1 July 2010 - Inside American Football

Transcription

July 2010 - Inside American Football
1
INSIDE
AMERICAN
FOOTBALL
Issue Two
Welcome to issue two of Inside American Football!
Well, what a reception we had to the first issue. Two thousand
downloads of our Issue One PDF files from the website &
850 downloads of the online version. That must represent a
significant part of the British American Football Community.
Lots of really supportive comments for our efforts. “Just what
the sport needs,” “The standard is very high,” “Everyone
in the game should be reading this & supporting you”- just
some of the comments we’ve received.
We’ve had some further offers of help since Issue One went
out. Some have been taken up, some haven’t been taken
up, yet. If I haven’t contacted you back it’s not because I’m
ignoring you, just that I have been so busy this month that
Issue Two has gone out two weeks later than I anticipated
& I’ve literally been rushed off my feet with this & ‘normal
life’.
That said, if anyone is interested in assisting us or suggesting
an item for a future issue, please get in touch, there are
several ways to contact us.
Please join our online forum at the Inside American Football
website & post your thoughts, comments & suggestions
there. Don’t forget to join our Facebook Group or follow us
on Twitter, either.
This month’s issue sees a bit of a Youth thing going on; we
have items on the Lancashire Academy of American Football,
and the Farnham Knights & London Blitz Youth Teams.
Budding photographers get a chance to sit pitch-side at the
forthcoming NFL game which sees San Francisco hosting
Denver in London later this year. Check out page 62 to see
how you can win the opportunity to shoot the game.
If you’re missing the weekly dose of TV action until the NFL
starts again, take a look at Dean Rasmussen’s guide to some
hot European football streaming opportuwwnities.
Enjoy this issue, and please give us some feedback, we do
this in our own time & feedback gives us a warm glow &
makes us feel like the effort is all worthwhile!
London Blitz -v- Sussex Thunder
Photo © Garry Neesam
2
Inside American Football - July 2010
...Garry Neesam
Inside American Football
Issue Two Contributors
Garry Neesam: Editor & Publisher
Mike Revell: Staff Writer & Graphics
Luke Hill: Staff Writer
Nathan Sharrocks: Staff Writer
Pete Barker: Staff Writer
Stuart Holland: Staff Writer
Contribitors
Dan Aitch
Amanda McDonald
Dean Rasmussen
Steve Tonkinson
Photographers
Dan Aitch
Leigh Morris
Kevin Gedny
John Singer
Neil Biggs
Chris Evers
Tony Walsh
Nick Dunning
Mike Dean
IAF Website:www.insideamericanfootball.com
IAF Facebook:www.facebook.com/group.
php?gid=129743753708576
IAF Twitter Page:twitter.com/insideamfootbal
v1.0
3
Issue Two
Contents
6 Team News
from around the league
10 Herts Hurricanes
recruiting information
12 Match Reports
16 pages of game info from the last few weeks
28 Photographers on the Sidelines
some more candid shots of the shooters
30 NFL Corner
news, draft updates & a season primer
32Airborne
photos of players in action
36 Beginner’s Guide to Defence
with the help of Lancashire Academy coach,
Simon Purcell
40 EFAF - A Photographer’s Tale
Dan Aitch reveals what it’s like to be a
photographer on the road
46 Inside Refereeing
we interview Stuart Young, a ref in his first
year
56 Doing it for the kids
the Lancashire Academy of American Football
58 Ask the Ref
all you want to know about downing punts
60 Friday Night Lights
reviewing the American High School football
phenomenon
62 Photo Competition
how you can get to shoot the next UK NFL
game
64 We are the Champions
Farnham Knights Youth Squad
66 Aiming for the Top
the London Blitz Youth team
72 Photographers in Focus
American Football photographer Neil Biggs
80 BAFA Directory
contact details for all UK teams
84 League Results
49 Becoming an Official
info for anyone interested in officiating
51 Lions Road Towards Frankfurt
the GB Lions are heading for European
competition
52 Guide to Euro Streaming
how you can watch live games from across
Europe
London Olympians -v- Essex Spartans
Photo © Dan Aitch
4
5
NEWS
Hornets Announce New Head Coach
Appointment
Pirates move to new
home
H
T
ornets former Head Coach, Ben
Grant, recently announced his
decision to step down as Head Coach,
he commented:
“Having recently increased my work
commitments and with family life
becoming more and more busy, it is
with a heavy heart and sadness that I
announce my decision to step down
as Head Coach of the Hull Hornets
American Football Club, this is with
immediate effect. As you will imagine
this is not a decision taken lightly, but
as most of you will have become aware
my family and work commitments
are making it increasingly difficult to
attend training on a regular basis. This
is therefore not allowing me to give
of my best to the Hornets or to my
family.”
He continued: “In the meantime, I
am very pleased to announce that
Coach Graham McCoid is stepping
up and taking over the guiding reins.
I shall still be around and available
as a player, so am not giving up my
involvement with Gridiron.
Consequently I expect everyone to
show our new Head Coach Graham
McCoid the same respect you gave
me and which made it easier to do the
thankless task that is Head Coach.”
The Hull Hornets Committee wish to
take this opportunity to wish Ben a
massive vote of thanks for the work
and time he has put into the Hornets
during his years as a player and as a
coach. Ben was one of the first players
to join the club and we know this
decision has been a tough one to make.
We are very happy he has decided to
stay on as a player and as such his
inspiration and commitment will still
be a part of the Hornets ‘never say die’
attitude.
We are also pleased to announce the
appointment of new Head Coach
Graham McCoid, who recently said:
“I wish to publicly thank Coach
Grant, for his long involvement
with the Hornets and for his input as
Head Coach. Ben stepped up after
the departure of former Head Coach
Peter Scorah who moved on to other
avenues. Ben’s input was instrumental
in continuing the Hornets’ traditions
and for that we are grateful. We
understand his commitment to his
family and are pleased to learn of his
continued involvement as a player
within the squad.”
McCoid played for the Hull Kingston
Liberators and the Scarborough
Warlords in the 1980s as well as being
a former Doncaster Mustang. He
formed the Hornets with Chris Evers.
he East Kilbride Pirates have
moved home for the 2010 season.
Despite enjoying a great relationship
with Hamilton Rugby Club, the team’s
venue for 2009, the Pirates had to
seek a new ground as a result of pitch
improvement works, which wouldn’t
be completed in time to host all of this
season’s home games. A hunt then
ensued to find a suitable replacement
base, resulting in a relocation to
Whitecraigs Rugby Club, in Newton
Mearns.
“This is the team’s 25th anniversary
year, so it was hugely important
for us to find the right venue for
this season,” said team Chairman
Matthew Davies. “While we’re sad to
be moving on from Hamilton Rugby
Club, I’m sure our new partnership
with Whitecraigs will be every bit as
successful, providing the Pirates with
an excellent level of facilities for both
fans and visiting teams alike. I’d also
like to thank committee member Neale
McMaster, whose hard work to find a
new home ground was key to securing
Former Hull Hornets Head Coach Ben Grant (left) hands over the reins to Graham McCoid (right)
Photos © Chris Evers
6
NEWS
the deal.”
Although the East Kilbride Pirates are
Scotland’s oldest American Football
team, Whitecraigs has an even longer
history. Formed in 1928, the Rugby
Union team has a strong focus on
youth development, and its senior
squad has recently been promoted to
Premier 3.
Facilities on offer include three
pitches, two the same size as
Murrayfield, as well as a club house
with a players bar, lounge bar, squash
courts and gym.
“We’re very pleased to welcome
American Football to Whitecraigs
this year” said Club Secretary
Graeme Scott. “I think this will be
a great arrangement for both us and
the Pirates, who share the same
commitment and passion to their sport
as we do. I’m looking forward to
seeing the guys in action on the pitch,
and wish them a very successful series
of home games.”
The Pirates first home game of the
year put the seal of success on the new
venue, with a 26-6 victory against the
Doncaster Mustangs.
BUAFL sets its sights on Northampton
T
he British American Universities
Football League are looking to next
season’s finals after the success of their
first ever visit to Northampton Town
Football Club’s Sixfields Stadium.
BUAFL were very happy with their
first ever visit to the stadium on the
9th of May this year, which saw the
culmination of the university season in
two finals.
The Challenge Trophy saw the
Greenwich Mariners beat the Stirling
Clansmen 12 - 0. The Birmingham
Lions beat the Loughborough Aces
27 – 16 in the National Championship
game. Entry to the game was a very
reasonable £3 for adults for both
games.
Andy Fuller, BAFA Director for
Student Football Development,
said: “The League was delighted
with facilities at Northampton Town
Football Club and the support they
offered us in the build up to our trophy
games.
