Coronavirus: San Francisco 49ers create digital learning platforms for kids sheltering in place

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Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Coronavirus: 49ers create digital learning platforms for kids
The San Francisco 49ers have developed an online digital playbook to teach STEAM through football and created at-home workouts for kids to stay physically and mentally active during the coronavirus pandemic.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- The San Francisco 49ers are doing their part to help with COVID-19 relief with their "I Got Your Back" initiative, but they are also helping with education for kids while they are at home as well.

The team has always been dedicated to the cause of helping area youth with physical and educational training, but they are now taking things digital in two new ways.

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The first online platform puts kids through drills in the safety of their own backyard through video demonstrations by the 49ers Prep Team.

"Our hope is that they help these kids get ready for next football season," San Francisco 49ers Vice President of Community Impact Jenni Luke said. "They're broken out into traditional football drills and flag football skills taught by basic, intermediate and advanced levels. Every week the 49ers Prep team is going to be adding videos to the site to give our fans a look at what our players are doing to stay in shape."

But there's more than physical work, kids can break a mental sweat too.

Through the use of the 49ers EDU online playbook, football and education come together.

"It includes a variety of different STEAM subjects using different football-focused activities to better understand the concepts," Luke said. "Even our president, Al Guido, has been using it to help his daughters understand some physics. It's a really fun set of tools to engage in."

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I got your back is the motto of the team and that message even extends to the younger members of the faithful.

60,000 students are annually welcomed into the classrooms at the stadium and now the team is virtually welcoming them in again.

"It's our mission," Luke said. "We do this kind of work everywhere throughout the year. To put four classrooms in the stadium is a really unique thing within the NFL and within sports in general. So, we've definitely been committed to it in the stadium with being able to bring in so many participants annually to our home at Levi's, but this way you get to experience that out in the community wherever you live."

For all these great resources and more, visit the 49ers website.