Browns youth football department continued its mission of supporting youth and high school football programs across Northeast and Central Ohio, as they hosted a large-scale equipment giveaway on May 21 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
They welcomed 30 high school football programs and 75 coaches from across Northeast and Central Ohio for their sixth annual equipment giveaway. Coaches had the opportunity to select gear and equipment to bring back to their respective programs for the 2026 football season.
"Any help in any way is always appreciated, and if you have the ability to make these relationships along the way that help you do that, there's no reason not to put yourself out there and try to help the kids," GlenOak High School assistant football coach Dugan May said. "Because it's for the kids. Try to give them everything they deserve, because they deserve everything. If you want them to perform amazing, you have to give them amazing things. You have to put them in the best position."
The Browns first began the equipment giveaway in 2021, handing out game pants, jerseys and used cleats. Over the last six years, the giveaway has evolved to include new and lightly used cleats, shoulder pads, guardian caps, workout equipment, jerseys, game pants and jerseys, gear and apparel for the high school programs.
This year, the Browns gave out 600 pairs of cleats and sneakers, as well as hundreds of apparel items including, t-shirts, workout tees, sweatshirts, sweatpants, jackets, compression gear, hats and more. Coaches received football essentials including footballs, gloves, equipment bags, water bottles, water jugs, water carriers, shoulder pads, guardian caps, a quarterback net and more. The Browns also provided flag football belts, available to coaches with flag football programs.
The giveaway also included weight room and strength and conditioning equipment—an increasingly vital resource for developing football programs. Items included a Rogue hamstring curl machine, a Rogue cable machine, Rogue multi-press machines, training tables, an E1 elliptical, UltraSlide slide boards, a tire for flip training, a hurdle holder with hurdles, weight room padded flooring and a vibration plate machine.
For many schools, these donations filled urgent needs heading into the upcoming football season.
"The giveaway is always a highlight of the offseason for our program," Maple Heights High School head football coach Shaq Washington said. "It provides our student-athletes with the resources they need to perform on the football field at a high level. We have a number of student athletes who may not have the means to afford some of the equipment that the Cleveland Browns provide us with, so it's always a special time our program."
In total, the Browns donated over $250,000 worth of cleats, apparel, gear and training equipment. These donations help offset the costs that local high school football programs in both Northeast and Central Ohio would typically face heading into a new season. The donations also helped ensure student-athletes have access to safe, functional gear—many of whom might otherwise go without.
The Browns remain committed to growing the game of football across Northeast Ohio through impactful programming, ongoing coaching education and annual initiatives like the equipment donation. With the continued involvement of Browns players, coaches and staff, youth football remains a key pillar of the team's community outreach efforts.
"It's amazing, because you have these young kids – and a lot of them, they have high aspirations. They want to be professional athletes," May said. "And if you have a connection to the actual organization, their favorite team, it's huge. You can see it. If you see something, you can visualize it, you can find a way to obtain it or at least work your way to it. It's always nice, especially with the flag – because we were adopting the flag program – so it's also nice with that, they've helped tremendously open up doors and provided a lot."
