For the past three years, the Football University (FBU) National Championship final four games has been held in San Antonio, Texas. Starting in December 2014, Naples will be the new home for the final four games for the 64-team bracket tournament in youth football’s 6th, 7th and 8th grade divisions for the next two years. The tournament will continue to allow the talent infused all-star teams to compete on a national stage. Each team is comprised of grade based athletes whom have been selected from various all-star teams around the nation.
Considered the single biggest event in youth football, the FBU National Championship has been likened to a mash up between the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the Little League World Series. Such as the growth of the Little League World Series which featured a $60 million 8-year broadcast extension with ESPN in 2013, Football University is looking to build the same platform for youth football. In 2014 the final four games were broadcast on ESPN3 for the first time and this move to Naples provides many new opportunities for growth.
This year's tournament will kick off December 4, 2014 with teams from Southwest Florida, Sarasota, South Florida and Central Florida competing at Fleischmann Park in Naples. There will be other regional locations hosting over 5,000 talented youth football players and 1,200 coaches participating across the U.S. and Canada in the first few rounds with over 500 hours of content across all six rounds with 192 teams participating. Championship week will be December 19-21, 2014, with the final four games in each division to be held at Naples High School.
“FBU chose us because they were very impressed with all of the amenities in the area, with plenty of choices for families seeking things to see and do in between game events, and because of the level of personal service provided by our sports marketing team,” said Jack Wert, executive director of the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB “When the management team came down here and saw all that Naples had to offer I think it was a pretty easy choice,” said Steve Quinn, a vice president of player development for All American Games, which created the FBU national football championship.
“This is more than a regional all-star game or weekend jamboree tournament; this is a real national championship that brings together the whole country,” said All American Games president Rich McGuinness. “This is a chance to play with great athletes and represent your state. Baseball has the Little League World Series, basketball has AAU all-star teams, and now more than 2,000 eighth-grade football athletes will have the chance to test their ability and challenge themselves for a chance at the National Championship. That is core to our philosophy.”
Official National Brackets, Scores, & In-Studio Video News Updates: Please visit www.fbunc.com for updated tournament brackets and news updates. For game photos and additional tournament updates, also visit https://twitter.com/FBU_NC and https://www.facebook.com/NationalChampionship.
All American Games, LLC: Rockaway, N.J.-based All American Games owns and produces elite youth/prep national sporting events and properties including the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Football University, FBU National Championship, and Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl. National sponsors of the FBU National Championship include, Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau, Paradise Coast Florida, Gatorade, Battle Sports Science, Xenith Helmets, NCSA, EvoShield, 23 Blast Movie and Youth Football Coaches Association (YFBCA).
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