Colts will Recognize 11 Central Indiana Football Programs
at Halftime
The Indianapolis Colts and USA Football will salute 11 Central Indiana football programs at halftime of Thursday's game versus the Cincinnati Bengals, which begins at 7 p.m. in Lucas Oil Stadium.
This summer, the Colts and USA Football, which moved its national office to downtown Indianapolis this summer, have given awards totaling more than $40,000 in football equipment to 27 Central Indiana youth and high school football programs. The programs were selected based on merit and need to offset costs and ensure positive football experiences this fall.
"We are fortunate and proud to say that Indiana is the home of USA Football," Colts Chief Operating Officer Pete Ward said. "The popularity of youth and high school football has exploded in our state, and the support of USA Football will help meet the growing needs of many programs."
The 11 programs being recognized Thursday are:
- Anderson High School
- Boys & Girls Club of Grant County
- Crawfordsville Youth Football
- Eastern Thunder Community Football League
- Franklin Central High School
- Indian Creek Bantam League
- Knightstown High School
- Manchester Youth Football League
- Tab Recreation
- Tindley Accelerated School
- Wheeler-Dowe Boys & Girls Club
The 11 programs being honored Thursday night will also share a special $25,000 grant from USA Football as a gift to the area's grassroots football community.
USA Football, an independent non-profit that is the official youth football development partner of the Colts, the NFL and the NFL Players Association, and NFL teams have awarded more than $3 million in football equipment grants to youth and high school programs across the United States since 2006 through the NFL Youth Football Fund.
