Pascal Matla
Encyclopedia
Pascal Matla was an American football
player. Matla grew up in Voorburg
, Netherlands
. As a youth, he attended a media day for the Amsterdam Admirals
and had the opportunity to meet some of the players. Matla later recalled, "One of the players told me I was a big kid and told me I should play. So I went home and started looking for information on where to play." At age 17, he joined a club in Zoetermeer
that was part of a flag football
league. At age 18, he joined the full-contact division, and at age 19, he played football in Saarland
, Germany
. He traveled to Tampa, Florida
to play with 36 European players in an exhibition game before the Super Bowl
. While in Tampa, he learned of college football
, and a tape of the Europeans' game was seen by the offensive line coach for Eastern Illinois University
. He was offered a scholarship and enrolled at the school. Matta joined the Eastern Illinois football team in the summer of 2001 for workouts and drills and played for the team from 2002 to 2005 and was selected as a second team All-Ohio Valley Conference
player in 2004. Matla attended training camp with the New Orleans Saints
in the summer of 2006, but was released before the regular season began. He played for the Amsterdam Admirals
of the NFL Europa in 2007.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. Matla grew up in Voorburg
Voorburg
Voorburg is a Dutch town and former municipality in the western part of the province of South Holland, the Netherlands. As also Leidschendam and Stompwijk, it is part of the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg. It has approximately 39,000 inhabitants....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. As a youth, he attended a media day for the Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europe based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-History:The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to be based entirely in Europe...
and had the opportunity to meet some of the players. Matla later recalled, "One of the players told me I was a big kid and told me I should play. So I went home and started looking for information on where to play." At age 17, he joined a club in Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 37.06 km² . A small village until the late 1960s, it had 6,392 inhabitants in 1950...
that was part of a flag football
Flag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
league. At age 18, he joined the full-contact division, and at age 19, he played football in Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He traveled to Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
to play with 36 European players in an exhibition game before the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. While in Tampa, he learned of college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, and a tape of the Europeans' game was seen by the offensive line coach for Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a...
. He was offered a scholarship and enrolled at the school. Matta joined the Eastern Illinois football team in the summer of 2001 for workouts and drills and played for the team from 2002 to 2005 and was selected as a second team All-Ohio Valley Conference
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
player in 2004. Matla attended training camp with the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
in the summer of 2006, but was released before the regular season began. He played for the Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europe based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-History:The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to be based entirely in Europe...
of the NFL Europa in 2007.