Treasurer Ellis, Broncos Cornerback Webster, Utah Jump$tart Coalition, and Visa Inc. roll out Financial Football statewide

Financial Education Video Game to Help Utah Students Score Financial Touchdowns

Salt Lake City, UT – September 25, 2014 –Denver Broncos cornerback Kayvon Webster joined Utah Treasurer Richard Ellis, Utah Jump$tart Coalition and Visa Inc. in The Beehive State today to tackle head on the issue of financial literacy improvement among Utah teens. They announced a statewide effort to improve the money management skills of high school and middle school students with the rollout of Financial Football, a free educational video game and classroom curriculum developed by Visa Inc. The game is being distributed by the Treasurer’s office to every public middle school and high school in Utah.

Treasurer Ellis kicked off this financial literacy campaign at Skyline High School in Salt Lake City today with help from Webster, Utah Jump$tart Coalition and Visa. Webster and Treasurer Ellis rolled up their sleeves and led teams of students in a hard-fought, high energy game of Financial Football. Earlier Webster shared his personal experiences on the importance of money management with students.

“Financial Football is a great way to get students interested in personal finances and gives them a financial playbook they can use the rest of their lives,” said Utah Treasurer, Richard Ellis said. “This is a valuable program and an exciting partnership between my office, Jump$tart and Visa.”

“Managing one’s money is a lot more complex than just balancing a checkbook. It is important to teach students about the significance of their personal finances,” Steve Anderson, Utah Jump$tart Coalition Board President said. “I thank Visa for creating this program – another tool for students to use.”

The centerpiece of a nationwide educational initiative, Financial Football helps students and adults tackle their financial futures. The game is accompanied by a classroom curriculum.

“Kids need to learn to make smart money management decisions early in life,” said Denver Broncos cornerback Kayvon Webster. “It takes the combined efforts of parents, teachers and mentors within the community to give teenagers a strong background in personal finance.”

Available online at http://www.utah.financialfootball.comFinancial Football puts students’ fiscal knowledge to the test in an online simulation game environment by combining the structure and rules of football 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.