The Tribune

BAHAMIAN National Football League players Michael Strachan and Rashad Fenton will headline a list of stars in town for the inaugural Bahamas All-Pro Celebrity Weekend at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

The event, powered by REV, will be staged from Thursday, June 9 to Monday, June 13 and will provide a number of opportunities to develop the game of American football in the country.

“I’m so excited for the Bahamas, my home, to be able to experience this type of event,” said the 24-year-old Strachan, who was selected out of the University of Charleston as a wide receiver by the Indianapolis Colts as the first of two seventh-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

He will be accompanied by Fenton, a 25-year-old cornerback out of South Carolina, who has played since 2019 for the Kansas City Chiefs, a 31-9 loser to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 Super Bowl.

Also in attendance will be Michael Vick, former quarterback and 2010 Comeback Player of the Year; Melvin Ingram, a three-time Pro Bowler of the Miami Dolphins; Keenan Allen, a five-time Pro Bowler and 2017 Comeback Player of the Year of the Los Angeles Chargers and DJ Swearinger, a former second round pick and top rated safety in 2017.

According to Jonathan Lord, lead consultant and co-organiser of JML Strategies, this promises to be a weekend that many will never forget.

“The intention is to have this camp become a staple in the community, to not only strengthen and grow the game of American football on the field, but to also drive the Bahamian community off the field,” Lord said.

And Alex Guerrero, instructional camp director of The Society LLC, said they are eager to entertain the public.

“This is really an historic event coming to the Bahamas,” Guerrero stressed. “I’ve honestly never seen this much anticipation for a camp like this in all my years of doing these types of events.”

The camp staff will include the incredible talented coaches with NFL experience and will also feature the Bahamas Federation of American Football assembled of some of the best American Football minds on the islands.

This FREE kid’s camp will be divided in two sessions, ages 6-12 and 13-18. The camp will be position based. There is a cap of 300 kids.

“I can’t wait, I’m about to have these kids running routes in no time,” Allen said.

There is also an opportunity for a “Once in a lifetime VIP experience”. Before the camp, interested persons will have a chance to sit with the athletes on a more intimate level. There will be a Q&A Session, Photo Op, and Photograph Signing.

Space for the VIP Experience is limited to 150 registered camp participants and parents and 50 non-camp participants.

The VIP experience will cost $75 per camper, $100 per parent and $150 for outside participants.

There will also be a charity dinner to help raise funds for the Bahamas Federation of American Football at Sapodilla on Friday, June 10. The dinner will feature a three-course meal with an open bar.

Ticket purchasers of the dinner will also gain access to the official afterparty at Sapodilla. There will also be an afterparty at Sapodilla featuring local DJs as well as Miami’s popular DJ Vybz 305. “These types of events being at a local Bahamian venue now allows for the local community to more easily engage with these NFL players,” Lord explained.

Stay tuned for the big weekend.