WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - Imagine being a young football player and having the chance to rub elbows with NFL stars like Russell Wilson and Brian Burns.
That’s exactly what players and coaches from the Watertown Giants Pop Warner football team had a chance to do last month, thanks to being selected for an equipment grant to help the team get ready for their upcoming season.
The team took a trip to the New York Giants training camp on July 27 to meet the players and receive a $5,000 equipment grant, one of only five teams out of New York selected by USA Football and the Giants for the award.
“It’s a pretty big deal. Last year we received a $500 dollar one and that one helped us tremendously, so you can imagine what the $5,000 one did. Not only was it a money grant, they ended up inviting us down to participate in some of their activities,“ said Jeff Bence, Watertown Giants commissioner.
Bence says the selection process involved a number of stages, with the New York Giants and USA Football reaching out to him in April, followed by a Zoom interview soon after.
The Watertown Giants were picked for the award after checking a number of boxes both organizations were looking for.
“It wasn’t just like a thrown in the hat selected, it’s because of what we’re doing with our organization, how we’re growing, how our numbers are constantly rising. We’re 100 percent at all our coaches being certified through USA Football, which is our governing body for all of Pop Warner,” Bence said.
While receiving the check was a prestigious honor, the chance for the players and coaches to meet the NFL stars they idolize and try to emulate them on the field was the icing on the cake for the Watertown Giants.
“It was a lifetime dream for many of these kids. To see the guys that they are watching every Sunday on TV, like Russell Wilson, was a huge one. To be talking to him and have him sign autographs and their jerseys, it was a pretty big deal. It was a blast. The players got all the kids fired up and they enjoyed every minute of it,” Bence said.
It’s an experience the players and coaches will remember for the rest of their lives.
But that’s not where it ended.
At halftime of the Giants-Jets preseason game at MetLife Stadium, the Watertown Giants played an exhibition game against the Mo’Better Jaguars from New York City.
Each team got five plays in front of the fans in attendance and also had a chance to spend time on the sidelines before the game and during the first half.
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