Three Italian American football coaches are gaining valuable experience in the United States this upcoming college season through the Global Football International Coaching Exchange (ICE).
Back in 2015, Global Football teamed up with NCAA Division III college partners to give American football coaches around the world an opportunity to travel to the United States and enhance their coaching skills on the gridiron. Coaches from Italy and Scotland took advantage of the ICE program.
International clubs and federations that host Global Football events have an opportunity to nominate coaches to come to the one of their traveling schools, to spend a period of time integrated as an observer coach on that team’s football staff. The host school provides housing for the overseas coach and involve the coach in all football-related activities from the practice field to the classroom to game day.
The latest trio to benefit from the ICE program come from Italy and are further developing their coaching skills in Illinois and Tennessee.
Coach Sergio Scoppetta, who was formerly the head coach and offensive coordinator with the Lazio Marines and Rome Grizzlies in Italy, is spending the entire 2018 season at Sewanee University as a running backs coach. The Tigers will travel to Athens and Rome with Global Football in May of next year.
Coach Sergio Viotti (pictured), the defensive coordinator of Deamons Martesana, is spending two weeks working with head coach Damon Tomeo of Knox College during the Prairie Fire’s preseason camp.
Coach Emiliano Ardica from Cardinals Palermo is shadowing coach Ron Planz at Elmhurst College during preseason. The Bluejays are regular travelers with Global Football and will head to Austria and Italy in June of 2019.
“We are grateful to all the people who every year allow Italian coaches to live an incredible life-experience, enjoying the sport they love in the home of the sport,” said Fabrizio Cupellini of the Federazione Italiana di American Football (FIDAF). “We thank all the American coaches who find the time to come here in Italy, to help us grow football locally, for recognizing the value of the ICE program.
“FIDAF plans to keep building in the future on these solid relationships and create an ever-stronger bond between our two countries and our people through the sport of American football.”
Want to take part in the Global Football ICE initiative as a hosting college or a visiting coach? Contact Global Football founder and president Patrick Steenberge: patrick@globalfootball.com about your school traveling or club hosting a U.S. team to open up this opportunity.
“We believe this is a wonderful initiative that not only aids the development of overseas coaches, but also expands the friendships that develop when we take teams overseas,” said Steenberge. “We are pleased to be able to repay that great hospitality we always receive around the world by having our traveling American schools host a guest coach as an extension of their visit.”