The International Federation of American Football has completed the coaching staff that will lead the IFAF World Team against Team USA in USA Football’s International Bowl in Texas on February 1.
The state capital of Austin will host the third annual game – formerly known as USA vs. The World – on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. The international competition will feature an IFAF World Team of teenage football players selected from as many as five continents playing against American’s Under-19 National Team, composed of current high school seniors (class of 2012). Both teams will field a 50-player roster.
PAUL MANERA Offensive Line
Last year Manera served as the IFAF World Team offensive coordinator. In 2007 he was the head coach of the Australia Outback senior national team and as a player, was a three-year letterman at the University Of Hawaii from 1989 to 1991 playing at offensive tackle and was an Academic All Western Athletic Conference selection in 1991. He served as a student assistant coach at Hawaii and has also coached in the Japanese X League with the Recruit Seagulls in Tokyo and extensively in his native Australia.
“It is a real honor and a privilege to be selected again as part of the World Team coaching staff, it means a lot to me and I am really looking forward to working with the coaches, players and support staff. Every time you participate in this kind of event you learn new things as well as share things with other coaches and players and that’s what makes it really special.”
In total, 10 countries from among the 62 nations on six continents governed by IFAF that play some form of American football will be represented on the IFAF World Team coaching staff.
World Team Coaching Staff:
Coach Country Position
Greg Marshall Canada Head Coach
Warren Craney Canada Defensive Coordinator
Edgar Zapata Mexico Offensive Coordinator
Shinzo Yamada Japan Special Teams Coordinator
Masato Itai Japan Quarterbacks
Max Von Garnier Germany Running Backs
Jakob Dieplinger Austria Wide Receivers
Paul Manera Australia Offensive Line
Sause “Pooch” Ta’ase American Samoa Linebackers
Tuomas Heikkinen Finland Defensive Backs
John Leijten Australia Defensive Line
Giorgio Longhi Italy Defensive Assistant
Niclas Carlson Sweden Strength & Conditioning
NSW Wolfpack and Bondi Raiders Offensive Lineman Ernest Christensen talks with the Telegraph about the Senior Outback team that will represent Australia at the 2011 IFAF World Championship of American Football which are being held in Austria from July 8 – 16.
