The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE local football community will join with several National Football League personalities for a weekend of football and fellowship.

The Bahamas All-Pro Celebrity Weekend, powered by Rev with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, will host a series of events in Nassau, June 9-13.

The visiting guest list of NFL personalities will be highlighted by the latest Bahamian drafted into theleague - Michael Strachan of the Indianapolis Colts and Bahamian descendant - Rashad Fenton of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Other guests include four time pro bowler and iconic quarterback Michael Vick, All-Pro wide receiver Keenan Allen of the Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins edge rusher Melvin Ingraham, and free agent safety DJ Swearinger.

The weekend is centred around the instructional camp for aspiring student athletes, hosted by the players on Saturday, June 11 at the Thomas A Robinson stadium.

Friday June 10, will begin with a community service event in conjunction with the Bahamas National Trust for a cleanup effort among the mangroves.

Later in the evening, the venue shifts to Sapodilla for a cocktail hour followed by a charity dinner, proceeds of which will go toward the Bahamas Association of American Football. “It’s really an all-around experience where the players will have an opportunity to engage with the community, give back to the community and have a little bit of fun.,” event organiser Jonathan Lord said.

“That’s what the weekend is all about, to give a full overview of what The Bahamas has to offer both on and off the field.”

The event provides an opportunity for young players to interact with and learn from Strachan for the first time since he made his historic NFL debut.

“People don’t realise how huge it is for Mike to have made the NFL but moreover making the final roster as a seventh round pick so this is an amazing opportunity for him,” Lord said.

“Radshad Fenton, he hasn’t been here in about two years, but he’s frequent here. His grandmother and aunts still live here, but when he saw the flyer that [Swearinger] posted, Fenton reached out to find out more information and to become involved in this.”

The instructional camp is a highly anticipated part of the agenda for both the players and organisers.

“Keenan Allen, he’s so excited. He’s excited at the prospect of having these kids running routes,” Lord said.

“He said the instructional physical part of it will be cool but it’s really the knowledge of the game that is going to be important for these kids, it’s understanding the basic fundamentals first then starting to graduate into the various aspects of positions and then the overall game.”

Event co-organiser Alex Guerrero has been organising similar events in the Dominican Republic.

“When I was curating the event and doing research on The Bahamas and looking at case studies of communities that aren’t privy to football, I saw a case study of a camp in Ottawa and the camp now going on its 10th year, the community itself has been significantly impacted in those 10 years, from kids going to college down to businesses thriving,” Lord said.

“[Alex] has actually done camps in the Dominican Republic and he has said the same thing, those football camps have impacted local communities.”

Lord said he anticipates the event becoming a staple on the country’s Sports Tourism calendar.

“Two years ago the idea came about and we had some entry level conversations, then COVID happened. Back in October I helped put a meet-and greet together with Mike Strachan and I revisited the issue and at the time I didn’t realise how big football is in The Bahamas,” he said,

“The Bahamas is an easier sell, no doubt about it. It’s a beautiful country, it has that exotic name to it but having something to back that after you say “hey I’m doing a camp in The Bahamas” - you’ve got the interest - but that’s where it was critical for us to have a structure.”