Viewpoint School Patriots head football coach Chris Adamson will be calling plays on the sidelines of a Chinese gridiron next spring.
In late October, the Calabasas private school coach was announced as Team Stars & Stripes’ head coach. The squad of high school football standouts will play a team of Chinese high school football players, China’s American Football Academy, in the 2017 Global Ambassadors Bowl on March 18 at Yuanshen Stadium in Shanghai.
Adamson, 41, said he is excited about coaching the team. “It’s going to be the first-ever game like this in China, so it is going to be pretty amazing,” he said. “To lead a team wearing the stars and stripes against a team of Chinese players is amazing.”
Adamson said he and Team Stars & Stripes assistant coaches hope to have an American team of at least 40 players put together by the end of next month, to have time to get the logistics of the March 11 – 19 trip together.
The coach said the U.S. team will only have a few hours of practice together compared to the Chinese team, which began practicing for the Global Ambassadors Bowl this month.
“So, they are going to be ready,” Adamson said.
Viewpoint’s coach of seven years received the coaching opportunity thanks to his friendship with Global Football Founder and President Patrick Steenberge, whose group is putting together the event along with the football clinics the Team Stars & Stripes coaches and players will lead during their trip to Shanghai and Beijing — China’s largest cities.
With Global Football’s International Student Program, Adamson has coached several football players from outside the United States during his 18 years as a coach. He has also been part of coaching clinics overseas. Adamson and Steenberge believe football can be used as a bridge to educate and bring people together.
Adamson said he has seen how skilled and passionate football players and fans outside the U.S. are about the gridiron game.
“The reality is that China presents one of the relatively new frontiers for American football,” he said. “In a short period of time, the game has taken off at every level and is rapidly gaining momentum. The chance to lead a team of American high school All Star players and coaches into China to showcase the game of football and bridge cultural differences along the way is truly once in a lifetime. We are excited to do what we can to help the game of football continue to grow and flourish in China and we are even more excited to represent the United States of America in this game.”
Next year’s Global Ambassadors Bowl is the ninth ever. Global Football sets up the event to provide amateur student athletes of all ages, their coaches and families the chance to travel, learn, see different cultures and play football while doing it. The organization claims to be the world’s largest exporter and producer of American football outside the country.
Team Stars & Stripes has a 7-2 record overall.
Adamson and some of his Viewpoint coaches and alumni held a football clinic in Costa Rica last summer and in August the Viewpoint football team hosted a team from Japan.
Adamson said it has been interesting to watch how football has grown around the world in the last 15 years.
“The reality is, there are a lot of talented kids around the world playing football that could make a difference playing here in the United States and help the sport grow in their own country,” he said.
Steenberge said in the last 20 years, he has worked with dedicated coaches and student athletes who have traveled, learned through experience and competed internationally.
“China has always been a dream of mine, and I am thrilled to work with Chris McLaurin, a former University of Michigan standout, to organize a unique American football tour visiting two of its most notable cities,” he said.
Adamson’s coaching staff includes Jerry Ralph from El Camino High School in Woodland Hills and Oscar McBride from Servite High School in Anaheim. Texas coach Brandon Hickman and Connecticut coach Drew Gamere are also on the staff.
Adamson said the coaches are talking about the Global Football with different players and schools. “Kids who are doing this are kids that love football,” he said.
Adamson said several players have already expressed interest in joining Team Stars & Stripes, including a group from Dallas, players from the East Coast and between five and eight Viewpoint players.
“It’s going to be a true U.S. select team,” he said. “It’s open to any high school age player, ideally juniors and seniors.”
Coaches who wish to nominate high school players for Team Stars & Stripes, contact Adamson at chris.adamson@viewpoint.org. Players wishing to join Team Stars & Stripes, as well as family members wanting to join the tour should register online at anthonytravel.com/gab-china.
