Youngsters have a ball as Chicago Bears touch down in Glasgow

The Bears invited dozens of youngsters from all over Glasgow to participate in their Mini Monsters Clinic, with drills led by former Bears tight end Kaseem Sinceno.

The session was open to all children aged seven to 12 regardless of gender, physical ability, or knowledge of the sport, and used fun non-contact drills to teach the benefits of healthy eating, activity, and proper hydration.

Nicknamed the ‘Monsters of the Midway’, the Bears are known for winning the most games in league history along with nine championships including one Super Bowl.

Glasgow marked the last of eight UK stops for the clinics which have delighted children across the UK as the popularity of American football continues to grow.

The kids were divided into teams and cheered on by Sinceno who helped them hone their football skills.

Other volunteers included rugby players from the Glasgow Warriors, Ross McKnight and Max Williamson.

Max, who plays second row, said: “It’s been a great opportunity to come down and see what an NFL type sesh would be like, and get involved with that.

“When I was younger, there certainly wasn’t any opportunities to play in the NFL or anything like that so it’s been really, really fun.”

Rugby and American football have the contact element and the shape of the ball in common, but Max says he didn’t realise how different the two sports were until coming to the clinic on Friday.

Ross, a winger for the Warriors, said: “We’ve never had NFL chances for coaching, it’s always been rugby.”

He added: “It’s great to see the kids having a bit of fun.

“At the start, we thought we were going to be so bad at this, but actually there’s a lot of similarities.

“We’re not horrible at it, but there’s a few things we could actually work on if we want to become NFL stars.”

Gus Silva, manager for the Bears’ community programmes, explains that taking the Mini Monster clinics throughout the UK has been amazing.

Gus said: “We thought, kids are kids, and if we give them the opportunity to learn this game, they’re going to love it as much as we do.

“And that’s what we found to be true on all of our stops.”

He added: “I love this sport. I happen to think it’s the greatest team sport there is.

“It is one of our goals at the Chicago Bears to grow this game by making it more accessible, by making it more equitable, and by making it more inclusive.

“So that includes boys, girls, kids of all ages, ability levels, kids with either physical or cognitive disabilities to play this game.

“We really think that it is a global game, and we want to take it to the world.”

Kaseem Sinceno, donning his number 85 Chicago Bears jersey, told the Glasgow Times it was important to help kids grow their interest in different sports because of the benefits of “cross-training”.

American football has become more and more popular to kids in the UK through social media, and Kaseem explained that it’s important to him that kids are taught the athletic skills they need to play.

He said: “The NFL has changed the rules and done some things to make the game more attractive.”

He added that the game has progressed from its violent and male-dominated past to become a more tactical game that appeals to a broader and more diverse family audience.

Kaseem said: “The UK, they’ve received us, the kids have been great here, and I’ve definitely seen some talent along the way, too.

“It’s not like we’re just teaching these kids, and none of them have the skills.

“Every stop I’ve made, there’s been a kid or two that you can see the imprint of a young athlete.

“If some of these kids continue to play American football, and they go to the clubs as they get older, they will have a chance.”

The team behind the Chicago Bears Mini Monsters Clinic hope to tour the UK again next year.