Fort Hunt Football to take on visiting teams from China

A special intercultural sports competition will soon take place along the Richmond Highway Corridor, and the public is welcome to attend for free.

Fort Hunt Football and Cheer, part of Fort Hunt Sports (formerly known as the Fort Hunt Youth Athletic Association), will participate in several exhibition games Friday, July 28 against youth teams from Chengdu, China. 

According to Fort Hunt Football Commissioner Ricky Hairston, the visiting teams are part of AIFuture, an organization that teaches American football to Chinese kids. Reggie Wilson, a former defensive lineman for the Texas Longhorns and Washington Valor, became involved in the organization while spending time in China and has been actively involved in arranging competitions this summer on U.S. soil.

Reggie Wilson (l.) with Fort Hunt Football Commissioner Ricky Hairston (r.) (Credit: Ricky Hairston)

Wilson is friends with West Potomac High School football coach Chad Louisville, and that connection led to the selection of Fort Hunt Football for the special pre-season games, said Hairston. The teams from Chengdu also are traveling to Austin and Orlando for games against youth teams there.

Hairston said he hopes the international match-up will become a tradition moving forward.

“It’s a cultural exchange for the kids to be able to play with kids from another country, and it will be beneficial to them in the long term because it’s not something everybody gets to do,” he said.

Players on the Chengdu Crimson Tide football team (Credit: Facebook/AIFuture Sports Education China)

The July 28 exhibition games will be held at West Potomac High School starting at 5 p.m. with Fort Hunt’s U9 flag football team; 6 p.m. with the U11 team; and 7:30 p.m. with the U13 team. Fort Hunt cheerleaders will perform at halftime during the games.