“When the League was reviewing
where the finals should be held for
the 2009-2010 season we looked at a
variety of venues around the country.
Northampton offered us not only a
tremendous venue but crucially, they
were keen to explore to what extent
both parties could build a relationship
which could see the event return there
year on year and get progressively
better in terms of the offer to those
fans who travel to the game and to
those players and coaches who had
fought so hard to reach the pinnacle of
the student game.”
The League are now looking to the
2010/2011 season finals but use of the
stadium will depend on how the season
fits in with the Cobblers’ fixtures.
“We are now awaiting the
announcement of the Football League
fixtures to ascertain whether it is
feasible to take the Championship
Game back there next season. If it
proves possible I anticipate the 2011
Championship Game to provide
the basis for the best finals event in
Student football history,” said Fuller.
Pirates’ Chairman Matthew Davies (left) shakes on the deal
with Whitecraigs Club Secretary Graeme Scott (right)
Photo Courtesy East Kilbride Pirates
Birmingham Lions (in blue) try a field goal during the first ever BUAFL National
Championship game to be held at Sixfields Stadium, Northampton
7
NEWS
Can football come back to Cambridge?
I
AF reader & 4-year Britball veteran
Thomas Piachaud is looking to
get American Football back onto
the playing fields of Cambridge
University.
The now defunct Pythons had a
playing record of 38-16-2 in their
9-year existence before folding in
1997.
IAF is happy to reproduce Thomas’s
request for help from the British
American Football community:
“I have been a part of the Britball
community for 4 years now. I have
had 4 seasons at the Southampton
Stags (BUAFL 06-10)) , a season with
the Southern Sundevils (Div1 08), a
season with the London Blitz (Prem
09) and currently half way through a
season with the London Cobras (Prem
10).
“I have been lucky enough to secure a
place to study a PhD at Cambridge and
wish to put out a call to any players,
coaches or teams in the area for help.
“I am interested in reviving the old
Cambridge Pythons as a new team
for competition in BUAFL, and am
looking for any assistance anyone can
offer in helping my achieve this goal.
Currently I have only had preliminary
discussions with members previously
associated with the Pythons, who
have prepared me for a possible uphill
battle.
“If anyone is willing to lend assistance
in any way they can, could you please
contact me on:
[email protected]”
Thomas Piachaud is hoping that the Cambridge Cats won’t be
the only American Football team in Cambridge
Photo © Tony Walsh
Football in North Wales?
I
AF Reader Michael Evans is hoping
to start a team in North Wales. He
is looking for motivated people and
players to help him in his quest to
bring a team to North Wales.
Michael said, “I am looking at maybe
starting a team, and basing it either
on Anglesey, or in Bangor, depending
on how things work out. It’s looking
likely that we will base it on Anglesey,
as there is a university team in Bangor
already.
8
There are a few players already
training, but as the numbers are not
sufficient for one scrimmage, things
have not progressed in the way I would
have liked.
Anyone interested should contact
Michael through the Facebook page he
has set up for the project at:
www.facebook.com/group.
php?gid=134950209859758&ref=ts
NEWS
Leicester Falcons make
historic signing
YOUR MAGZINE
NEEDS YOU
T
he 2010 season for the Falcons
has been full of frustrations and
learning that playing in Division One
is very different to Division Two. A
series of close defeats have highlighted
this and left the team 1-3-1 at the
midpoint of the season. Realising
that they had to play smarter as well
as harder, GM Guy Kersey set about
trying to improve the team. The
Falcons are now incredibly proud to
have signed the biggest name to play
in British Football in a great many
years - former Denver Broncos and
Colorado State Quarter Back, Bradlee
Van Pelt.
At Colorado Bradlee set impressive
figures, passing for 3,000 yards and
rushing for just under 1,000 yards in
the same season. This saw him drafted
to the Denver Broncos in 2004 where
he stayed for 3 seasons as the back up
to Jake Plummer. He then had a season
at the Houston Texans before he retired
from the NFL to build his own wine
merchant business.
Falcons GM Guy Kersey and Bradlee
met in Bergamo where he was playing
for the Lions and revealed he was
planning to come to the UK as part of
his research into the wine industries
of Europe. Seeing this fantastic
opportunity, the Falcons pounced on
this and have secured his help until
the end of the season and, if all things
work out, into 2011 too. In that time
he will be helping to improve how the
Falcons develop and in particular he
Inside American Football has been put together by a small
team who have a passion for British American Football.
We need your help to make this the best publication it can
be. There are a number of ways in which members of the
British American Fooball community can assist:
Spread the word
Please tell your team mates about us, mention us in your forums & post
a link to us on your websites: www.InsideAmericanFootball.com
Join our Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/group.
php?gid=129743753708576.
Send in your Match Reports:
We started issue 1 with 5 game reports, we can use lots more, send
them in with or without a photograph or two.
Send in your Team News
Let the whole community know what’s going on with your team.Put
Inside American Football on your club’s news distribution list [email protected].
will be working with the two young
British Quarter Backs the Falcons have
in their squad.
The Falcons also are looking to 2011
already and to maximise the time
Bradlee is with them. To continue the
work he is now doing and to carry it on
to 2011 they have also signed Former
Blitz , Olympians, Jets and Valencia
Firebats Quarter Back Stuart Franklin
as their Offensive Coordinator for the
remainder of this season and hopefully
into 2011. Stuart has an impressive
record of appearing in 14 consecutive
championship games and is renowned
for being one of the best coaches in
this country.
Stuart has been looking to work with
a young organisation and build them
up and the Falcons are delighted that
he has chosen them. He too is looking
forward to working alongside Bradlee
Van Pelt.
...Guy Kersey
Photos this item © Nick Dunning
courtesy Leicester Falcons
Photographers!
High quality photography is key to the success of the magazine, we
want to highlight the best in American football photography. Whether
you want to feature in our ‘Photographers in Focus’ section, provide
shots of games you’ve covered, or just want to show a photo your
particularly proud of, get in touch. Whilst we’d love to be able to
browse your websites & choose some great shots, we really don’t have
time to do this, please send us a few low-res shots in the first instance.
Ideas can be forwarded to the Editor.
Suggest a Feature
You can see the kind of articles we’re doing, why not help us with some
suggestions for new features. You don’t need to write it, our staff can
do that, but if you want to provide a full article yourself, get in touch
with your ideas.
Join the Team
Are you a budding journalist, a keen photographer or just passionate
about the game? We can use your help. We’re interested in:
• writers
• photographers
• designers
• web designers
Please contact the editor for more information.
[email protected]
9
BUAFL
BUAFL
Hurricanes on the look-out
T
he University of Hertfordshire
Hurricanes American Football
Team has a strong tradition at the
University of Hertfordshire, and they
are preparing to uphold that tradition
already.
Do you feel ready to be a part of that
tradition?
The Hurricanes compete in BUAFL
(British Universities American
Football League) and last season were
crowned South East Champions, then
narrowly lost to eventual National
Champions Birmingham Lions in the
National Semi finals. The Hurricanes
are looking to do better this season
and adding to the record breaking 4
National Championships.
The “TEAM” is far more than players.
The Cheerleading squad is a very
successful team in its own right. We
have a dedicated team of helpers to
provide support on game day from
photographers, and film crew to
chain crew, and medical staff who
keep everyone healthy. Anyone who
Adrian John: Players’ player of the year
runs with the football
wishes to join these parts of the team is
always welcome. And the experience
gained can be invaluable for future job
prospects.
Most 1st year players have never
even seen the game before, but with
a large team of coaches (including
GB international coaches & players),
dedicated players can soon be taught
the techniques and tactics required for
the sport.
The coaches are responsible for
selecting the squad, and the squad
consists of a large number of players,
with unlimited substitutions, meaning
that everyone in the squad can be
involved in games.
Many players from the Hurricanes
team have gone onto great success
in American football. From recent &
current teams:
Fred Boyle, Fabrizio Gargiulo, Leslie
Wilson, Stephen Gregory, Ronnie
Twumasi & Issam Affoury all feature
in the GB international team.
Fabrizio Gargiulo & Leslie Wilson
were selected for the NFL International
trials.
Michael Wayans managed an
unprecedented walk-on spot with
the Oklahoma Sooners NCAA div 1
team for the 08/09 season. Michael
was on a year exchange program
with Oklahoma University, one of the
University of Hertfordshire’s partners
in the USA. After being turned away 4
times Michael finally managed to get
a try out for the team, and managed to
secure a coveted walk-on spot.
