International Federation of American Football

USA Football and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) have announced that eight overseas student-athletes have enrolled in the USA Football International Student Program (ISP) for the 2009-10 academic year.

Now in its fourth year, the initiative is run by USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels and endorsed by IFAF, which unites more than 50 American football federations worldwide. 

The program gives student-athletes from around the world the opportunity to play American football while studying at top U.S. prep schools.  The students, who were first nominated by the amateur American football federations in their respective countries, applied online at usafootball.com and having proved themselves suitable candidates, selected the host schools that best meet their academic and athletic aspirations.

Four of the eight students are returning for a second year in the program, among them BJOERN WERNER, a dominant defensive lineman from Berlin, Germany.  His performances at the Salisbury School (Conn.), his hometown Berlin Adler club team and the German junior national team have attracted recruiters from several top American colleges.  Compatriot KAI BRUSCH from Hamburg will join Werner on the Crimson Knights' defensive line having enjoyed a successful season playing both ways at Salisbury in 2008 under head coach CHRIS ADAMSON.

Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire welcomes back a pair of overseas players in Australian lineman LUKE ROBINSON from Sydney and Danish lineman ROBERT KING from Copenhagen, Denmark.  Head coach JOHN LYONS' commitment to the ISP since 2006 has led to players graduating through the initiative and receiving offers to play college football at Boston College, the University of New Hampshire, Pace University, and American International College.

The Kent School in Connecticut has also welcomed players since the initiative's first year and head coach TODD MARBLE will include three new ISP players from three different countries on his roster this season.  Defensive lineman NIKOLA BOGOJEVIC arrives from Canberra, Australia and is joined by linebacker RAFAEL OEHEME RASGADO from Dresden, Germany and Swedish wide receiver/running back DAMIEN SCANNELLA from Stockholm, who can also line up at quarterback and defensive back.

Completing the class is a fourth German player in offensive guard/defensive tackle LORENZ NARKU LAING from Mainz, who will play under head coach TED STEWART at Lake Forest Academy in the suburbs of Chicago, Ill.

2009-10 USA Football International Student Program Student-Athletes:

* Attended the Salisbury School in 2007-08

The eight student-athletes first discovered American football by playing with club teams in Europe and Oceania and progressed to represent their respective countries on the international stage.  This summer Werner and Scannella were on opposite sides of the ball at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship played in Canton, Ohio, when Germany defeated Sweden, 14-0, to take fifth place at the eight-nation tournament.

This season's USA Football ISP class aims to follow in the footsteps of two recent graduates who are currently freshmen on the rosters of two prominent college football programs.

German defensive lineman CURTIS FEIGT was recruited by West Virginia University while playing at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, while fellow German defensive end and tight end KASIM EDEBALI committed to Boston College having played and studied for two years at Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire.

Players wishing to apply to enroll in the 2010-11 USA Football International Student Program should contact their respective country's American football federation.  Contact details can be found under the 'federations' tab at the official IFAF website www.IFAF.org.  Schools in the United States wishing to learn more about participating in the USA Football International Student Program should contact managing agent Patrick Steenberge of Global Football for further details: psteenberge@usafootball.com.

About USA Football
USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels, hosts more than 100 football training events annually offering education for coaches and game officials, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners.  The independent non-profit is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association.  USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions and provides $1 million annually in equipment grants and youth league volunteer background check subsidies.  Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002, USA Football (www.usafootball.com) is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.