NFL Canada is building on the success of its accessibility-oriented “Forward Pass” program, and also drawing up plays to get more Quebecers and grassroots communities playing and becoming fans of football.

Year 2 of the campaign will include in-game TV spots and a social-media campaign featuring NFL player videos. NFL Canada will also be engaging TSN’s Kara Wagland as a spokesperson.

The program provides three community football programs a $25,000 boost in an effort to get more kids participating in tackle or flag football. Coaches, players and community members are being invited to nominate their programs. Each NFL “Forward Pass” grant winner will receive an on-the-ground visit from the NFL, including a tailgate, a check presentation and giveaways. XMC is being engaged to bring celebratory mini-tailgates to life for each of the three winning entries.

“We know that you are 80% more likely to be a fan of a sport if you played as a kid,” says Tara Chetkowski, director of marketing and fan development at NFL Canada. She tells strategy that the first year of “Forward Pass” exceeded expectations across multiple KPIs, most notably earned media, provincial sports support and total submissions received.

“Across the country we received over 500, which reaffirms how much opportunity exists to support grassroots sports organizations,” she says.

However, Chetkowski concedes that in terms of submissions, it was under-represented in Quebec, so to lean into French media and culture, it’s teamed up with two local NFL stars, Ben St-Juste and Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff.

With more and more Canadians in the NFL, particularly at skill positions, the league is now able to represent different communities nationally. The NFL also focuses on building the brand profiles of Canadian players locally by running 15-second spots during games, developing features on social media, hosting in-market appearances and working on commercial partnerships, such as Advil’s spot with Canadian running back Chase Brown, from London, Ont.

NFL Canada worked with T1 last year on strategy, branding, style guide development and hero-asset development for “Forward Pass.” The colours of NFL Canada are a departure from the core NFL red, white and blue designed to appeal to a different audience and keep the focus on community football.

In addition to these tactics, NFL Canada has leaned into experiential to boost fan engagement north of the border with work including a pop-up sports bar and the watch-party series The Huddle.

Knowing half of its new fans come into the NFL through friends and family, Chetkowski says it’s important to make the game visible in communal spaces.

Stacey Keown, far left, president of one of last year’s recipients, the North Winnipeg Nomads, and team representatives receive a cheque from Ontario-born Baltimore Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson, far right.

“We have been expanding … The Huddle the last few years by continuing to add in new cities and bar partners,” she says.

The Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce engagement has also given the NFL a boost among younger, female fans, a key growth audience for the organization and its goals of achieving gender balanced in its fan base, Chetkowski says. As part of its “always on” approach, NFL Canada has been leaning into cultural events during the off-season to keep football top of mind, showing up at Formula One, the Calgary Stampede and Montreal’s Osheaga music festival this past summer.

The NFL also has renewed its focus on university activations, appearing at Laurier’s home-opener football game and planning again to have a presence at the Vanier Cup in Regina.

“While it is important to be physically present for fans, we also very much focus on growing our social platforms and building our relationships in the Canadian creator community on Instagram and TikTok to ensure we are always on and reaching new audiences,” Chetkowski says.

While the grassroots sports landscape is a cluttered one, Chetkowski says there is relatively less of a focus on football.

“We also work very closely with the sports associations, Football Canada, Football Ontario, et cetera, to ensure we are aligned in our approach and also to get their support,” she says. “Also the power of the NFL shield certainly helps.”

The target audience for “Forward Pass” is primarily parents, many of whom are dealing with rising fees for sports participation, along with fans who organize and volunteer their time to build and run programs.

NFL Canada estimates the league’s fan base across the country to be more than 15 million supporters.

Stellick is providing PR support.