Almost 50 years ago when my predecessor, Chet O'Neill, began the Big New England Football Clinic in the basement at St. Raphael Academy, it was not with the intention of getting rich. I don't think he was looking to make it into a national chain or fill the seats with tens of thousands of coaches. Knowing Chet as well as I did, I think he just really liked talking football and getting together with his friends who liked talking about it, too.
When Chet turned the clinic over to me eleven years ago, I took his original mission to heart. I wanted to keep the spirit of family, camaraderie, and quality speakers alive while modernizing some aspects of our operations. And I like to think I’ve succeeded in that mission. Every year when we poll our attending coaches and ask what they enjoyed the most about our clinic, the answers are consistent. They don't say our website is the best (it's not) or that our social media presence is the most captivating (it isn't). They say they like the atmosphere of camaraderie that our clinic offers. They tell us the BNEFC brings them the best names in local football speaking on topics they truly care about. They say they like seeing the same faces in the seats year after year when they attend. They tell us that at our clinic, they don’t feel like just a number, but a coach that is both welcomed and valued.
My family has been involved with this clinic for over 30 years. My daughters grew up attending, and now my grandsons look forward to it every year as well; my oldest grandson attended his first clinic at just five days old. If you’ve attended before, I hope you feel the same connection to this event that my family and I enjoy every year.
Today marks one month until our doors open for the 2023 Big New England Football Clinic and I want to personally invite you to attend. We have a fantastic lineup of speakers, the only live demonstrations in the clinic circuit, a beautiful location, top quality vendors, and more than anything, a genuine desire to sit and talk football with people we care about. We truly hope you’ll join us in Newport next month.
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