SOCAL COYOTES RELEASE 2021 GDFL SCHEDULE – OPEN TRAINING CAMP MARCH 13

(CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif.) – After a year stolen by the unforeseen Covid-19 pandemic, the six-time champion SoCal Coyotes will report to work March 12 for orientation, begin training camp March 13th, and open their 13th season at home against San Diego, April 17th.

In its quest for a seventh title, the Coyote organization is competing in the Southern California Division of the Memphis, Tennessee-based Gridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL).

America’s #1 Developmental Pro Football Program™ recently released its 2021 spring schedule, which includes 10 (conference-only) games against 10 different teams, with road trips to notable destinations in Los Angeles, San Diego and Long Beach. Covid-permitting, the season will close with two playoff games and a conference championship.

“It’s very important we get our athletes back on the field, safely and professionally,” says J David Miller, head coach of the non-profit Coyotes. “As always, the health and well-being of our players is our number-one priority. Beyond that, we’ll be ready to go April 17th.”

There was immediate buzz around the April 24 clash with the storied Inglewood Blackhawks, an old Coyotes nemesis. The Coyotes, who hold a 4-3 edge in head-to-head play, will travel to Inglewood’s historic Jackie Robinson Stadium in Week Three for what promises to be another memorable showdown.

The two programs have split championship games, 1-1, and share an intense, mutual respect. Arguably the best developmental football rivalry in the nation, it’s the closest thing to Alabama-Auburn, USC-UCLA or Texas-Oklahoma at this level of the sport.

“Obviously, playing the Blackhawks at Jackie Robinson is a big deal,” Coach Miller says. “We have a lot of respect for (Blackhawks owner) Tony Reid and his staff. His teams are always well-coached, and it’s a great game experience for the players of both teams, and our fans.

“But every team we play is capable of beating us, and we can’t overlook anyone,” he adds. “As a whole, this is one of the strongest 10-team schedules we’ve had. We can’t wait to compete again. Football is our platform to serve others.”

-Gisselle Romo-Gonzalez, Director of Public Relations ([email protected]) 

America’s #1 Developmental Pro Football Program™

Since 2012, the SoCal Coyotes non-profit sports leadership organization scalable model has become the national standard for professional developmental football. The Coyotes’ organization provides elite athletes a professional environment that refines and showcases their skills through trademarked processes similar to the NBA’s D-league and MLB’s minor-league systems.

NFL executives have named the SoCal Coyotes organization America’s #1 Developmental Pro Football Program™ for its national, scalable brands, community outreach programs, nine-year operating track record, verifiable data, youth curriculum, sales, public-private sector alliances, and measured results.

Non-Profit Services, ‘Above The Line’ Leadership Programs 

A significant portion of the Coyotes’ meteoric online growth can be attributed to the off-field efforts of the non-profit organization. This includes the Coyotes award-winning ‘Above the Line’ leadership camps, clinics, and symposiums, which impact 50,000 youth annually. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Department rely on the Coyotes for their camps to at-risk youth, and Coyote players and coaches volunteer throughout the Coachella Valley 52 weeks a year.

The Coyotes’ non-profit also supports a host of other non-profits and charitable organizations, ranging from Ronald McDonald Charities, Angel Light Academy, Rotary Clubs, women’s health organizations, and the youth ministries of The Bridge Calvary Chapel. 

Mental Health and G.R.O.W.L. Mentoring 

In 2020, the Coyotes launched an array of social, behavioral and mental health services, including the G.R.O.W.L.™ mentoring program – Gainful, Relatable, Opportunities for a Well-rounded Life.

“No child is ‘born bad,’” says Team President Adrian Jarrell. “We are passionate for those vulnerable populations with gaps in leadership and opportunities. So many of the youth we’ve served are subjected to exclusionary practices, or encounter the juvenile justice system, or both, while having untreated or under-treated behavioral health issues that a program like G.R.O.W.L. will instantly change.”

Both federal and California law mandates that youth under the age of 18 have access to such programs – but fewer than seven percent are receiving appropriate treatment. The Coyotes non-profit bridges that gap by providing court-approved drug, alcohol, and addiction counseling; mental health mentoring; marital, domestic violence and anger management counseling for young adults; sustainable financial support for children and family charities through community engagement programs; and by distributing funds to families in need.

Brands, Footprint, and Followers

The organization has meticulously built dominant national brands now synonymous with ‘Faith, Family & Football,’™ and other trademarks such as ‘Building Champions, Building Men’™ and ‘Defend the Shield’™.

SoCal brings an unprecedented national footprint to the GDFL. The Coyotes have now surpassed 100,000 followers across their multiple platforms, which include social media channels Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Their digital-media dominance has made the Coyotes one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports brands.

Nationally, the upward-trending Coyotes have far and away more likes and followers than any developmental pro football franchise in the country. In just under a decade, the Coyotes have surpassed every professional indoor Arena team – and are in respectable company in high-low comparisons of other prominent mainstream sports and facilities.

