Pittsburgh Review

Before they were top-round draft picks, Pro Bowlers, and All-Pros, Steelers players were young athletes dreaming of being on an NFL field one day. Each year, the Steelers work to foster those same dreams for hundreds of young athletes in the Pittsburgh area and beyond through their youth football development programs.

"The growth of football overall is trending in the right direction," said Mike Marchinsky, the Steelers' senior manager of Alumni Relations and Youth Football. "If we can introduce football to kids and show them that it's fun and it's for people of all sizes, from all backgrounds, all skill levels. There are so many different positions that kids can play."

The team's youth football education efforts are a year-round investment supported by Team President Art Rooney II, Head Coach Mike Tomlin, General Manager Omar Khan, and others throughout the organization. "We wouldn't be anywhere close to what we are if we didn't have the support," added Marchinsky.

One significant endeavor was hosting Steelers Youth Football Camps starting in 2009. Initially small, these camps now draw participants from across Western Pennsylvania and beyond. "When we created these youth football camps it was to just get local kids to take part," said Marchinsky. "But we've seen it grow beyond our region."

This year saw further expansion with international events. The team held its first-ever American Football Clinic for young athletes in Dublin, Ireland last fall in conjunction with American Football Ireland (AFI). Former Steelers Alan Faneca and Santonio Holmes led this clinic. In June, similar camps took place in Belfast and Cork with instructors Calvin Austin III and Connor Heyward.

Events also extended to Monterrey and Mexico City earlier this year as part of the team's Draft party activities. Dan Rooney, the Steelers Director of Business Development & Strategy stated: "We put a real emphasis on bringing our current and former players to these international markets to teach our game at a high level."

Back home in Western Pennsylvania, the Steelers hosted Youth Football Camps at various locations including Highlands Sports Complex in West Virginia and Saint Vincent College for boys and girls ages 6-14.

"The main goals of all of our camps are really just to learn the basic fundamentals of football," said Joe Lofton, the team's Football Development Manager. He emphasized character development alongside learning football skills.

An emerging area is girls' flag football which has seen increased participation nationwide. The league grew from six high schools participating in 2022 up to 36 in 2024. The season concluded with a championship game attended by Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.

Lofton noted: "Flag is growing tremendously... We hope to keep it growing even more at the middle and elementary school level as well."

Participation from current and former players adds value to these camps. Over a dozen current and former Steelers contributed their time this year.

"The best part is the guys want to be there," said Lofton. "To be able to see... what it's like to hang out with current Steelers players is special."

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