Happy Fourth of July to everyone from all of us here at IFAF.

The team that has traveled the farthest to be here at the IFAF Americas Flag Football Championships spent two sun-soaked hours out on the practice field on Tuesday at the United States Performance Center in Charlotte.

Chile’s journey took them from Santiago to Houston and then on to Charlotte for a total of 14-hours of flying time and in addition to fighting off jet lag, they’re battling the North Carolina summer heat and humidity too. The South Americans might be used to warm weather, but at this time of year it’s winter in Chile, so the near triple-digit heat index is unseasonably humid for them.

Canada arrived to practice for the first time, many of their players capturing the moment they arrived on the fields that have been expertly devised by USA Football on cell phones as they walked through the main gate. The venue here in the Tar Heel state really is a first-class facility with 10 pristine fields partitioned with IFAF, USA Football and Junior International Cup banners, and bleachers for spectators dotted along the sidelines. A series of tents run through the middle of the expansive area offering shade and first aid to the competitors.

And then there’s the Championship Game field, featuring bleachers for 2,500 spectators looking down on an immaculate surface waiting to welcome some of the tournament’s highlight games on Wednesday. The USA Football operations staff were testing the giant video screen and scoreboard and sound system this afternoon while Canada practiced off in the distance and it’s an impressive sight, sitting up on a slight incline across from the main grandstand. It’s the field where dreams will be made this week.

Notes: USA Football will host its Junior International Cup in conjunction with IFAF’s showpiece event and some of the overseas teams taking part were busy on the practice fields… Japan’s U15 and U17 boys and girls teams hail from Tokyo, Osaka and western Japan and will represent IFAF member the Japanese Federation of American Football (JAFA) this week… The junior tournament also includes teams from Canada, Mexico, Panama and the United States… Having arrived this morning, Brazil’s men and women’s teams acclimatized, checked into their university dorm accommodations and perfected their gameplan at the United States Performance Center.