There are many skills required to play
American football, and because of the
unlimited substitutions, specialists are
welcome. The list of skills includes
running, passing, catching, tackling,
kicking, punting, man marking &
blocking.
Of course all this success does not
come easy, it requires dedication and
commitment. But with the University’s
state of the art facilities, and the strong
family bond within the team, it is a
great experience and not a chore.
All photos this item © Garry Neesam
after making it to the semi-finals last season the ‘Canes are looking to build the squad for an
attempt at their 5th national championship
Head Coach Jim
Messenger also
Strong
Tacklers are a
coaches the
valuable asset
to the team
Quarterbacks
“I have no doubt in the friendships made on the team throughout my time as a
Hurricane - they shall last forever. Thank you very much to all the coaches who have
pushed me onto great things within this sport, but none compare to the feelings of
unity I get playing alongside my fellow Hurricanes.”
- Fabrizio Gargiulo - GB International, Hertfordshire Hurricane Player of the
year, London Blitz, NFL International Trialist
“What I have learned from being on this team will be with me for the rest of my life
and I thank you all. It has been the best 5 years of my life. I will never forget any of
you.”
- Issam Affoury - GB International, Hertfordshire Hurricane Player of the
year 3 times, London Olympian.
“I never really understood the whole team sport thing, I’ve always played solo sports
but I thought I’d give it a go, after recommendations from previous players I decided
to give it a shot and I have loved every minute of it”
- Luke Hill 1st year player.
“What a Ride! Honestly at the start of the year when I joined the Hurricanes, I didn’t
know what to expect, whether it would be a worthwhile experience or just distract
me from my studies so that I would fail my final year. However after coming through
the season like we did, I would just to say THANKS to everyone involved with the
Hurricanes for an amazing year. I now firmly have the American football bug.”
- Scott Hillcoat 1st year player joined us in final year
email: [email protected] for information
10
11
MATCH REPORTS
MATCH REPORTS
Shutout Scorches Sharks
Gateshead & Manchester Youth
B
T
Berkshire Renegades 20 - Cornish Sharks 0
22nd May 2010
erkshire Renegades continued
their winning start to the 2010
season with a dominant 20-0 victory
over the visiting Cornish Sharks at
Bulmershe Field on Saturday.
The match marked several landmarks
for the Renegades: their best start to
a season, their first ever shutout, and
their first win over the Sharks.
Sharks received the opening kickoff,
and immediately threatened to score,
moving the ball 52 yards in 11 plays,
just failing to score when a pass was
dropped in the back of the Renegades’
endzone on fourth down. Berkshire
stumbled on their first possession,
going three and out. The Renegades
defence then stole the momentum
when, following some intelligent
defensive plays from Ben Flanagan to
help stifle the Sharks’ running game,
defensive back Neal Kent intercepted
on his own goalline and returned the
ball for 29 yards. A penalty tacked
on to the end of the play gave the
Renegades excellent field position,
and as the second quarter started they
made the most of it, moving the ball
well on the ground thanks to backs
Paul Cook and Scott Goddard. From
the Sharks’ 11-yard line, quarterback
Paul Waddington rolled out looking
to pass, but saw a gap, tucked the ball
and darted untouched into the endzone
for the opening touchdown. James
Treherne’s point-after kick was good,
and it was 7-0 to the home team.
Cornish struggled to move the ball
on their next drive, thanks to some
ferocious gang-tackling from the
Gateshead Senators Youth 28 - Manchester Titans Youth 14
23rd May 2010
Berkshire defence. The Renegades
stretched their lead on their next drive,
with Scott Goddard cutting outside a
superb block by receiver Sam Marshall
to break for a 50 yard touchdown run.
Treherne’s leg was good again, and
it was 14-0 to the Renegades. The
Berkshire defence rounded out the first
half in style as Rory Buckley recorded
his second interception in as many
games.
The tide appeared to be turning in the
third quarter, with the Sharks putting
the Renegades on their heels with
some powerful rushing teamed with
some crisply-executed misdirection
plays. However, the Berkshire defence
bent, but refused to break, and the third
quarter went scoreless.
Midway through the fourth, Berkshire
extended their lead and gave
themselves some room to relax, as
Grant Barber crossed the line from
9 yards out for his first Renegades
touchdown. Treherne’s kick was
blocked, but the score was set at
20-0. The Renegades tried to put an
exclamation point on the victory in the
dying seconds, but Treherne’s 17-yard
field goal attempt sailed wide left,
leaving the scoreboard reading 20-0 as
time expired.
Renegades Head Coach Paul Gordon
commented: “This result is a just
reward for off season preparation by
the Coaches, Players & Management
team. The Cornish Sharks are one of
Division 2’s strongest teams and we
will continue to work hard to maintain
the standards set so far.”
London Blitz portrait shot taken during the June clash with Sussex Thunder © Garry Neesam
12
he extremely warm weather
was great for the good crowd
of spectators at Broughton Park on
Sunday for the rematch between
Gateshead & Manchester, but a little
more difficult for the players and very
tough for the officials who had already
performed in one game in Blackburn
that day.
The Titans were looking to bounce
back from their disappointing loss to
Leeds whilst Gateshead were seeking
revenge for their opening season-loss
to the Titans.
Manchester kicked off and on the first
play from scrimmage Gateshead’s
RB broke loose down their sideline
heading for the endzone – only a last
ditch tackle by LB Tom Hargreaves
saved the score. However 2 plays
later the Senators punched the ball in
for a TD. A strong tackle by LB Ste
McGrath prevented the 2 PAT attempt.
The Titans received the ball but were
unable to make a first down and were
forced to punt back to Gateshead.
The Senator’s powerful running game
again drove the ball down the field for
another rushing touchdown which they
converted to make the score 14-0.
Manchester’s offense again went 3 &
out but the Titans Defence forced the
Senators to punt to conclude the 1st
Quarter.
Behind the strong running of RB Tom
Higham the Titans moved the ball 60
yards down the field – the key play
being a 23 yard catch and run by WR
George Warren which set up Tom
Higham’s 2-yard TD run. The PAT was
blocked leaving the score at 14-6.
However through a combination of
good running and missed tackles
Gateshead drove the ball 53 yards
down the field cumulating with a 35
yard TD run. But DL Luke Kershaw
stopped the 2 PAT attempt.
Neither team could move the ball and
the half finished with the score 20-6 in
favour of Gateshead.
Despite Manchester driving the ball to
the Gateshead 25 yard on the opening
drive of the 3rd quarter on the running
of Higham , 3 straight incomplete
passes from QB Matt Blinkhorn
turned the ball over on downs. The
Titans Defence was now starting to
get to grips with the Senators Double
Wing Offence and forced them to
punt twice. Although the 3rd Quarter
was scoreless, the Titans were again
moving the ball to start the 4th.
With Blinkhorn completing passes
to WR Warren, TEs Matt Nelan &
Shane Mageean plus Higham out of
the backfield, the Titans moved the
ball to the Gateshead 24 yard line
when a Blinkhorn pass bounced off the
fingertips of Nelan into the hands of
the Senators safety.
Gateshead made the Titans pay with a
50 yard TD run and 2 PAT to extend
the lead to 28-6. However Manchester
weren’t finished and again the Offense
marched down the field with passes
to Mageean, Higham, Nelan before
Blinkhorn hit Warren with an 8 yard
TD pass. Nelan kicked the conversion
to bring the scoreline to 28-14.
Manchester attempted an onside
kick and although Nelan’s kick
took a wicked bounce and despite a
phenomenal effort by DL Alex Reilly
to recover the Senators held onto the
ball and ran out the clock to even their
record to 1-1.
The Titans drop to 1-2 but they’ve had
a shot to win in every game so far so
the next victory will not be far away.
Team Manager Verity Brawn said after
the game “I’m really proud of my boys
– they never gave up.” Head Coach
Alan Mead commented “Disappointed
with the loss. We were missing some
players with injuries and exams but
Gateshead have a good team and they
punished our mistakes.” The Titans
next match is on June 13th, again at
home at Broughton Park, against local
rivals Lancashire Wolverines.
MVPs
Offence: Tom Higham 11 rushes for 36
& 1 TD plus 4 catches for 26 yards
Defence: Luke Kershaw 5 tackles and
great hustle all over the field.
Special Teams: George Warren 3 kickoffs for 55 yards plus 5 catches for 52
yards & 1 TD.
July 2010 - Inside American Football 13
MATCH REPORTS
Errors Prove Costly for Revolution
Renegades’ Airborne Assault
Manchester Titans 36 - Shropshire Revolution 20
30th May 2010
wo interceptions returned for
touchdowns proved the undoing
of Shropshire Revolution as they
went down 36-20 away to division
favourites Manchester Titans on
Sunday, 30 May.
