The American FootGolf League happily celebrates its fourth anniversary today, Nov. 18. Proud of its accomplishments to date, the AFGL is poised for bigger and better things in its upcoming fifth year.
“I never dreamed we’d be in almost 500 courses across the country, and receive recognition and acknowledgement from every major golf and soccer organization in such a short time,” says AFGL founder Roberto Balestrini. “When we first started, no one understood what FootGolf is, and worse, no one could understand me telling them what it is. Thank goodness my wife Laura accepted a very active role in our development and growth as president of the AFGL. And along the way, I think my English has improved a little bit.”
“We have so many people to thank for reaching this milestone – I am not sure there is enough space to mention them all,” says AFGL president Laura Balestrini. “First and foremost is the Federation for International FootGolf, which sanctioned the AFGL as the governing body of FootGolf in the United States. The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) is the first national golf organization that recognized our governing role for the sport of FootGolf in the U.S. Then we have all the golf course owners and operators who have installed FootGolf and offered this new game and sport to their respective communities. Also all the media – its interest and support broadcast FootGolf to millions of people. We know now that nearly one million FootGolf rounds will be played in 2015 at AFGL sanctioned courses, generating 15-20 million dollars in new revenue for FootGolf facilities. And for all the people who play FootGolf, we could not be happier that we brought a new sport into their lives.”
Roberto Balestrini concludes, “The next stop in the AFGL’s journey is the FootGolf World Cup in Argentina, this January. The AFGL National FootGolf Team will compete for the world championship, representing the United States. It is a dream come true! We are talking with several major sponsors intrigued with the idea of attaching their names and brands to FootGolf. We are planning more regional, national and international events for 2016, and developing new tools and ideas to assist our FootGolf facilities to grow the game. We expect our fifth year will see explosive growth on many fronts and if all goes well, I’ll hire a linguist coach to learn how to talk like Daniel Craig.”
About the American FootGolf League: The AFGL is the founder and official governing body for the sport of FootGolf in the United States, as sanctioned by the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG). With nearly 500 certified and accredited participating golf facilities, the AFGL is growing this new sport locally as well as promoting it nationally. The AFGL operates the American FootGolf Pro-Am Tour, the U.S. National FootGolf Championship, and represents the United States in the official FootGolf World Cup. The AFGL also publishes “This is FootGolf Magazine” (www.thisisfootgolf.com), provides the only official FootGolf equipment in the U.S. and offers FFANS, the only recognized FootGolf handicap service at www.footgolffans.com. For more about the American FootGolf League, please go here: www.afgl.us.
Sponsors and advertisers can contact AFGL Marketing at marketing@footgolf.net, or 760-501-0100 ext. 108. Golf facilities considering adding FootGolf can contact Course Support at courses@footgolf.net, or 760-501-0100 ext. 104.
Contact:
Harvey Silverman, AFGL Director of Media Relations and editor of This is FootGolf Magazine. hsilverman@thisisfootgolf.com, 760.501.0100 Ext. 129.