Headquarters

The Coyotes are headquartered in the Coachella Valley, also the fastest-growing region in Southern California, extending approximately 45 miles from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea. The desert hosts two of the world’s largest venues each year in ‘Coachella’ and ‘StageCoach,’ and during peak season, nearly 1 million people call the Coachella Valley home.

Programming, Messaging

Through a dizzying array of programming that ranges from sports opinion shows, faith-based ministry, heavy local high school coverage and of course, their own games, the have unleashed an arsenal of media choices that stay on message, maintain consistency and embody the values of the brands and their plans that align with their corporate goals.

“We have clean, over-arching messaging – such as ‘Faith, Family, Football,’ or ‘Defend the Shield,’ driven by smaller, niche growth of ‘communities within communities,'” says Coyotes SVP Ron DiGrandi.

“An example is our breakout coverage of high school sports, or faith-based ministry. We’re delivering diverse content across multiple platforms with niche targets that are difficult to duplicate.”

Advertising, Sponsor Opportunities

For advertisers who seek a 24/7 social media presence and wish to ‘ride-along’ relevant, clean content, this strategy separates the Coyotes from its competitors, and delivers messaging across multiple platforms into even the narrowest markets.

Directing traffic in this ‘perfect storm’ is Coyotes General Manager Scott Alvarez. A 31-year-old Penn State grad and wunderkind, Alvarez daily deploys fresh content that capitalizes on converging trends.

Alvarez credits the social intelligence platforms of the Coyotes and CSESA for their measurable results, which allow him to cull data and “see” what matters most, while detecting moments or trends that need action, and allow him to “listen” to the organizations’ social media followers in a smarter way.

Other Coyotes platforms and brands include CLAHS with Michael Karls, The Sport Report with Conrad Negron, Shield of Dreams Broadcast Ministry, First & Ten LLC Financial Services, and Developmental Football International LLC.

“It’s amazing what customer advocacy and social media engagement can do for your bottom line,” Alvarez says. “Being a social business is now the norm, so we want to be a social media presence that people want to follow and share. If you can’t pivot and be socially adept, you will lose ground and risk being obsolete overnight.” 

CSESA and The Shield at 1 Coyote Way™

The Coyotes non-profit is also supported by Coachella Sports & Entertainment Stadium Authority (CSESA), which is barely more than three years old, but has already become a household name.

CSESA’s primary mission is the ongoing development of The Shield at 1 Coyote Way. Located at Date Palm and I-10 in Cathedral City, The Shield™ is a $1 billion mixed-used faith, sports, medical, tourism and entertainment development that will soon reshape the Coachella Valley skyline.

The Shield will be the first of its kind for American developmental football. The Shield will also be the first indoor stadium in the United Soccer League (USL), the world’s leading developmental soccer collective and feeder to Major League Soccer (MLS).

Currently, the Coyotes and CSESA are one of the Coachella Valley’s largest originators and producers of sports content. This includes live game coverage and daily sports programming.

For its corporate partners, sponsors and advertisers, the Coyotes soaring popularity delivers significant viral brand support in a sea of social media.

What Are the Coyotes 100K Facebook ‘Likes’ Worth?

The Washington, D.C.-based Pew Research Center reports that 87-percent of all Americans in 2020 turned to social media – primarily Facebook – for information and news. Brandwatch reports that as of December 2020, there are more than 2.449 billion monthly active users on Facebook, each claiming an average of 136 friends.

Syncapse, Inc., a social media marketing company, has valued a Facebook ‘like’ at $136 since 2015. To determine that number, Syncapse compared the consumer habits between fan and non-fans using the categories of product spending, brand loyalty, likelihood to recommend, media value, cost of acquisition, and brand affinity. The data was collected from around 2,000 panelists, across a wide range of demographics.

Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks 

The Coyotes non-profit holds patents pending, copyrights, trademarks and licenses on more than a dozen intellectual and business properties, including brands, logos, designs, names, programs, advertising and marketing literature, products, photographs, publications and proprietary assets.

The Coyotes publish content across all social media, including Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook.

DISCOVER how The Pro Football Educator, operated by former Denver Broncos GM and two-time Super Bowl winner Ted Sundquist, selected the SoCal Coyotes as America’s #1 Developmental Pro Football Program. Enjoy more Coyote football at Facebook.com/thesocalcoyotes.

SEVENTY PLAYERS EACH YEAR earn the distinction to ‘Defend the Shield’™ in the uniform of the SoCal Coyotes. Many will earn a shot with NFL, CFL or AFL opportunities, or graduate into business careers.

FAITH, FAMILY, FOOTBALL is the real mission of the Coyotes, and not surprisingly, something that dates back to the great Vince Lombardi in 1959. More than game tape. More than a weight room. More than a 40 time. The Coyote mission reaches far beyond the actual gridiron, deep into the development of young athletes as fathers, husbands, and men.