The National Football League has announced the appointment of Steve Hagen as the new NFL Academy UK Head Coach, effective immediately.
Coach Hagen, who has more than 38 years' experience working in football, has held elite level coaching and player development roles in a distinguished career, and is recognized for his proven athlete management and leadership development skills on and off the field.
Coach Hagen spent 11 years in the NFL as assistant coach for the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, in addition to roles at 12 US colleges, including Notre Dame, bringing a wealth of experience in the professional and collegiate game.
In his time with the Cleveland Browns, Coach Hagen spent seven years as a Tight Ends Coach and one season as Quarterbacks Coach. With the New York Jets, he worked two years as Tight Ends Coach and a further season as Assistant Special Teams Coach.
The appointment underlines the NFL's long-term commitment to establishing the NFL Academy as an elite talent development program and a center of excellence for young student athletes in global sport.
"The appointment of Coach Hagen is an important step in taking the NFL Academy to new heights and we are excited to see his extensive experience in football enhance the experience of our student athletes, helping them realize their potential on and off the field," said Lamonte Winston, Head of NFL Academy UK. "We are building something very special at the NFL Academy, with world class facilities and education in Loughborough Sport and an elite player development program. Bringing Coach Hagen onboard will no doubt continue to accelerate the impact this program is having on the lives our students and we look forward to welcoming him to the team."
"Joining the NFL Academy UK as Head Coach is a huge privilege," said Steve Hagen, NFL Academy UK Head Coach. "The success of the program to date is impressive, with 20 NFL Academy alumni set to play NCAA football in season 2023-24, and an ambitious and exciting vision to impact many more young lives in the future through the power of football. I look forward to bringing my extensive football leadership experience to the program, as well as my personal passion for the game and elite player development standards, as we look to take the program to new levels."
"We are delighted to have Coach Hagen join the team," added Roman Oben, NFL Vice President of Football Development. "The NFL Academy UK is an important part of our global strategy to increase the number of international athletes playing football in the years ahead. Creating elite player pathways for student athletes from around the world to play college football is a critical part of the program's global vision. Coach Hagen brings a wealth of experience from the NFL and US college landscape and is proven at building the culture and world-class standards required to develop talent and help transform the lives of young people."
The NFL Academy, which opened in September 2019, is a major initiative by the NFL, which aims to use American football to create life-changing opportunities for young people all around the world. It offers talented student athletes aged 16–19 a pathway to combine their full-time education alongside a transformative life skills program and intensive training in the sport, under the guidance of an elite coaching team.
Based at Loughborough's world-renowned center of sporting excellence in the UK, and in partnership with Loughborough College and Loughborough University, the program promotes world class performance and the development of elite player pathways, supporting student athletes with NFL best practices and resources.
The NFL Academy currently supports 59 student athletes from nine different countries (Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Sweden and United Kingdom). Since its inception more than 40 students have secured college football scholarships in the US. 20 NFL Academy alumni will play NCAA football in the 2023–24 season.
The NFL Academy play competitive fixtures across the academic year against US High Schools as well as the best youth football teams in Europe and counts Nike, Wilson, New Era, EA Sports and Riddell as supporting partners.
To find out more about the program, please visit, https://www.nflacademy.com/