In a tight game, the ball was turned
over six times by the teams but
Manchester made more effective use
of the three interceptions thrown their
way, scoring twice. Offensively, the
story of the game was the hat tricks
of touchdowns by a player from each
team – Shropshire Running Back Russ
Lingwood and Titans Wide Receiver
Adam Simms.
Manchester started the game in fine
style, scoring on their second drive
of the game – a 15-yd throw from
Quarterback Alan Mead to star receiver
Simms. Revolution were unable to
find their offensive rhythm throughout
the first half and constantly put
themselves under pressure as penalties
stopped their momentum as they drove
into Manchester territory. On the
other side of the ball, the Titans were
first to capitalise on an errant throw
as Safety Jonathan Homer returned a
Rob McLean pass 70-yards for a score.
The point after attempts for both scores
were good and with a further field goal
late in the half, Titans lead 17-0 at the
break.
Photo © Mike Dean
14
Any thoughts that Shropshire were
going to collapse in the second half
proved groundless as they started in
the best possible way, scoring on their
first two possessions. Andy Flint
returned the opening kick-off deep into
Titans territory and with a spectacular
one-handed catch from rookie Wide
Receiver Ben Langford, Shropshire
were camped out near the Manchester
goal line. Solid blocking then allowed
Lingwood to go into the end zone
untouched from 4 yards out.
History repeated itself on Shropshire’s
next drive as Lingwood, again working
behind good blocking punched the
ball into the end zone, this time from
five yards out. With the two point
conversion to Receiver Rich Mantle
successful, Shropshire were back in
the game trailing by only three points;
17-14.
Unfortunately for Revolution, once
again they gifted points to Manchester
as another great catch from a rookie
receiver, this time Adam Harris, took
Revolution deep into Manchester’s
half. However, looking to take the
lead another wayward McLean pass
was gratefully gobbled up by Titans
Linebacker Michael Smith who
rumbled 75-yards to score. With the
point after successful, Manchester
extended their lead to 24-14.
Into the fourth quarter and faced with
a fourth down conversion,
Titans effectively sealed
the win when Mead,
facing an aggressive
Shropshire pass rush,
scrambled out of the
pocket and found Simms
from 20-yards out. The
kick was missed and the
score line stood at 30-14.
With Shropshire needing
to score three times with
only 10 minutes on the
clock, the game was
effectively over as a
contest.
Each side used the
remaining minutes to
blood rookie players and
each team added points.
Firstly Shropshire’s hard
Berkshire Renegades 40 - Watford Cheetahs 3
30th May 2010
B
Photo © Mike Dean
running Lingwood added his third
score of the day with a 5-yard run and
then Simms completed his own hat
trick with a 20-yard catch. The score
line ended 36-20.
Impressing for Shropshire was
Lingwood, rediscovering the form that
made him Revolution’s Rookie of Year
the previous season and a powerhouse
performance from veteran Steve
Ward. Ward, who plays Quarterback,
Fullback and Tight End, took over at
Middle Linebacker and recorded an
incredible 19 tackles on the day.
Commenting on the match Revolution
Head Coach Dave Reid said: “For any
neutrals watching it must have been a
really entertaining game. Despite the
score line the teams were very evenly
matched and there were some really
impressive individual performances
from players in both teams.
Ultimately what lost us the game
was the mistakes we made – we were
punished badly for the interceptions
we threw and, with the teams so
close, it was the errors that made the
difference.
“With a game this weekend, I’m glad
we’ve a chance to put things right
straight away – I know my players
want to really put up a good show at
our home ground against Sheffield this
Sunday.”
...Mike Dalton
erkshire Renegades continued their
winning start to the 2010 season
with a comprehensive 40-3 victory
over the visiting Watford Cheetahs at
Bulmershe Field on Sunday.
Quarterback Paul Waddington was
the standout player for the Renegades,
completing 11 passes from 21 attempts
for 168 yards, 1 interception and 5
touchdowns.
Berkshire jumped out to an early lead
on their first possession, following a
3-and-out from the visitors. Strong
running from backs Paul Cook and
Scott Goddard, along with a great onehanded catch by Simon Pearse, moved
the Renegades deep into Watford
territory, and Waddington rounded
the drive off with a 5 yard pass to
Jim White for the touchdown. James
Treherne’s point-after kick was good,
and it was 7-0 to Berkshire.
The lead extended on the Renegades’
next drive, Waddington connecting
with Sam Marshall, who was wide
open behind the Watford defence, for
a 41 yard score. Treherne’s kick sailed
just wide of the posts, and it was 13-0.
Watford put together a good drive
to round out the first quarter, but
the Renegades kept the scoreboard
rolling early in the second quarter,
Waddington and Marshall combining
again, this time for a 49 yard
touchdown. Treherne’s leg was good
this time, and it was 20-0. Both
defenses dug in for a while, and
Watford capitalised on a Cook fumble
inside the Berkshire 10-yard line by
kicking a 27 yard field goal to set the
score at 20-3. Berkshire looked a little
shaky as the half wound down, with
Goddard fumbling and Waddington
throwing an interception, but the
Renegades defence held out.
The second half started disastrously for
the Renegades, as Jim White fumbled
the opening kickoff following a big
hit. The defence refused to allow the
Cheetahs to capitalise. The Renegades
offense then crafted a 14-play, 74yard drive based on great running
from Cook, Goddard and Ian Lakin.
Pearse looked to have scored from 35
yards out following another highlightreel one handed catch, but he just
stepped out of bounds on his way to
the endzone. Berkshire was not to be
denied the score though, and a few
plays later Waddington and Marshall
worked together again for a 13-yard
touchdown pass. Treherne’s kick was
again just off target, but Berkshire was
looking more comfortable now with a
26-3 lead.
Berkshire widened the gap at the start
of the fourth quarter, Pearse getting his
name on the score sheet with a 9-yard
touchdown catch from Waddington.
Treherne’s kick was good, and it was
33-3.
Watford was refusing to give in
though, and lined up a 54-yard field
goal that landed short.
The Berkshire defence would round
out the game in style, first with Simon
Bruckshaw returning an interception
for 40 yards for a touchdown, with
Treherne converting to set the score
at 40-3, and then the Renegades
defensive line swarming all over the
Watford offense, with Martin McGuire
forcing a sack to end the Cheetah’s last
drive. Berkshire was then able to run
the clock out to seal the victory.
T
MATCH REPORTS
MATCH REPORTS
Pirates continue winning streak
Revolution back on track
A
S
East Kilbride Pirates 26 - Doncaster Mustangs 6
6th June 2010
fter three successes on the road,
the East Kilbride Pirates were
expected to add a fourth win as they
made their home debut for the season
at Whitecraigs Rugby Club against the
Doncaster Mustangs. However, they
didn’t get things all their own way
and were forced to dig deep before
securing the victory.
In the first period, East Kilbride kicked
off, and despite Doncaster making
some progress, they were soon forced
to punt. Likewise, the Pirates stuttered
on their first possession and also had
to punt the ball away. This pattern
continued as the Mustangs went 3-andout before the Pirates finally broke
the stalemate. On the fifth play of
the drive, a Pass Interference penalty
against the defence gave East Kilbride
the ball on the Doncaster 2-yard line.
Running back Iain Dick forced his way
into the endzone to score and Mark
Murphy added the conversion to give
the Pirates a 7-0 lead.
Doncaster’s next drive took the game
into the second period where an 11yard quarterback sack by linebacker
Lee Collins meant the Mustangs had
to kick the ball away again. Neither
side could produce any sustained
momentum on offense and the interval
arrived with still just a single score
between the teams.
The Pirates received the kick-off at
the start of the second half and soon
doubled their lead. With quarterback
Andy Mackintosh injured, and his
usual replacement Darren Brownlie
playing at wide receiver, Coach Darryn
Trainor found himself having to ‘suit
up’ and take control of the Offense.
He threw three incomplete passes as
he worked off his rustiness, but still
handed the ball off for Iain Dick to
add his second score of the day. Dick
sprinted home from 40 yards and
Murphy again converted to make it
14-0. That lead was stretched before
the quarter was out. Trainor, starting to
find his range, completed to tight-end
Kenny Muir who broke free to take the
ball home from 54 yards. Murphy’s
conversion attempt was blocked,
but East Kilbride still took a 20-0
advantage into the fourth quarter.
Doncaster, who had been stubborn
opponents all day, then put together
Photos this item courtesy East Kilbride Pirates
MATCH REPORTS
Shropshire Revolution 48 - Sheffield Predators 12
6th June 2010
their best drive of the afternoon,
taking the ball from their own half to
the Pirates’ 2-yard line. They looked
to have scored when quarterback
Henry Geen passed to Paul Oates
only for the receiver to be ruled as
having not caught the ball cleanly.
