NFL coaches coming to Vernon for Global Gridiron camps

Jul 13, 2026 | 12:44 PM

A local businessman and football coach will be bringing some big names in the sport to the North Okanagan.

Global Gridiron will host football camps in Vernon and Salmon Arm on the weeks of May 20 and May 28, 2027.

The camps will provide local athletes with a chance to learn from elite coaches to develop their skills and play at their highest level.

The camps will be led by the legendary Brian Billick, Head Coach of the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, and Mike Smith, former Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Billick was touted as developing innovative offensive strategies that helped build one of the NFL’s most dominant teams, while Smith was known for his defensive expertise, discipline and strong leadership.

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Other players and coaches were expected to help lead the camps as well. Details on those plans will be announced in the coming months.

Run under Gobal Gridiron, a non-profit applying for charity status, these camps have been held around the world over the past several years as a way to give youth a chance to hone their skills while also growing the sport’s global reach. Those included camps in Portugal in 2018 and in Germany in 2019.

Lance Heron, a local businessman and American football coach involved with Global Gridiron, told Vernon Matters the camps would be brought to the North Okanagan as part of the venture to encourage youth in the sport and grow the sport.

Heron also founded Armilla Tech, a company that developed an electronic play calling system for football, baseball and softball, allowing coaches to quickly and effectively communicate with the players via a tablet from the sideline or dugout to a receiver on the player’s wrist.

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by Liam Verster

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