Chicago Bears brought their Mini Monsters clinics to London last week, providing children from across the capital with their first experience of American football. The 2024 Mini Monsters Tour, brought to you by Nike, took place ahead of the Bears’ NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday 13th October, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Mini Monsters Clinics, provide free youth coaching for boys and girls between the ages of 7-12. The programme stresses the importance of healthy eating, physical activity and proper hydration through fun, non-contact American football drills. As one of the most successful professional NFL teams, the Chicago Bears brought the excitement and fun of American football to the United Kingdom.

Over 850 children from across London attended the clinics on three separate days, kicking off on Tuesday in North London at Dukes Academy in Haringey with the backdrop of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The tour then moved to East London on Wednesday with a visit to the Bobby Moore Academy in Stratford with clinics for local children, the afternoon saw American Football coaching sessions available to local PE teachers and sports coaches. The tour concluded on Friday, 11th October, in Kennington Park, South London.

This is the third year that the Bears have run clinics across the UK, with the visit to London following on from clinics in both Edinburgh and Manchester in June. 2024 will see a total of 2000 engaged as part of the Mini Monsters tour.

For each of the three London clinics, legendary former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman helped put the children through their paces, as well as sharing his inspiring story and the positive impact that American football had on his own life.

Former Chicago Bears player Charles Tillman commented: “American football offers so many incredible opportunities for young people, these clinics open up a whole new sport which is great for both physical and mental health. The sport has greatly influenced my life, and it has been amazing to see so many children enjoying their first taste of American Football in London. This has been an inspiring week and the perfect build-up for the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”

Tillman was joined on-site at each clinic by Bears Manager of Youth Football & Community Programs, Gustavo Silva.

Marking his third visit to London with the initiative, Silva commented: “With the team playing in London this October, it was a great opportunity to spread the joy of American football with young boys and girls in the capital. The popularity of American football is growing in the UK, and we are thrilled to have brought Mini Monsters back here for a third straight year.”

The initiative strengthens the Chicago Bears’ commitment to the UK, where they have marketing rights through the NFL’s Global Markets Program. The Global Markets Program launched in January 2022. It grants NFL clubs access to international markets for marketing, fan engagement and commercialisation activations as part of an important, long-term strategic effort to enable clubs to build their brands globally while driving NFL fan growth beyond the US.

In addition to the Mini Monsters Clinics and the victory against the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Bears were active in the UK throughout October, including launching several fashion partnerships and daily fan events at Greenwood Sports Pub & Kitchen in London (170 Victoria St, London, SW1E 5LB).