Washington Redskins' London Fletcher and Alfred Morris, Navy Federal Credit Union and Visa Inc. Collaborate to Showcase Financial Football at the Navy Exchange (NEX) at NSA Bethesda

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tackling head-on the issue of financial literacy among our nation's servicemen and women, Washington Redskins' linebacker London Fletcher and running back Alfred Morris, Navy Federal Credit Union and Visa Inc. visited the Navy Exchange at NSA Bethesda today to showcase a free educational video game and classroom curriculum called Financial Football.

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James Horner, Navy Federal Branch Manager, kicked off today's event at the Navy Federal Credit Union branch in the Walter Reed Exchange with help from Fletcher, Morris and Visa.  Fletcher and Morris both shared personal experiences and their thoughts on the importance of money management with military personnel in attendance.  Horner, Fletcher and Morris then rolled up their sleeves and led attendees in a high-energy game of Financial Football.

"Navy Federal is a strong believer in promoting financial education.  We strive to help our members understand how to set a budget, use credit wisely and save for retirement," said Navy Federal Branch Manager James Horner. "Visa's Financial Football is a valuable program and we're thrilled to be a committed partner.  Teaching responsible, money management skills is not only a good thing to do; it's the right thing to do."

The centerpiece of Visa's nationwide educational initiative with the NFL and NFL PLAYERS, Financial Football helps kids and adults tackle their financial futures.  The game is accompanied by a classroom curriculum.

"Consumers of all ages need to learn to make smart money management decisions early in life," said Redskins linebacker London Fletcher.  "You wouldn't get on the field without a game plan.  You need to plan your finances the same way."

"It doesn't matter whether you make minimum wage or millions," added Redskins running back Alfred Morris.  "If you don't learn to budget, save, invest and pay bills on time, the consequences can be devastating."

Available online, at www.practicalmoneyskills.com/football, Financial Football puts players' fiscal knowledge to the test in an online simulation game environment by combining the structure and rules of the NFL with financial education questions of varying difficulty.  Visa has also released the game as a free iPhone app on iTunes, along with an optimized HD iPad version.

"For over a decade, Visa has been committed to promoting financial literacy and we are proud to assist Navy Federal Credit Union in their efforts to strengthen financial education for members of our military," said Jason Alderman, Senior Director of Global Financial Education, Visa Inc.

This event is part of a national educational campaign with Visa, the NFL and NFL PLAYERS, now in its seventh season.  Since 2006, Visa has reached agreements with thirty-five states and the District of Columbia to distribute Financial Football to every high school and middle school in those states, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Financial Football is part of Practical Money Skills for Life (www.practicalmoneyskills.com), a free, award-winning financial education program that reaches millions of people around the world each year. Launched in 1995, the program is now available in ten languages in thirty countries.  At Practical Money Skills for Life, educators, parents and students can access free educational resources including personal finance articles, games, lesson plans, and more.  Visa also runs What's My Score (www.whatsmyscore.org), a leading higher education consumer awareness program.

About Navy Federal Credit Union:
Navy Federal Credit Union is the world's largest credit union with over $52 billion in assets, four million members, 229 branches and a workforce of over 10,000 employees worldwide. The credit union serves all Department of Defense military and civilian personnel and their families. For additional information, visit www.navyfederal.org.

About Visa Inc.
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world's most advanced processing networks-VisaNet-that is capable of handling more than 24,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit http://www.corporate.visa.com.

SOURCE Navy Federal Credit Union