Preparations are underway for the Snoop Youth Football League’s Snoop Bowl VII, which will take place this month in Tampa the day before Super Bowl XLIII.
Approximately 350 children in the Tampa Bay area tried out Sunday (January 11) for the opportunity to face a group of SYFL all-stars coached by Snoop Dogg.
The game continues a tradition started by Snoop in 2005 during the festivities surrounding Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville.
Each year since, he has travelled with a group of youngsters to face a team from the hosting city, coached by another celebrity.
This year, Snoop’s All-Stars will face a team of 30 ten and eleven-year-olds coached by former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Mike Alstott.
“This game is not only about working with the kids through football, and helping them learn all of the positive values that come with it, but it’s a way for the kids to see a different part of the country and to meet their peers from other places who are just like them,” Snoop has previously said of the tradition. “This game is all about the kids and making sure they know that we care and want to see them succeed both on the field and off.”
Snoop’s team consist of members of the Youth Football League he has also owned and coached in since 2005.
The Snoop Youth Football League consists of about 2,000 at-risk kids from the Los Angeles area.
The league was founded in 2005 as an affordable alternative to other programs in the area. Snoop, who coaches his youngest son’s team, the Pomona Steelers, even provides insurance for each player at no cost.
The SYFL also encourages academic dedication, with strict rules requiring that the players and cheerleaders maintain a 2.0 GPA, in order to participate in league activities.
In addition to the annual trip to the Super Bowl, for the past four years the SYFL has conducted its own playoff and end of season Super Bowl game patterned after the NFL system.
Snoop Bowl VII will take place January 31 at Gaither High School in Tampa. Tickets for the game range from $15 to $40. All proceeds from the game will go to local and national children’s charities.
In related news, Snoop will be one of several Los Angeles-area athletes and celebrities participating in a charity basketball game to benefit a new Compton youth center.
LA Sparks coach Michael Cooper and center Lisa Leslie, Lakers forward Trevor Ariza, Warren G, Lil’ Eazy E and others will help raise funds to finish construction on The Stepping Stone, which is set to open this Spring.
The Stepping Stone aims to offer area kids academic tutoring in various subjects, while also giving them access to sports and the arts.
The game will take place at Compton High School on Saturday, January 17 at 4p.m. Tickets are on sale for $10 and can be purchased on the day of or by phone at (877) 689-7717.