The trailer for the first of NFL Network’s two new docuseries is here, giving a first look at Football Town: Barrow, Alaska. The first installment of eight episodes of the series, previously called Northern Lights, will follow a high school team located in the remotest of regions as they try to win their school’s first state championship.
Featuring amazing shots of Alaska, the trailer introduces us to the town of Barrow, where the local team, the Whalers, plays football on a field sandwiched between a frozen lagoon and the Arctic Ocean. “There are no roads in, and life is lived below zero,” says the narrator. “But in Barrow, Alaska, football offers a ray of hope.”
It’s clear that the players on the team have to be tough, as they face cold temperatures and a lot of travel time. The Native American community from which the team is largely drawn is so geographically isolated that there isn’t a highway connected to Barrow, which means that the Whalers must travel over 500 miles by plane for away games. “You better love this game if you’re playing in Barrow,” says one of the players shown in the trailer.
Football Town will ultimately focus on high school teams across the country, potentially even revisiting the teams being presented down the road. As NFL Network stated in a press release, this series will “explore small towns and cities where football is much more than a sport — it’s the thread that weaves the community together.” The series is co-produced by NFL Network in association with Leftfield Pictures and Northern Lights Media.
Football Town: Barrow, Alaska premieres on NFL Network on Sept. 22 at 9;00 ET. Following the premiere, the show will air on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET, with encore presentations on Thursdays after the postgame show for Thursday Night Football.