Their disappointment didn’t last long
however as running back Jeremiah
Jordan rumbled in for the touchdown
two plays later. Dayne Robinson’s
attempt at the extra point was
unsuccessful, as was the Mustangs’
subsequent attempt at an onside-kick.
East Kilbride recovered the ball inside
Doncaster territory and took just two
plays to re-establish control. Trainor
again connected with Muir, this time
from 23 yards for the score. Murphy’s
conversion attempt was wide right
leaving the score at 26-6 in the Pirates’
favour.
To find more about the team or to get
involved visit www.piratesfootball.
co.uk or email info@piratesfootball.
co.uk You can also find the team on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/
piratesfootball.
Report by Bill Campbell
hropshire Revolution got their
season back on track with an
emphatic 48-12 win over league
newcomers Sheffield Predators at
Oakengates Athletics Stadium on
Sunday, 6 June.
Shropshire started the game in the best
possible fashion. On the first play after
the kick-off, rookie Defensive End
Dale Robinson picked up a fumbled
Predator ball and raced 45 yards for the
first score of the game. With regular
kicker Lee Kazeem absent, back-up
Matt Pearce added the extras to take
Revolution 7-0 up only a minute into
the game. The scoring pace continued
with Revolution scoring two further
touchdowns in the first quarter alone
– both passes from Quarterback Rob
McLean and both first time scores for
rookie receivers Ben ‘Lips’ Langford
and Andrew Morgan. With Pearce
adding both point afters, Revolution
had a commanding 21-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Shropshire
showed that they could score on the
ground as well as through the air
with punishing Running Back Russ
Lingwood bulldozing in for two
further touchdowns, one from three
yards out and the other from a yard.
Pearce ended the half with a perfect
kicking record, taking Shropshire to
35-0. However, before the close of the
half, Sheffield showed that they were
not going to roll over as Quarterback
Dean Whittingslow took advantage
of some sloppy defending, avoiding
several tacklers on a 10yd scramble
into the endzone. Although the point
after attempt failed Sheffield had a
glimmer of hope at the break, 35-6.
Early in the second half an injury to
Predators Running Back Ryan Blake
caused the game to be suspended
for an hour – fortunately the injury
was not serious and, when the game
restarted, Sheffield seemed to have
coped better with the break in play.
On their first possession, Whittingslow
was flushed out of the pocket by an
aggressive Shropshire pass rush only
to throw the ball above the head of
a Revolution defender and into the
waiting arms of Tight End Jeremy May
who galloped 47yds to score. The
extra point attempt failed but Predators
were back in the game 35-12.
Shropshire were however quick to
snuff out any signs of a Sheffield fight
back as first live-wire rookie Running Photo © Mike Dean
Back, Clive ‘CJ’ McFarlane, scored
his first ever touchdown, slicing in
from 10 yards out. Then Quarterback
Warren Thomas, making his first
Revolution’s season opener, set up a
appearance after breaking his ribs in
superb run fake and then scrambled
10yds untouched into the endzone.
With one of the two extra point
attempts good, the game ended 48-12
Photo © Mike Dean
in Shropshire’s favour.
Commenting on the win, Revolution
Head Coach Dave Reid said: “We
started really well – in contrast to
the last couple of games and the
offense was effective on the ground
and through the air. Defensively we
created turnovers although it was
disappointing to concede the two
scores. I am however satisfied to get
back to winning ways and we’re now
going to focus on our forthcoming two
games against a tough and unbeaten
Staffordshire Surge.”
...Mike Dalton
16
17
MATCH REPORTS
Bombers Grounded
Unlucky 13th for Titans Youth
Bedfordshire Blue Raiders - Lincolnshire Bombers
13th June 2010
B
edfordshire Blue Raiders returned
to BAFACL Division 2 action
on Sunday 13th June at Bedford
International Athletic Stadium
when they entertained the win-less
Lincolnshire Bombers.
As has been their habit recently the
Blue Raiders offence started the
game slowly whilst their defensive
colleagues were far quicker out of
the blocks, this resulted in the first
series from both sides ending in punts.
This battle of field position continued
until late in the first quarter when the
Bombers QB under pressure from #96
Matt Field and #50 Tish Pullen threw
an errant pass which was intercepted
by cornerback #17 Michael Cox deep
in Bomber territory.
The opportunity was not turned
downed by the offence as the ground
game smoothly moved to the one yard
line from where #27 Josh Cerri sped
into the endzone untouched for the
opening score, moments later Cerri
repeated the trick for a two-point
conversion and an 8-0 Blue Raider
lead.
With the pattern now established the
Blue Raiders moved up a notch in the
second quarter behind the running
of Cerri, #32 Eric Cullipher and #40
Enrique Alonso. The multi-faceted
backfield recorded the next score
as Cullipher easily ran around the
Bomber defence from seven yards out
and despite failing on the two point
conversion the Blue Raider lead now
stood at 14-0.
There was still time before the half for
the Blue Raider special teams to get on
the scoresheet as Cox drove a 33 yard
field goal through the posts for a 17-0
lead at half-time.
It should also be noted that the dying
seconds of the quarter saw a play
on which Lincolnshire attempted a
long 52 yard FG that fell just short,
but more importantly for the Blue
Raiders saw the return from injury of
their 2009 defensive MVP #52 John
Murphy who announced himself with
a pair of immense blocks as players
scrambled for the loose ball.
The third and fourth quarters became
even more torrid for the Bombers
as the Blue Raider defence harried
both starter and replacement QBs
resulting in fumbles recovered by #34
Walter Bates and #4 Jim Plagmann.
Photos this report © Kevin Gedny
MATCH REPORTS
Manchester Titans Youth 3 - Lancashire Wolverines Youth 26
13th June 2010
S
The third quarter was further lit up
by Blue Raider QB #11 Alan Shea
turning on the after burners with two
touchdown passes; a 9 yarder to #88
Pete Coppenhall and a 55 yard bomb
to debutante #85 John Mathewson
with Mathewson padding his score
with a short reception for the two-point
conversion and a 31-0 lead heading
into the fourth quarter.
The Blue Raider defence had clearly
decided that they were not going to
give up their shut out and tackled with
continued ferocity in the final quarter,
and at no time did the Bombers look
like scoring, unlike the Blue Raider
offence who extended their lead further
with Alonso jogging in from 4 yards
and #30 Andi Peat bulldozing in for
the two point conversion and a final
score of 39-0.
The only blemish on the day was an
injury to Blue Raider #21 Clinton
Harper which required lengthy medical
treatment in the final moments of the
game during which time the officials
made the sensible decision to call time
early.
unday proved unlucky 13th for the
Titans Youth as they dropped their
3rd straight game – this time to local
rivals Lancashire Wolverines Colts.
Both teams failed to pick up a first
down on their first possession and with
the Wolverines failing on a 4th and 5,
the Titans took over the ball in good
field position on their own 43 yard
line. FB Ste McGrath picked up a first
down when he was face-masked and
TE Matt Nelan’s 13 yard reception
moved the ball to the Wolverine’s 18
yard line. However a fumbled snap
and 2 consecutive sacks of QB Matt
Blinkhorn pushed the Titans out of
field goal range and they were forced
to punt.
The Titan’s defence stepped up on
the next possession and forced a
Lancashire fumble which DT Alex
Riley recovered on the Wolverine 20
yard line. Nelan’s 7 yard catch on 3rd
and 6 set Manchester up with a 1st
and goal but 3 straight rushes by Tom
Higham failed to produce any points.
So Nelan stepped up and kicked a 21
yard FG to give the Titans a 3-0 lead at
the beginning of the 2nd quarter.
The Wolverines got a fantastic return
on the ensuing kick-off with the
returner finally tackled by TE Shane
Mageean on the Titans 22. But again
the Titans defence held firm, forcing
the Wolverines to turn the ball over
on 4th down. The Titans offence
also failed to move the ball and were
forced to punt. The next Lancashire
possession became the “Alex Riley
Show” with the DT making 3 tackles
and a sack to snuff out the Lancashire
offense. A pass deflection by DB
Ainsley Battel on 4th down preserved
Manchester’s lead.
Disaster struck on the Titans’
next possession when Blinkhorn,
scrambling to avoid pressure, was hit
and fumbled the ball for Lancashire
to recover on the Manchester 27 yard
line. A 15 yard late hit penalty moved
the ball back to the Manchester 42
but a 22 yard pass on 3rd & 11 set the
Wolverine’s up with a 1st & 10 at the
Titans 21 yard line. From here they
scored on a 21 yard pass over the head
of DB Ben Howarth just before the
end of the 1st half. The XP was missed
leaving the half-time score at 6-3.
