Paul Crawford to play on Down Under Sports football team in Australia

Paul Crawford, a senior at Weiser High School, has been invited to represent Idaho on the 2019 football team in Australia in the Down Under Bowl.
 Crawford will depart for Queensland, Australia, on Sunday, June 30, to compete down under for individual honors and a team championship title.
 Crawford was raised in Weiser.  He has enjoyed a lifetime of sports, starting in the recreation department, followed by middle school and then high school.  
 He was selected to represent Idaho on the football team because he has a 3.6 GPA and was an all star in football this year.  Following graduation with his senior class of about 100 students, he plans to continue his education at CSI at Twin Falls to earn a two-year college degree in welding.
 Each participant must raise money to cover the cost of the 10-day Australia tournament package.  This package will include five days of sports competition and five days of touring the country and going on wildlife expeditions.   
 Fundraising is an important step to achieve the goal of competing on the international stage. Crawford raised $3,100 of the $4,000 needed to finance his trip. At the April meeting of the Ladies of the Elks, he requested their support and received a check for $900.  That will complete the necessary funding for his trip.
 Down Under Sports was founded in February 1989 based upon the dream of a New Zealander by the name of George O’Scanlon.  He fell in love with athletics, especially American football.  His desire has been to promote football to the people of Australia and New Zealand.  That is why he started the Down Under Bowl, which led to the Down Under Hoops Classic and the Down Under International Games.
 During the past 30 years, Down Under Sports has had the opportunity to share the land down under with tens of thousands of individuals from across the United States.