Despite months of practice and preparation, the magnitude of the moment truly struck home when Kian Sohrabi recently got a glimpse of the flashy new kit his team will be wearing next week at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
It almost caused anticipatory overload for Sohrabi, one of 28 players from the UAE’s Emirates American Football League (EAFL) making the trip to compete in the 58th Pop Warner Super Bowl, in the International Division classification.
“I have really been looking forward to this, but I got really excited when I saw the new uniforms,” said Sohrabi, 14, who lives in Dubai. “It’s going to be great just to play in the US.”
The EAFL, which has teams competing in several age brackets, will send teams to play in the Under 15 midget and Under 13 junior midget divisions at Disney’s sprawling ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.
The U15 side will play three games against teams from Canada and Mexico, and the U13 team will play two games, both against Mexican teams. For context, Pop Warner football is akin to Little League Baseball in the States – it is easily the most famous national competition for youth football teams. Hundreds of former Pop Warner players have gone on to play in college and the professional ranks.
The EAFL teams are composed of the best age-group players from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain. What the contingent lack in numbers, they make up for in diversity.
Patrick Campos, the American-born coach of the U15 team, said the traveling squad includes youngsters of Russian, Austrian, Turkish, Dutch, English, Spanish, Indian, Egyptian and American heritage.
“In the EAFL, we literally created a community,” Campos said.
In putting the teams together, logistics were a huge challenge, especially geographically. Between school, the ongoing regular EAFL season and the travel involved for players spread over three cities, practice was limited to one non-contact session per week, though the playbook is hardly skimpy.
The U15 team has 50 different plays, run from eight different offensive formations.
“We have tried to ratchet it up for these guys,” said Campos, 45, a businessman from Dubai and a former member of the US Marine Corps. “They all have football IQs. I think if you take an old-school approach, and drill and drill and drill only the basics, these guys get bored.”
Sohrabi, who plays several positions, including tailback, moved with his family to the UAE from the Washington, DC, area five years ago. He has never before played on his native soil.
“This is a dream come true for him,” said his father, Amir. “It’s the Little League Super Bowl.”
The U13 team is led by all-around player Jason Cobb, whose father, Xavier, is the elusive quarterback of the Dubai Barracudas in the EAFL men’s league.
The party leave tonight on an overnight flight to Atlanta and play their first game on Monday. Because they are light on numbers, some of the younger players also will compete in the U15 division, which means five games in eight days. Moreover, many players play on offence and defence.
“This is going to be true iron-man ball,” Campos said. “We’ll have to go in there with some teeth.”
The EAFL junior programme has played all-star games against teams from Germany and China over the past two seasons and is looking to make a splash in only its third season of existence.
The programme has expanded every year, though this marks their first venture into the massive Pop Warner event, which will feature 64 teams in the American age-group classifications. Given the rapid growth and familial vibe in the EAFL, Campos is hoping this is just the beginning.
“As an American taking a bunch of kids back to the US to play football, this is a proud moment,” Campos said.
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