The 2012 International Bowl is more than a chance for the International Federation of American Football to showcase the top under-19 talent from around the world. It's also an opportunity for players as young as 17 to practice alongside the World Team as members of IFAF's Development Team.

The IFAF Development program was launched at last year's USA vs. the World Game. Thirty-five Development players were invited to Austin, Texas in 2011 to participate in practices with the World squad in the week leading up to the game.

"It's a great experience and opportunity to develop international football," IFAF Director of Development Jack Reed said. "It's a chance to promote the fact that 62 countries around the world play American Football. It's also a vehicle to give players a fair opportunity to be evaluated for future World teams."

The program has proved so popular that it was expanded to 60 players for 2012. IFAF also doubled the size of the World Team coaching staff with the additional coaches being responsible solely for coaching this year's Development Team.

IFAF received more than 400 player nominations for the World & Development teams this year according to Reed. Forty-four players were named to the initial World Team roster and an additional 60 were invited to participate with the Development Team.

At least six of the Development players will be added to the final 50-man World Team roster for Wednesday night's game in Austin.

In addition to nine countries represented on the initial World Team roster, the Development Team squad boasts players from 16 different countries - Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Serbia, Spain and Sweden.

For many of these players it is their first taste of high-level international competition. And that's exactly why their national federations want them here.

"We want to try to understand at what level we've been playing football in Brazil and the best way to find that out is to have some of our top kids compete with some of the top kids from around the world," Brazil American Football Association representative Mario Lewandowski said.

Four players from Brazil earned invitations to Austin and Lewandowski is hoping the quartet can serve as ambassadors for the game when they return home.

"We expect these kids to show the Brazilian population that football is not just a sport, it's a life opportunity. We hope that these kids can show that football can open doors both athletically and academically."

While federation officials may focus on the long term, players on the Development Team are excited to see how they stack up against their peers and honored to have the opportunity.

"I was over the moon when I found out I was selected," Australia's Lachlan Facchini said. "Its pretty much the highest level you can reach where I play. To be able to represent Australia here is unbelievable."

Facchini's appraisal of the competition this week echoes the thoughts of nearly every player here.

"The two things I've really noticed are the speed of the game and the size of the players. Back home I'm actually big compared to everyone else."

But the 5-10, 180-pound University of Technology, Sydney product believes the increased competition gives each player a path to improvement.

"One thing that comes from increasing the speed is knowledge. Where to be at the right time and just seeing if we can do that properly with the right techniques."

Wide receiver Derrick Derah of the Netherlands has had a taste of higher-level competition practicing against senior-level players as a member of the Dusseldorf Panthers' junior program in Germany that produced current New England Patriots offensive lineman Sebastan Vollmer. Still, the invitation to participate with the Development Team spurred him to "get going" and train hard in order to be ready for the competition he would face in practice in Austin.

He also has a message for young football players around the world.

"People are not lazy here," Derah said. "I want to go home and tell people to keep working hard to become a better player. If you don't try you don't know what the outcome will be.

"Keep working hard and you'll get here."