The Wolverines received the 2nd
half kick-off and marched the ball 69
yards down the field, scoring on a 3
yard QB Sneak – the XP was blocked
making the score 12-3 in favour of the
Wolverines.
A fumbled snap and a sack forced
the Titans to punt again but on
Lancashire’s next possession DB Sam
Nisbett made his 1st interception of the
season.
Manchester’s offense took over on
their 41 yard line but the Wolverine’s
pass rush forced another sack and 2
incompletions from Blinkhorn, leading
to another punt. Good tackles from
Battel, Riley and LB Gordon Cheung
forced the Wolverines into a 3rd
and 12 situation but a well-executed
reverse lead to a 58 yard TD run to
increase the Wolverine’s lead to 18-3
as the 3rd quarter ended.
The Titans started moving the ball
with catches by Riley, playing FB
and WR George Warren (with a 15
yard late hit penalty tacked on) but a
dropped pass by WR Dan Powell on
3rd down forced another punt. This
time the Titans’ D held firm and forced
a Lancashire punt, but again pressure
by the Wolverine’s pass rush and a
dropped pass by Warren on 3rd Down
led to yet another punting situation.
An excellent return brought the ball all
the way back to the Titans 3 yard line
where Nisbett made the touchdownsaving tackle. However it only delayed
the inevitable with the Wolverines
scoring on a play-action pass into
the endzone with only a few minutes
remaining in the game. Again the XP
was no good making the score 24-3.
The Titans’ final possession was more
of the same – ineffective running
combined with Blinkhorn’s 6th sack of
the day forcing what would have been
the Titans 8th punt of the day. But an
injury to regular Centre Adam Barnett
led to replacement Adam Carter
snapping the ball high over Punter
Nelan’s head for a safety as time
expired making the final score 26-3.
The Titans must now regroup for the
trip to Leeds on Saturday 26th June
to salvage the season – another loss
will put the Titans out of playoff
contention.
MVPs
Offence: Matt Nelan – 2 catches for 20
yards & 2 First Downs plus the Titans
only points of the day.
Defence: Alex Reilly - 10 tackles
including a sack, Fumble Recovery
plus one catch for 7 yards.
... Kevin Gedny
18
MATCH REPORTS
The Cats dismantle the Mavericks
Renegades’ Airborne Assault
Cambridgeshire Cats 44 - East Kent Mavericks 6
20th June 2010
T
he Cambridgeshire Cats broke
an initially resilient East Kent
Mavericks side with a second-half
barrage, dismantling them 44-6 in their
BAFA Division 1 South East match at
Folkestone Rugby Club, Kent.
Joe Slaughter connected with Alex
Smith and Josh Gilreath on two long
strikes, and the combination of Casey
Campbell and the rampaging Gilreath
helped the away side amass 31
unanswered points and advance to 5-1.
Gilreath cut through the defence on
two zig-zagging touchdown runs,
while the tenacious Campbell – always
smashing and spinning and forging
yards for himself after first contact –
dragged a defender into the endzone
with him for another score, and Steve
Bright made kicking into the wind
look easy.
The Mavericks came out swinging
in the first half: they enjoyed some
success through the air, and held the
table-topping Cats to a narrow 13-6
lead at the interval.
But the Cats’ defence was unforgiving
after the break, intercepting passes and
obliterating the rushing attack. The
Mavericks managed just 17 yards on
40 carries; every run met by an army
of red shirts, spearheaded by Matt
Henderson and Paul “Zippy” Donaghy.
Kinder Mann snatched a hat-trick
of interceptions, and the Mavericks’
quarterback was sacked six times –
including a Mark Finbow spear in the
endzone, forcing a fumble that ARU
Phantom Casey Burgess scooped up
Photos this report © Tony Walsh
Watford Cheetahs 6 - Berkshire Renegades 21
20th June 2010
B
for a touchdown.
The win sees the Cats maintain their
grip on the top spot in the South East
conference, edging the 4-1 Ipswich
Cardinals, who have a game in hand.
erkshire Renegades recorded their
fifth win of the 2010 season with a
21-6 victory away at Watford Cheetahs
on Sunday.
Berkshire took the early initiative as
Chris Mantell pounced on a Watford
fumble deep in the Cheetahs’ half. The
Renegades wasted little time getting
on the scoreboard, as quarterback Paul
Waddington hooked up with tight end
Simon Pearse for a 1-yard touchdown
pass. James Treherne’s point-after
kick was good, and it was 7-0 to the
Renegades.
The game bogged down somewhat
after that as defence took control.
The Cheetahs looked to have made a
breakthrough when they recovered a
fumble, but were unable to do anything
with the ball. The Renegades put
together 16-play, 58-yard drive early
in the second quarter, but were unable
to punch the ball into the endzone and
turned the ball over on downs. The
teams traded punts for a few drives,
until late in the half Watford’s Ladi
Lampejo picked off a Waddington pass
on the 1-yard line as the Renegades
threatened to score. The half ended
with just the one score on the board,
7-0 to Berkshire.
The Renegades started the second half
20 Inside American Football - July 2010
MATCH REPORTS
as they had the first as Nick Church
dived onto a fumble forced by Steve
Boughton just inside the Watford half.
Running back Paul Cook broke out
some dazzling runs, and got his just
desserts as he went in from two yards
out for the touchdown. Treherne’s kick
was good, and it was 14-0 Berkshire.
Watford were not about to give up
though, and put together a well-crafted
14-play, 65-yard drive on the back of
some excellent running by Ramesh
Pari, who finished the drive with a oneyard plunge for the touchdown. The
point-after kick sailed just wide left,
and it was 14-6 to the Renegades as the
third quarter ended.
Berkshire would seal the hard-earned
win following another impressive
drive, going 68 yards in 13 plays,
ended with running back Scott
Goddard going over the line from
two yards out. Treherne’s leg was
again accurate, and the score was set
at 21-6. Lampejo picked off back-up
quarterback Andy Holland’s pass late
in the game, but Watford was unable to
capitalise and the clock ran out.
Renegades’ Head Coach Paul Gordon
commented: I’ve been really impressed
with team this year. Playing 5 games
in a row has been a tough but we have
risen to the challenge. Watford are a
solid outfit and the game was in the
balance until the very last quarter. We
will take the next few weeks off to rest
and prepare for the final part of our
season.
Berkshire now has a few weeks off
before their next match, at home on
25/07/2010.
Report by Andrew Marsh
MATCH REPORTS
Revolution win double-header part 1
Revolution do double on Surge
Shropshire Revolution 25 - Staffordshire Surge 9
20th June 2010
hropshire Revolution won the first
of their back-to-back games against
county neighbours Staffordshire Surge
on Sunday, 20 June with a hard fought
25-9 victory.
Staffordshire arrived at Oakengates
Athletics Stadium unbeaten in all
three matches this season. Despite
travelling with a small squad, with
tough veteran players including
Richard Large, Chris Ward and hard
hitting Lee Trethaway, they were going
to be a tough proposition.
The game started in sloppy fashion
for both teams with five turnovers in
the first quarter alone. Staffordshire
were first to take advantage of an
error as Defensive End Ward picked
off a wayward Rob McLean pass and
rumbled a full 80 yards to score. With
the extra point attempt no good, Surge
led 6-0. Revolution responded in
the second quarter as McLean made
up for his error by scrambling away
from trouble and tossing a 12 yard
touchdown to Rich ‘Noodles’ Mantle.
The point after attempt failed leaving
the teams all square at 6-6.
S
Late in the first half the teams traded
field goals; a 24 yard effort by
Shropshire’s Matt Pearce and, with
Shropshire’s Defence conceding
needless penalties, an 18 yard kick
from the Surge’s Jonathan Wood to
leave the game tied 9-9 at half time.
Into the second half Shropshire’s larger
squad and the afternoon heat combined
to limit Staffordshire’s momentum.
First Pearce slotted over a second field
goal – this time from 26 yards and then
Running Back Russ Lingwood scored
on a 29 yard screen pass with Pearce
adding the extras to give Shropshire a
19-9 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Lingwood’s backfield partner Lee
Kazeem completed the scoring with a
four yard run and with Pearce missing
the point after, Shropshire wrapped up
the game 25-9.
Commenting on the game, Revolution
Head Coach Dave Reid said: “It was
a disappointing and scrappy start to
the game from our Offense and the
Defence gave away far too many
penalties. However, despite going
behind early, I always thought that we
Staffordshire Surge 6 - Shropshire Revolution 43
27th June 2010
S
controlled the game and was pleased
with the final result, but we need to
learn to play for the full 60 minutes.
