A high school in Châteauguay will receive a $25,000 grant from NFL Canada to help upgrade team equipment.

Howard S. Billings High School is one of three schools across Canada selected for the NFL Forward Pass program.

“A football team existed at Howard S. Billings from 1968-1975, but was shut down due to lack of funding,” the school noted in their program submission.

“Last year the football team was reinstated and has become the pride of the school and community. The team has the talent, spirit and the heart, but could use a little help to upgrade their equipment. The NFL grant will help the Blazers continue on for years.”

The purpose of the program is to promote community-level youth (U18) tackle and flag football across the country while making the sport more accessible to families.

“In the first year of the NFL Forward Pass program we received over 500 nominations from football programs across the country,” said Tara Chetkowski, director, marketing and fan engagement, NFL Canada.

“Congratulations to this year’s recipients, who are each making a significant impact in the growth of football in their communities and are worthy of this recognition.”

The New Frontiers School Board added that the grant will help remove barriers and support growth of the sport.

There will be around 80 athletes participating in the program next year.

With files from Olivia O’Malley