finally, it is on its way to being launched in the fourth quarter of 2016.
The report noted that six teams will initially participate in the tournament and the rosters will be "comprised mostly of Chinese players who have been training for the arena game at select Chinese universities".
Jaworski was a former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback who led his team in their 1980 Super Bowl loss to the Oakland Raiders and now works as an NFL analyst for ESPN. The 65-year-old is also one of the owners of the AFL's Philadelphia Soul team.
Jaworski allegedly plans to move current Soul head coach Clint Dolezel to manage the upcoming Beijing Lions in the CAFL.
Meanwhile, Vermeil, who coached Jaworski and the Eagles during their 1980 run, is also supporting the endeavor and could become one of the new league's executives.
"We're coming to a country that doesn't know much about what American football is, but it's a country that loves sports," said Jaworski, via China Daily. "They will pick up on football very quickly. I watched the Olympics, and watched those weightlifters and I think, I'd like to have some of those guys on my offensive line."
Jaworski then said that he is confident that the Chinese audience "will latch on to the game" sooner as the league aims to make it an all-Chinese competition "as quickly as possible".
TagsChina sports, American Football, NFL, CAFL, Ron Jaworski, Dick Vermeil
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