Despite their squad size, Staffordshire
always turn up ready to play – they
have a hard core of tough, quality
footballers. I’ve no doubt they will be
looking for revenge in the return match
and we won’t be underestimating
them.”
...Mike Dalton
All photos this report © Mike Dean
MATCH REPORTS
hropshire Revolution completed
a double in the second of their
back-to-back games against county
neighbours Staffordshire Surge with an
emphatic 43-6 victory on Sunday, 27
June.
After a hard fought 25-9 win at home,
Shropshire travelled to Longton RUFC
in a buoyant mood but mindful of the
quality of their opponents.
As with the first meeting, an error
gifted the visiting team the first
score. This time however it was
Shropshire who capitalised as Middle
Linebacker Mark Lingwood scooped
up a fumbled Surge ball on only the
second play of the game and raced
24 yards to score. With the point
after successful Shropshire were 7-0
up. Tough Staffordshire defending
limited Shropshire’s offence for the
remainder of the quarter, but an injury
to Surge defensive lynchpin, and
former Revolution player, Linebacker
Lee Trethaway blunted the home
side’s chances. Revolution were quick
to capitalise with Mark Lingwood’s
brother, Russ rushing into the endzone
from 18 yards out. Once again the
point after was successful and with a
23 yard field goal added by Shropshire
kicker Matt Pearce, the half ended with
Shropshire 17-0 up.
Staffordshire were thrown a lifeline
early in the second half as poor
coverage on a punt allowed Moses
Ogundeji to jink 62 yards to score.
Although the point after failed, Surge
were back in the game 17-6. On
the ensuing kick-off however, Russ
Lingwood delivered a quick retort,
with a blistering 71 yard touchdown
run. The point after attempt by Pearce
failed but the game was slipping away
from Staffordshire 23-6.
As the second half wore on,
Shropshire’s superior squad size,
and the searing heat took its toll on
the home side and Revolution added
a further three touchdowns. First
Quarterback Rob McLean threw a five
yard touchdown to Joe Wollaston and
then new signing Josh Vines scored
his first touchdown for Shropshire,
a 14 yard toss from Warren Thomas.
Completing the scoring was Running
Back Lee Kazeem barging in from the
one yard line. Pearce landed two of
the three point after attempts to leave
the scoreboard at 43-6.
Defensively, Shropshire had a great
afternoon sacking Surge Quarterback
Richard Large five times and
constantly containing Staffordshire’s
ground game. Leading the way was
Linebacker Lingwood, who registered
a monumental 17 tackles as well as his
touchdown and returning Defensive
End Andy ‘Barney’ Barnett, playing
his first full game after injury and
chipping in with two sacks.
Head Coach Dave Reid said: “After
an indifferent start on offence, we
finally got rolling, but our defence
really stepped up and continually gave
us good field position. Eventually we
were able to establish some tempo and
the quantity and quality of our squad
really told.
“We now turn our attention to
Sheffield, they gave us a good
fight last time and with home field
advantage and a big, physical squad
we won’t be underestimating them.”
Shropshire are now second to
Manchester Titans in their division
and will look to continue their winning
ways as they travel to Yorkshire to
play Sheffield Predators on Sunday, 4
July.
...Mike Dalton
MATCH REPORTS
Four in a row for Revolution
Blue Raiders “win ugly”
S
T
Lincolnshire Bombers 0 - 18 Bedfordshire Blue Raiders
4th July 2010
Shropshire Revolution 28 - 0 Sheffield Predators
4th July 2010
hropshire Revolution won their
fourth game in a row on Sunday,
4 July with a 28-0 victory on the road
over league newcomers Sheffield
Predators.
Shropshire started the game in great
style, scoring on their first three
possessions; a 25 yard field goal
by Matt Pearce, a one yard run by
Quarterback Rob McLean and the best,
a terrific 34 yard throw from McLean
to standout receiver Rich Mantle.
In the second quarter McLean added
a second score on the ground, again
from a yard out and with Pearce
kicking one of the two point afters on
offer, Revolution had a 23-0 half time
lead.
Any thoughts that the points avalanche
would continue proved groundless
as Shropshire’s offence inexplicably
stuttered in the second half. Sheffield’s
defence regrouped and limited
Revolution to just a three point 35 yard
field goal from Pearce. Fortunately
for the men from Shropshire, their
defence, missing several key players
showed they were more than up to the
task by stifling the Predator attack.
Their dominance was rewarded in the
third quarter with hulking Defensive
End Andy Barnett registering a two
point safety by sacking the Sheffield
Quarterback in his own endzone.
These were the last points of the game
leaving the scoreboard at 28-0 to the
visitors.
Head Coach Dave Reid said: “I was
pleased with the good start we had on
offence – a much better performance
than in previous matches. However,
we took our foot off the pedal
offensively in the second half and did
not put the game away as emphatically
as we should have. Credit though
should also go to Sheffield’s defence
who performed impressively in the
second half.
“Fortunately, our own defence were
in commanding form and dominated
Sheffield’s attempt to move the ball –
that was the difference on the day.
“We’re standing at five and two now,
having won four in a row for the first
time in this club’s history. However,
we’re not going to get carried away,
but plan to use the two week gap in our
fixtures to prepare for the remainder of
the season.”
Revolution now have a two week
break in their league fixtures before
returning to action at home on Sunday,
25 July against Chester Romans.
...Mike Dalton
MATCH REPORTS
ype “NFL & win ugly” into Google
and you get 5,700 results in 0.22
seconds. Travel with the Blue Raiders
to a ferociously windy RAF Cranwell
to play the Lincolnshire Bombers and
you get 1 result in 216,000 seconds.
Sunday was never about pretty, it
was never about margin of victory, it
was all about the W. The Blue Raider
roster shows 50 registered players,
on Sunday due to illness, injury and
other vagaries half this number were
kitted up on the sideline and they were
led into battle by #13 QB Phil Cutts
starting for the first time in his career.
The early exchanges were reflective of
this lack of experience and familiarity
between players as Cutts took his time
to find his feet. However, the defence
immediately dominated the Bombers
and gave notice that they were here to
play and support their young offence.
It also became clear early on that the
gusting wind would hamper both sides
as passes and punts were re-directed
by the elements with one Bomber punt
apparently travelling further upwards
than forwards.
None of this phased the Blue Raiders
and they kept pounding away until
late in the second quarter, with Cutts
dropping back to pass at the Bomber
13 yard line, #80 Martyn Foster made
a break to end zone before beating
two Bomber defenders to the ball for
the day’s opening score. The wind
precluded any attempt to kick the
Photos this report © Kevin Gedny
conversion and the Bomber defence
stiffened to stop the two point try.
The half finished with the Blue Raiders
leading 6-0.
Following ‘motivational’ speeches
from coaches and senior players the
Blue Raider defence flew out of the
blocks in the third quarter even harder
and by the time the quarter was done
#50 Gareth Pullen had collected his
third fumble recovery of the day.
The battle of field position was clearly
being won by the Blue Raiders and
so was the game as the fourth quarter
started with #27 Josh Cerri powering
into the end zone from five yards out
with such force he managed to injure
himself in the process.
Tough days like these are when
experience counts and the fourth
quarter was dominated on the ground
by veteran running back #44 Mike
Wilson who iced the cake for the Blue
Raiders with a 22 yard jaunt for the
final score of the day.
There was still time for the defence
to underline their fine performance
as #96 Dan Field collected a pair
of fumble recoveries and #25 Don
Palmacci delivered the tackle of
the day to dislodge the ball from a
Bomber receiver in the end zone to
preserve the shut out.
On the face of it an 18-0 victory over
the win-less Bombers may be a bit of
a disappointment, however, to quote
legendary Chicago Bears coach Mike
Ditka “It was an ugly ball game, but
you’ve got to win ugly sometimes”
The Blue Raiders now enter the most
important stretch of the season with
their final four games over the next six
weeks, starting on Sunday at home to
the much storied London Olympians,
winners of multiple British and
European trophies.
...Kevin Gedny
MATCH REPORTS
Exiles face tough day at the office
Titans march on
Kent Exiles 7-13 Peterborough Saxons
11th July 2010
T
he Kent Exiles had a tough and
disappointing day at the office as
they fell to their sixth defeat of the
season to the Peterborough Saxons.
