Orchard Park, NY - The Buffalo Bills announced a new partnership with the New York Army National Guard.
As part of the agreement, the National Guard will be the title sponsor and key participant in the Buffalo Bills Coach of the Week program. Each week during the 11-week high school football season, the Buffalo Bills select a head football coach in Western New York as Coach of the Week. Each winning coach receives a $2,000 donation to their school's football program along with a signed certificate from the Bills and National Football League.
At the end of the season, one of the weekly award winners will be named Coach of the Year and receive another donation to their school's football program. In addition, all honorees are recognized at halftime during a Buffalo Bills home game.
The Buffalo Bills will also provide the National Guard an opportunity to utilize the field for a pregame re-enlistment ceremony. This ceremony will be visible to all fans within the stadium and also broadcast on the Bills video board.
The National Guard will receive space at the Game Day Experience (a pregame fan interactive festival complete with games, food, and the 97 Rock pregame show broadcast live) inside the Bills Healthy Zone (Fieldhouse) for each home game played at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
"Our partnership with the National Guard highlights two important groups – coaches that help shape our young student athletes, and the men and women who serve our country," said Bruce Popko, Buffalo Bills senior vice president of business development. "Bills fans are among the most loyal and patriotic in the NFL, and we are proud to partner with the National Guard to help showcase their company to our fans."
"It is a very exciting opportunity for the New York Army National Guard to partner with the Buffalo Bills this upcoming season. With the outstanding dedicated fan base of the Bills, our partnership is a great fit to communicate the great service, benefits, and opportunities the New York Army National Guard has to offer," said LTC Steven Rowe, New York Army National Guard commander recruiting and retention battalion.
The New York National Guard includes more than 16,000 Soldiers and Airmen of the New York Army and Air National Guard and an additional 4,000 members of the New York Naval Militia and New York Guard all-volunteer state defense force. The members of the New York State Military Forces provide the governor with military response capabilities for natural disasters or other incidents requiring the unique skills, equipment or training of the National Guard. Members of the Army and Air National Guard similarly train and prepare for service to the nation, providing forces for overseas contingency operations in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. For more information about the New York National Guard, visit www.dmna.ny.gov.
