Premier professional football development
and training program returns to the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
on the campus of the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson
Controls for the 2021 season
Highly successful first season saw 26 Academy
participants receive team workouts with most signing contracts with
NFL franchises
Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (“HOFV” or the
“Company”) (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW), the only resort, entertainment
and media company centered around the power of professional
football, is pleased to announce that after a highly successful
first season that saw 26 of its participants either receive
workouts or sign contracts with NFL franchises, the NFL Alumni
Academy (the “Academy”) will return this year. The Academy, led by
elite NFL Alumni players and coaches, is the first-ever development
and training program for aspiring professional football players,
and is based out of the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, a
one-of-a-kind sports and entertainment complex located on the
campus of the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls.
“With the success of last year’s Academy and the overwhelming
support we’ve received from the NFL community, we are absolutely
thrilled to partner with the NFL Alumni Association to bring the
program back this season,” said Michael Crawford, President and CEO
of HOFV. “There is no other development and training program in the
world that can prepare these aspiring professionals for a career in
the NFL like this one. The value that NFL teams see in the Academy
is validated by the several individuals who have achieved their
dreams of reaching the NFL after participating in this program last
season.”
Crawford continued, “As we gear up for the second season of the
Academy, we are looking forward to expanding the program and
allowing fans opportunities to attend training sessions and engage
with the next generation of NFL players.”
“Having established a strong partnership with the Hall of Fame
Village, the NFL Alumni Academy is excited about returning to the
birthplace of football to assist more young players achieve their
dream of playing in the National Football League,” stated NFL
Alumni Association CEO Beasley Reece.
The Academy, which was hailed by CBS Sports’ NFL Insider Jason
La Canfora as “deserving of more attention” for the model it
utilizes to prepare its participants for the next level, focuses on
improving the strength and conditioning, techniques, skillsets,
knowledge of the game including situational awareness along with
life skills education of its trainees, with the goal of preparing
their bodies and minds for lengthy careers in the NFL. Participants
of the program train alongside and receive hands-on coaching from
some of the top minds in professional football. Last year’s roster
of coaches included former Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Mike Tice,
Hall of Fame Offensive Lineman Anthony Munoz, two-time Pro Bowler
Jermon Bushrod, as well as NFL veterans Steve Smith, Jay Hayes,
Chuck Smith, Moe Williams and Dean Dalton, while the legendary Chip
Smith served as Performance Coach.
Among multiple others, notable inaugural prospects of the NFL
Alumni Academy that received workouts or signed contracts with NFL
franchises during the pandemic included: Josiah Coatney (San
Francisco 49ers), Christian Ringo (New Orleans Saints), O’Shea
Dugas (Cincinnati Bengals), Alan Randall (Jacksonville Jaguars),
R.J. Prince (Baltimore Ravens), Evan Adams (Cincinnati Bengals),
Tavien Feaster (Arizona Cardinals), Mikey Daniels (Carolina
Panthers), Stacy Keely (Dallas Cowboys), Trevon McSwain (Cleveland
Browns), Aca’Cedric Ware (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Marquel Harrell
(Buffalo Bills), Ethan Westbrooks (New Orleans Saints), Javon Leake
(Washington Football Team), Jake Benzinger (Indianapolis Colts) and
Aaron Patrick (Jacksonville Jaguars).
About the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment
Company
The Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ:
HOFV, HOFVW) is a resort and entertainment company leveraging the
power and popularity of professional football and its legendary
players in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Headquartered in Canton, Ohio, the Hall of Fame Resort &
Entertainment Company is the owner of the Hall of Fame Village
powered by Johnson Controls, a multi-use sports, entertainment and
media destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame's
campus. Additional information on the Company can be found at
www.HOFREco.com.
About the NFL Alumni Association
The NFL Alumni Association is a nationwide organization of
former National Football League players, coaches and other
employees whose mission is to serve, assist and inform former
players and their families. The association offers a variety of
medical, financial and social programs to help members lead
healthy, productive and connected lives, as well as community
initiatives under the NFL Alumni’s “Caring for Kids” programs. The
NFL Alumni Association hosts the NFL Alumni Academy Player
Development Program each football season at the Hall of Fame
Village powered by Johnson Controls in Canton, Ohio.
About the NFL Alumni Academy
The NFL Alumni Academy provides a pathway for the top-graded
free agent players that were released from NFL training camps to
return to the NFL by giving them the opportunity to further develop
their skills and realize their potential by training under the
tutelage of elite former NFL coaches, players and performance
coaches. The Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at the Hall of Fame
Village powered by Johnson Controls will initially serve as the NFL
Alumni Academy’s headquarters and training facility. The Academy
will then move to the Center for Performance, which will be located
on the Village’s campus and is anticipated to be completed in 2022.
The Center for Performance will feature an 80,000-square-foot,
state-of-the-art indoor field house and training facility, among
other amenities.
About WaV Sports and Entertainment LLC
WaV Sports & Entertainment is a global sports marketing firm
that specializes in sports property representation, brand side
representation, and the management and production of unique
sporting and entertainment events. WaV exclusively represents,
manages and operates the NFL Alumni Academy and various other NFL
Alumni initiatives such as their youth educational programming
known as the Pro Day Experience. Additional information on the
Company can be found at www.WaVsports.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made herein are “forward-looking statements”
within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements may be identified by the use of words and phrases such
as “opportunity,” “future,” “will,” “goal,” and “look forward” and
other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or
trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known
and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important
factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that
could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from
those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important
factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes
include the inability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the
business combination; costs related to the business combination;
the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of the Company’s
shares on Nasdaq; the Company’s ability to manage growth; the
Company’s ability to execute its business plan and meet its
projections; potential litigation involving the Company; changes in
applicable laws or regulations; general economic and market
conditions impacting demand for the Company’s products and
services, and in particular economic and market conditions in the
resort and entertainment industry; the potential adverse effects of
the ongoing global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on capital
markets, general economic conditions, unemployment and the
Company’s liquidity, operations and personnel, as well as those
risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in our reports
and other public filings with the SEC. The Company does not
undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise, except as required by law.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210716005065/en/
Media/Investor:
For HOFV Media Inquiries Public.Relations@hofreco.com Investor
Inquiries Investor.Relations@hofreco.com
For WaV Brian Klaasmeyer Brian@WaVsports.com
For NFL Alumni Academy Dean Dalton Dean.Dalton@NFLalumni.org
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