One of the biggest names in CFL history will be bringing his quarterback camp to Airdrie next month.
Damon Allen is expanding his Toronto-based Quarterback Academy into a touring model and will bring it to the city for three days, Aug. 13-15.
“They were looking to expand a little bit and I guess I happened to contact him at the right time,” said Kent Ridley of Ridley Scouting, who is helping bring the event to the city.
“They’re really excited about coming out to Alberta and so far the word I’ve received from Airdrie is that people are excited for him to come here. Some of them are saying ‘it’s the biggest football event ever in Airdrie.’ He’s definitely the biggest football name to come to town.”
Allen, a veteran of 23 CFL seasons and four-time Grey Cup champion, began the academy in May, but was soon inclined to take it across the country.
The camp will be split into two parts, with focuses on quarterbacks and receivers, as former Calgary Stampeders wide out Pee Wee Smith will also be on hand to work with receivers.
“It’s going to be a non-contact camp and the focus is going to be on technique,” Ridley said.
“On the receiver side, it’s going to be a lot of precision route running, knowing where they have to be and when. Then on the quarterback side, it’s going to be a lot of technique, releasing the ball properly, doing your weight transfer on your throw – a lot of the mechanics. We’re going to be building from fundamentals up.”
Having Allen and Smith involved will only benefit the young players, Ridley added.
“Between the two of them, they’ve got five Grey Cup rings and 30 years in the CFL – that’s pretty impressive,” he said.
The three-day event, which will take place on the field behind Genesis Place, will feature ages 10 to 14 on the first day, then 15 to 19-year-olds on the following two days.
Registration is open and will be handled online on Allen’s website www.damonallen.ca
