In an event becoming an annual tradition, Nike and the NFL have partnered for the second year in a row to organize the Nike Football Kickoff Classic for high school teams around the country.
In August, Nike will host two boys and four girls football teams at its headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., to kick off the 2023 high school football season. The company announced the game schedule on Monday, which will be as follows:
August 24
Willowbrook High School vs. Bishop Gorman High School girls flag football
Long Beach Poly High School vs. Irvington High School girls flag football
August 25
Long Beach Poly High School vs. Bishop Gorman High School boys football
Home city NFL teams will sponsor these football teams participating in the class:
- L.A. Chargers: Long Beach Poly High School
- L.A. Rams: Long Beach Poly High School (Girls Flag)
- Las Vegas Raiders: Bishop Gorman High School (Boys and Girls)
- Chicago Bears: Willowbrook High School (Girls Flag)
- N.Y. Jets: Irvington High School (Girls Flag)
Nike also said NFL clubs will “mirror the experience by hosting boys
tackle and girls flag games in their home markets.” Last year, 20 NFL teams took part in this kickoff event.
Ahead of the inaugural kickoff in 2022, NFL vice president of football development Roman Oben spoke to USA TODAY High School Sports about the outreach between teams and the community.
“In the seven-plus years that I’ve been in this, I haven’t seen a greater time where the NFL teams have worked together and worked at being thematically and directionally aligned. The work that we’ve done with Nike has improved,” he said at the time. “When you listen to people and figure out what they really need, it’s not a logo slap … It’s something that everyone’s engaged in; it gets everyone involved.”
During last year’s three-day event at Nike headquarters, athletes participated in sessions with Nike to provide product insight and social and digital insight. They also gained perspective on life in football and off the gridiron from Bo Jackson, Bobby Taylor and Katie Sowers.
A new group of high school football players will get the opportunity to experience similar this year.
“For the second year, the Nike Football Kickoff Classic will serve as the official kickoff of high school football around the country,” Oben said in a press release. “These games will bring an unimaginable experience for high school football players. Congrats to all the participating NFL markets giving girls and boys in high school football the shared kickoff experience it deserves.”