Disclosure: This is not a compensated or sponsored post. I was invited to the event. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love football, so this was a great time seeing these two NFL players. Also, they were talking about a topic that’s near and dear to my heart Financial Literacy.  Throughout my career, I have stressed Financial Literacy to many young individuals, so I am excited to see the NFL take up the baton and developing this video game.  It has also my belief that if we teach young individuals about money management they will be able to balance their checkbooks and make investments when they get older.

Financial Football video game for the 2018 – 2019 NFL season at an event in New Jersey with New York Giants stars, Eli Manning and Saquon Barkley. The free video game lets fans ages 11 and older suit up as a player from their favorite NFL team and play a virtual game of football designed to help students learn to make smart money-management decisions.

Research shows one-in-five teenage students in the U.S. lacks basic financial skillsⁱ. Forty percent of adults said that if faced with a $400 unexpected expense, they would either not be able to pay it or would do so by selling something or borrowing moneyⁱⁱ. As new payment methods such as mobile payments, contactless cards and wearables become more prevalent, it underscores the need for financial literacy starting at an early age and continuing into adulthood.

“Financial Football provides young people in our communities with the tools and understanding of sound money management, helping prepare them for a lifetime of smart financial decisions,” said Marianne Mwaniki, SVP and Head of Social Impact at Visa. “As the world’s leader in digital payments, we are proud to partner with the NFL to combine the excitement of football and financial literacy to bring otherwise difficult money matters to life for students.”

Financial Football features improved 3D graphics and enhanced game play. It challenges players to answer multiple-choice and true or false questions to advance down the field in order to score a touchdown. New features include:

• Single player and head-to-head games
• Three different levels of difficulty: Rookie (ages 11-14), Pro (ages 14-18) and Hall of Fame (ages 18+)
• Expanded categories include: Budgeting, Saving, Financial Institutions, Credit, Debt, Identity Theft, Life Events
• The ability to play both offense and defense. Players can select from over 40 offensive plays, as well as the ability to stop their opponents from advancing by answering a defensive question correctly.

The latest version of Financial Football, makes financial education accessible to everyone, no matter how or where they choose to play. The game is available through iOS and Android apps and online. Visa has joined with 49 state governments and the District of Columbia to distribute copies of the game to middle and high schools in those regions. Visa’s Financial Football can now be played online at financialfootball.com or downloaded on any computer or mobile device as a free app.

At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Giants stars, Eli Manning and Saquon Barkley hosted more than 100 high school students for the official launch of the new Financial Football video game. The two players coached the head-to-head game competition and led students through skills and drills activities focused on financial education categories.

“Visa’s Financial Football is a fun way for kids and adults to learn about financial literacy and responsibility,” said Eli Manning, the Giants’ veteran quarterback. “Football fans of any age can participate and tackle the important life skill of money management. It’s important we equip our children with that knowledge.”

Manning says he strongly believes that the younger the kids are when you introduce them to Financial Literacy, the less likely they will make money management mistakes when they get older.  It was great to see Manning a veteran player talking about this, but also being there with rookie Barkley who is learning to balance his financial decisions and being in the NFL was very exciting. You could tell that these two enjoyed their time with the kids. It is an important topic and we need more education around this. I was so happy that I passed the skills test.  You could see that the kids respected these players and I hope they will learn from them.

The game, which has been played more than 10 million times is available in English and Spanish. To put your financial literacy skills to the test, download Financial Football at: https://financialfootball.com/downloads.

The game, available in both English and Spanish, lets students play football as one of their favorite NFL players. To move the ball down the field, or to block the other team from doing so, kids must correctly answer a financial literacy multiple choice question.

Kids can choose to play one of three levels of difficulty: Rookie (ages 11 to 14), Pro (ages 14 to 18), and Hall of Fame (ages 18+).

Visa also partnered with 49 state governments and the District of Columbia to distribute copies of the game to middle and high schools.

The game, designed for kids ages 11 and up, is available now for iOS, for Androids, and online.