49ers Named Pop Warner Little Scholars Team of the Year for Outstanding Commitment to Community

Pop Warner Little Scholars, the nation’s oldest youth football, cheer, and dance organization, and the only national youth sports program to mandate academic standards, announced on Tuesday May 23, that the San Francisco 49ers will be presented with the NFL Team of the Year Award at the 57th Annual Pop Warner All-American Scholastic Banquet on Saturday, May 27th in Philadelphia. “For a storied football organization like Pop Warner to recognize our organization in this way is an incredible honor and one that I know is appreciated by everyone who works for the 49ers,” said 49ers President Al Guido. “This award is a credit to the dedication of our youth football department, led by Jared Muela, to teach sound technical football skills and our organizational commitment to use grassroots football to support inclusive development of children throughout the Bay Area and beyond.” In conjunction with the generous philanthropic efforts of the 49ers Foundation and the organization’s dedication to countless community relations projects across the Bay Area, the team is considered a national leader for its community engagement approach. Throughout the year the team celebrates grassroots football with youth camps, a local Coach of the Year award, Player of the Week awards, and its USA Football partnership. The efforts by the 49ers also include hosting the unique 43-year old local prep football tradition known as the Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game, the annual Friday Night Lights High School Football double-header, and free youth football camps. Additionally, the 49ers Youth Football Program has consistently grown youth participation 18 percent year over year. This year’s banquet at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown will honor the scholastic achievements of more than 7,000 Pop Warner student-athletes who earned All-American Scholar status by achieving at least a 96 percent average in school. Pop Warner provides an average of $100,000 in annual college scholarships to its scholars. “In our work with so many great partners across sports, the San Francisco 49ers stand tall with an unwavering commitment to supporting their community and youth football,” said Jon Butler, Pop Warner executive director. “We look forward to honoring the 49ers at our annual banquet, which is dedicated to recognizing exemplary student-athletes. Together, sports and academics are vital in developing our young people, and we appreciate the commitment the 49ers have shown in fostering those pursuits in so many young people.”