Snoop Youth Football League officials announced their Chicago Executive Board, partners and plans for 2011 season on Saturday, March 5, 2011. SYFL’s Commissioner Haamid Wadood flew into the windy city from Los Angeles to announce the Chicago team, which includes a woman as head and a former Chicago Bear as Vice President.
The league appointed 37-year-old Tonja Styles as President of an eight member executive board. Styles, an entertainment cause-marketing executive, spearheaded the initiative to bring Snoop’s league into Chicago in 2010 as an answer to the youth violence plaguing the city. Styles has worked for over seven years with various Hip Hop artists and their philanthropic initiatives including Hip Hop mogul Russell Simmons, Kanye West, Common, and more.
“This is a great day for the youth of the city of Chicago. They deserve a real chance. And it’s a great day for Hip Hop,” said Styles.
The rap star’s after school program offers football, cheer and scholastics. Students must maintain a certain GPA to play in the league. Plans are underway to offer scholarships for SYFL athletes going on to college, sports medicine internships and the development of a digital media academy.
Snoop started the league seven years ago in South Central L.A. with $1 million of his own money. SYFL services nearly 4,000 youth throughout California. Chicago was the first city outside of California to get teams. Las Vegas will join Chicago on the 2011 SYFL roster.
For more information about Snoop Youth Football League visit www.snoopyfl.net.
