The USA Football Middle School Showcase at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Photo via Peter Schwartz)

As I took my seat in the lower level of MetLife Stadium this past Saturday, a few things came to mind. The first was that the seat that I was sitting in was probably a little out of my price range for a New York Jets game. The second thought that popped into my head was that it was so quiet — kind of unusual for an 80,000 seat NFL stadium. Finally, the weather made it feel like it was a football day because it was unseasonably cool for an April day in the New York/New Jersey area.

Then I heard the whistle from the coach as the USA Football Middle School Showcase in New Jersey was about to get underway. As the players gathered around the coaches, I watched my son Bradley jog over from the sideline to join the group. I have been in MetLife Stadium many times before and its predecessor, Giants Stadium, a million times as well, but the feeling sitting in the stands on this day was unlike any other.

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My son was participating in a football clinic on the same field that our favorite team plays on, and that was just so cool to see. Wearing a red USA Football/U.S. National Team jersey, there was No. 124, going through drills under the guidance of some of the best high school and college coaches in the area. The entire experience was second to none, both for the players and the parents.  

In the stands, it was fascinating to see the cross-section of regions that were represented in mingling with the parents. There were kids participating from all over New Jersey and New York. I ran into a few people from Philadelphia, which is just a couple of hours south down the New Jersey Turnpike from MetLife Stadium. Believe it or not, there was also a family there from Michigan that combined a vacation to New York with their child’s participation in the clinic. Bradley also told me about a young man wearing a Bills, hat so Buffalo and western New York was likely also represented.  

Bradley (pictured in the middle) takes part in drills at the Middle School Showcase.

I don’t know about you, but I always love a good football convention. I enjoy talking about this wonderful sport with people from all over the country.

On the field, the players were put through a series of drills at various stations with the coaches. The great thing about this particular clinic and other similar events that USA Football conducts with the U.S. National Team coaches is that the groups are broken down by the kids’ positions. When each child checked in at the start of the day, they were asked what position they played. Since Bradley plays center on his team, he was grouped with the offensive linemen.

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There were also groups for defensive linemen, defensive backs, quarterbacks, receivers and running backs. The objective for this clinic was to have each child work with their position and to improve in fundamentals with drills designed for what they do. Bradley and my younger son Jared have been to other football camps and clinics where every kid goes through all the drills, but the neat thing here is that Bradley spent the entire day working with the offensive line, and the end result was a great day of learning.  

After the morning practice, the players broke for lunch and then were back on the field for an afternoon practice with some more drills for their positions. When it wasn’t Bradley’s turn to go through a drill, I took a look around the field and observed how all the kids were having a great time playing the sport they love. All of these kids will go back to their youth or school teams this fall a better football player and some of them may even get an opportunity to play on a U.S. National Team down the road.

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Attending the Middle School Showcase was a rewarding experience for everyone, and that includes both the players and the parents. To see your child playing football on an NFL field was great. For the kids, playing on the same field that some of their heroes may have played on had to be exhilarating. If you have the opportunity to have your child participate in a USA Football clinic in the future, I strongly encourage you to sign him or her up.   

Also, definitely look into other football camps and clinics over the summer to get your child ready for football season!

Peter Schwartzis a sports anchor for the CBS Sports Radio Network, FOX News Headlines 24/7 and WCBS 880 Radio in New York. His older son Bradley plays youth tackle football for the Super Bowl Champion East Meadow Rams on Long Island, while his younger son Jared plays flag football for the LSW Giants. Peter, his wife Sheryl and the boys are busy cheering on the New York Jets when they’re not at a youth football field.