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For the last three years Coach Draper and a team of coaches have come  over to London and delivered a coaching masterclass for our players.  They have also donated invaluable equipment for our team and players and  this has definitely aided our success over the  past three seasons. We have improved in all aspects of the game due to  the coaching from GAI coaches who donate their time freely and are so  dedicated to their mission. We have also improved as a coaching staff  taking inspiration from the way GAI coaches work  with our players on both an athletic and personal level. We always look  forward to the visits from GAI and already can't wait for next year.

A massive thank you from the London Hornets 

The Kent Exiles have benefitted enormously from the equipment Coach  Draper has donated to us, we were able to use it to kit out two new  teams and introduce more children to our great sport. The coaching he  has provided for our coaches has been even more valuable however,  enabling us to develop our coaches to benefit over 500 players of all  ages in the last 3 years alone.

Our organisation – the South London Renegades Youth American Football programme works in South London giving boys and young men the opportunity to learn and play American Football. Training sessions take place all year round once or twice a week. Many of the young men who take part in our programme come from troubled backgrounds and are on the periphery of gangs and criminal activity. We have a proven track record in re-directing them into positive lifestyles through the discipline and focus required to play American Football. 

We have been working with Derek Draper since 2012. Derek and his organisation have visited the UK once or twice every year since then and I and the other coaches from our programme have visited Derek in the US on a number of occasions. Over the years Derek and his organisation have been invaluable in the development of our programme and in the development of American Football across London and the South East of England.

Derek and his team have provided our programme with over 100 full tackle Football kits (helmets, shoulder pads, pants, jerseys, hip pads etc.) which he has collected from Texas high schools and then brought over to the UK with his team. Whilst in the UK his team has assisted in coaching at every opportunity presented to them, not only with our team and other London based teams but also at schools and colleges across Greater London and the South East. During these sessions, in addition to coaching players and introducing the sport to new participants, his team delivers mentoring to the participants focussing on the character building aspects of the sport and the need for young men to take responsibility for their actions and the decisions they make. 

There is no question that the successes our programme has had, which includes 2 players currently playing in the NFL, would not have been possible without Derek and his teams support both in providing kit, which the players would otherwise not have been able to afford, and in the knowledge, passion and commitment to the sport which they have passed on to our coaches and players.

I can’t over-estimate the impact that the Texas coaches have made with  their trips to the UK. It goes way beyond the direct coaching of players  by improving the local coaches with positional drills, techniques,  ideas and suggestions to improve the systems they run and their ability  to dissect problems and provide smart solutions.
 

Further they have made us think about the culture and organisation of our teams to make the most of the time and talent we have.

At  the end of a practice run by these guys, everyone, players and coaches,  walks off the field just a little bit taller and with a smile on their  faces.

We have had the  amazing privilege over the past 3 years to receive Global Athletic  Impact coaches to the London Blitz. We have been very lucky to have the  opportunity to welcome them to practice sessions where they have coached  players and mentored coaches as well as giving great insight to  buildings inspirational young men.  Their visits have also helped our  club with the offering of donated equipment from US teams of much needed  equipment like practice jerseys, helmets, shoulder pads, practice pants  and pads. This has massively helped our community team based in one of  the poorest boroughs in England as we receive no external funding and  kids must pay to share and enjoy Football.

We are always grateful and overwhelmed with the generosity of time and donations we have received.

God bless

For several years coaches and players from GAI have come spent time in Ecuador leading soccer clinics for the kids at the foundation and the surrounding community. The children that live at the foundation we serve come from extremely difficult situations. The gift of playing soccer is not something they take for granted and they soak up every moment of learning and playing that they are able to get from the clinics GAI puts on. They have also blessed the foundation with fantastic equipment that the kids otherwise would not have access to.  It has been amazing to be a part of a network of people who care deeply about sports, character and the gospel. We appreciate the work they not only put into their craft (soccer) but also into the relationships with local coaches and influencers who are taking that back to their teams and communities.