In December, USA Football traveled to Riddell’s production facility in North Ridgeville, Ohio, to check out how the leader in football head protection makes the Riddell chrome helmet for the U.S. National Team.

Riddell General Manager – North Ridgeville, Ben Marker, walked us through the process step-by-step. Here’s how it’s done:

1. It all starts in the paint room as the helmet shell, faceguard and chin cup undergo the chroming process.
2. Once all three pieces are done drying, they move on to assembly where the interior and exterior labeling begins. Once labeling is complete, Riddell begins the actual building of the helmet and installs all the interior parts.
3. Next, it’s time for the installation of the decals. The U.S. National Team received two decals: the USA Football chrome decal on the right side of the helmet as well as the oversized chrome American flag decal on the left.
4. To complete the assembly process, the chromed faceguard and chin strap are added, and we’re left with the finished chrome USA Football helmet.

“We wanted to add a look that symbolized America, added to our flag and also helped promote our sponsor Riddell,” said Aaron Ingram, senior manager of U.S. National Teams for USA Football. “There’s no better partner in the game than Riddell in the helmet business, and we thought that helmet did a great complement to all of those – our country, our flag and Riddell.”

The USA Football chrome Riddell helmets will be worn by the U.S. Under-19 National Team at International Bowl X when they take on Team Tamaulipas (Mexican State) Friday, Jan. 18 at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 here. ESPNU will also nationally broadcast a re-airing of the U.S. U-19 National Team game against Tamaulipas on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT.