One by one, 60 Native American teens stepped onto the turf field at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, the practice facility of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
The high school football players had travelled from across the United States, selected for their raw athletic ability, to participate in the 2025 Native American All-Star Football Game.
The young athletes were astonished at the stadium’s scale and awestruck that they were there at all, far from home and about to embark on an unforgettable and potentially life-changing experience.
For many, it was their first time in an NFL stadium. In a few days’ time, they would be playing on the field, with lights blazing, music pumping, and fans roaring.
The event on Jan. 7, 2025, was the third iteration of the Native American All-Star Football Game, presented in partnership with the NFL and organized by the Native American Athletic Foundation (NAAF), a not-for-profit dedicated to providing educational and athletic opportunities for Native American youth.
The organization also hosts a yearly baseball all-star event, in partnership with Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves.
“Our kids get this experience to see that they’re more than they think they are,” explains Michael Stopp, NAAF executive director and chairman of the board.
“They get to see that there's more opportunity out there, that they can reach a little further. That this life they have in rural America isn’t the only thing available.”
Stopp, a member of Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and of Muscogee (Creek) descent, says one of the challenges for Native American youth is being able to attend athletic camps where most college-level players are recruited.
“We're trying to change that,” he adds.
To apply to attend the camp, youth submit audition reels, which are viewed by volunteer coaches, many of them Native American and some who are former college and professional players.
From the videos, the coaches select youth to field two teams. The athletes fundraise to pay their transportation to the camp. Everything else—accommodations, food and the four-day experience—is covered by donations and grants to NAAF.
To date, more than 50 Tribes and bands have been represented with each cohort of athletes in baseball and football, Stopp says. They travel from across the United States—for example, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, North and South Dakota.
NAAF focuses its recruitment in rural America, where kids are far from major university systems and typical college recruitment platforms.
