The body behind American football in the UK has been unveiled as a sponsor with one of the country’s most respected journalism training bodies.

The UK arm of National Football League (NFL) will give its name to both the Awards for Excellence and the Sports Journalism Award run by the National Council for the Training of Journalists’ (NCTJ).

They form part of the training body’s Diploma in Journalism.

David Tossell, director of European public affairs for NFL International, said: “The growth of the NFL in the UK owes a lot to the support and engagement of the media and we are pleased to be contributing in a small way to the development of a new generation of journalists.

“As an NCTJ graduate, I am well aware of the outstanding and important work done by the organisation.”

Joanne Butcher, NCTJ chief executive, said: “We look forward to working together to promote the best young talent in journalism.”

The awards, now known as the NCTJ Awards for Excellence sponsored by NFL, recognise and reward the best journalism students completing NCTJ-accredited courses and journalists/photographers with less than two years’ experience on the job.

There are also awards for student and trainee of the year, as well as the NCTJ Chairman’s Award which recognises an individual’s outstanding contribution to high standards of journalism training.

As part of the agreement, the NFL will also sponsor an award to recognise the top performing students in the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism sports exam.

The NFL Sports Journalism Award will be presented to three students who have achieved an A grade in the sports journalism exam paper. Each of the winners will get a seat in the press box at one of three NFL International Series games at Wembley Stadium in the autumn