While many are looking forward to the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl game this Christmas Eve, one of the highlights for organizers is the charity event associated with the bowl to give back to less fortunate children in The Bahamas. American television network ESPN recently acquired the game, but according to the president of Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Britton Banowsky, the bowl is expected to impact the community by beginning a Bahamas Bowl Youth Football League.

“We want to start with 10-year-olds on four different islands, and so it is a pretty ambitious goal,” he said. “It is our hope that we start with that this fall and end up with a championship game on the week of the bowl game.”

Last year, Popeyes Bahamas Bowl spent $56,000 with the Ranfurly Homes for Children to fund 10 scholarships. Banowsky said the organization is looking to pump more funding into charities this year.

“There are a number of things that we are learning how to do in order to give back to the community,” he said.

Bill Clarke, head coach of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is one of the coaches expected to come to The Bahamas to host the youth football clinic in October.

“One of the things that we want to do is teach them rules of the game a little better and hopefully I can help do that. We want to teach the basics of football so that when the game comes they will have a better understanding,” he said. “I’m really excited to do it and to teach to some who probably don’t know a whole lot about football. It would be a great benefit if I went down there and found some players who I could bring back to Birmingham, Alabama.”

Clarke said the youth clinic will serve as lessons to the children.

“Team sports create lessons on how to work with others. Football is forever because once you’ve played it, you create life-long friendships.”

Last year’s Bahamas Bowl was played between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers of Conference USA and the Central Michigan Chippewas of the Mid-American Conference. The Hilltoppers held off a late rally to prevail 49-48 after a failed two-point conversion at the end of regulation by the Chippewas.