In a game which was close throughout,
the Saxons struck first taking a 7-0
lead in the first half, as the Exiles tried
to strike back. Mistakes haunted their
game as Rob Lewis, Sean Starwind
Chester Romans 6 - 42 Manchester Titans
11th July 2010
and Jon Miller all dropped costly
passes, and the refereeing crew called
a crucial 4th down play short of the
first down.
The Saxons saw the threat from
the Exiles and put together a time
consuming drive in the fourth quarter
which ended with a score to take a
13-0 lead, but more importantly left
the Exiles with only 2 minutes left on
the clock.
This seemed to finally spur the Exiles
offence into action as Quarterback Zac
Ritchie hit Miller with a quick pass,
before then hitting Starwind in stride
for the score to make it 13-7.
But this left only 1 minute on the
clock, and when the onside kick was
recovered by the Saxons, it left them
to run out the clock and secure the
victory.
Following the defeat Coach Dave
Pester was disappointed, “we had
chances to take control of the game
today, but mistakes haunted our
offence. Defensively we were strong,
but need to make improvements also.
We now know what we need to do next
week against the Mavericks, and what
is likely to happen if we don’t win”.
The Exiles now face a relegation
deciding match against the East Kent
Mavericks at Crockenhill next week,
with both teams looking to secure
bragging rights in the county as well as
avoiding relegation. Full details to be
found on www.kentexiles.co.uk
... Kent Exiles
T
he undefeated Manchester Titans
visited Chester for the rematch
against the Romans. Despite a 34-6
win, the Titans felt they had underperformed and Chester, who had been
missing several players, felt they could
still pull off the upset of the Division
Leaders.
Once again, the Titans won the toss
and elected to receive. A 33 yard
kick return by WR Will Kinghorn put
the ball on the Titans 44 yard line.
From there the Titans moved the ball
behind some good running from RB
Nick Copley all the way down to the
Romans 3 yard line. On 2nd & Goal
QB Alan Mead’s pass was tipped
by Romans LB Dave Goodall and
intercepted.
Chester’s first offensive possession
picked up a first down on a 16 yard run
but then the Titans Defence stiffened
with a DB Martin Fitzpatrick and LB
Rob Bainbridge combining to tackle
the Romans RB for a 3 yard loss on
4th & 3.
The Titans took over the ball on their
26 yard line and drove the ball down
to the Chester 30 yard line where they
faced their own 4th & 3. With some
excellent pass protection, Mead had
plenty of time to find TE Chris Heap
from 30 yards out for the go-ahead
Touchdown. A bad snap on the PAT
left the score at 6-0.
The two teams then exchanged punts
to bring the 1st Quarter to an end.
On the Romans next possession
Bainbridge again made the key stop
on 4th down turning the ball over
to Manchester. The Titans wasted
no time, with Mead throwing long
to Kinghorn for a 56 yard TD pass
on their first play of the drive. Mead
then hit WR Adam Simms who made
a great individual effort to score the
2PAT making the score 14-0.
The Chester Offense produced their
best drive of the game next with a 60
yard drive culminating in a 27 yard TD
reception by WR Michael Banks. The
2PAT attempt was stopped leaving the
score 14-6.
The Romans forced the Titans to punt
on the next possession but Kinghorn’s
42 yard punt rolled out of bounds at
the Chester 6 yard line. Despite the
field position, the Romans drove to
their own 39 yard line when DE Matt
McCormack recovered a Romans
fumble.
Manchester drove the ball down to the
Romans 5 yard line where RB Tim
Barton ran the ball in for what would
have been his first TD of the season
but the score was over-turned due to a
penalty.
Another penalty pushed the Titans
back to the Chester 25 yard line where
Mead hit Simms on a post pattern for
6 points with just 20 seconds to play in
the 1st half. Dave Barnett kicked the
extra point for a 21-6 half-time scoreline.
Manchester kicked off the 2nd half and
immediately forced a Romans punt,
thanks to a 3rd down pass deflection
by DB Stewart Hay. The Titans drove
59 yards to score their fourth TD of the
game with a 2 yard run by RB Nick
Copley. Copley had set up his score
with a 34 yard pass reception. Another
bad snap left the score at 27-6.
On the Romans second possession
of the half, they moved the ball more
effectively, picking up 2 first downs
before LB Hugh English picked off
a Romans pass for the 2nd game
running and returned it 25 yards. An
unnecessary roughness penalty on
Chester gave the Titans great field
position on the Chester 30 yard line.
However the Titans found themselves
with a 4th & 14 but Mead found WR
James Dean who broke 2 tackles and
picked up a first down with a 19 yard
reception. 4 plays later Mead hit Heap
with his 2nd TD of the day from 3
yards out. Copley added the 2PAT
making the score 35-6.
Chester’s offense put together a 16
play drive moving from their own 28
yard line down to the Titans 4 yard
line. But a touchdown was called back
due to an illegal block and a sack by
LB John Flynn pushed the Romans
back until once again Bainbridge
and Fitzpatrick tackled the Romans
receiver short of the endzone on 4th
down.
Manchester produced a 75 yard drive,
started by a 36 yard Profit run which
was eventually finished by Mead’s 5th
TD pass of the game and Simms’ 2nd
TD reception, this time from 13 yards
out. Barnett’s kick made the score 42-6
to Manchester.
The Romans next possession ended in
a fumble forced by DB Jeremy Walker
and recovered by LB Sandy Kyriacou.
The enabled the Titans to run out the
clock and finish the game worthy
winners by the final score of 42-6.
The Manchester Titans improve their
record to 5 & 0 and their next game is
away to the Sheffield Predators on July
18th.
...Alan Mead
Kent Exiles’ Sean Starwind on his
way for the touchdown
Photo © Kent Exiles
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY
IAF takes another look at who’s
been out on the sidelines since
the last issue
MATCH REPORTS
NFL
NFL Corner - Newsround
NFL Corner - Season Primer
Mike Revell reports on some recent off-season news
Stuart Holland looks forward to the next NFL season
Two months before the start of the
regular season it is time to have a
look at the schedule and see where the
‘on paper’ spectacular games should
appear.
Week 1
The first game of the season is a
rematch between the Minnesota
Vikings and New Orleans Saints at
The Louisiana Superdome. This is a
familiar match-up as last season these
two teams fought out for the NFC title
game with the Saints winning 31-28 in
overtime with a 40 yard field goal.
Another good match-up is between
one of the teams visiting London
in October, the Redskins facing the
Cowboys in Washington. This game
sees the debut of Donovan McNabb for
the Washington Redskins.
One of the less interesting games
which could see a low score is between
the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay
Buccaneers at the Raymond James
Stadium. With both teams finishing last
season propping up their division with
the Browns winning only 5 games and
the disappointing Bucs winning only 2.
Week 2
sees 6 inter-conference matchups with
the main focus being on the Manning
brothers where Eli takes the high
flying New York Giants 641 miles to
Indianapolis to face Peyton and the
Colts. Last the last time the Mannings
played against each other in 2006 saw
the Colts beat the Giants in New York,
can the Colts repeat the win at home?
The least interesting - on paper - game
sees two middle of the road NFC
teams as the Arizona Cardinals host by
the Atlanta Falcons.
Week 3’s
Monday night game between Green
Bay Packers and Chicago Bears is the
oldest rivalry in the entire NFL. This
should be an interesting game as the
Bears being the most active team in
the offseason with the golden prize
of signing of Defensive End Julius
Peppers as a Free-agent.
Week 4
Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 13
sees McNabb in the spotlight again
when he return to Philadelphia to
face the Eagles who were the team
that surprisingly traded him to the
Redskins! Miami Dolphins play the
Patriots in Miami on Monday night,
the Dolphins will be able to show
off their new addition Wide Receiver
Brandon Marshall in the Week 4
divisional game.
Old timer Julius Peppers returns with
the Bears to play his old team the
Carolina Panthers, who he spent 8
seasons with, in this week 5 match-up
in Carolina. The Detroit Lions and St.
Louis Rams won 3 times collectively
with the Rams winning once and Lions
twice. These two teams may take this
opportunity to net a win with the top 2
Quarterbacks picked up by each team
from the draft.
Week 9
With the end of the season looming
the stars come out to play in week 13
with the Cowboys and Colts trying
to progress to the Playoffs. Also two
possible divisional titles could be
won or lost when the Ravens host the
Steelers and the Pats host the Jets.
Monday night sees the first wining
season in franchise history last year
for the Houston Texans play the
Ravens at home, a tough match for the
Texans as the Ravens hope to reach
the postseason two straight years. The
Eagles travel to Dallas where new
Offensive Co-ordinator Kevin Kolb
hopes to lead his offensive to victory.
Week 6
sees the Patriots wanting to payback
the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas
Cowboys looking to beat the Vikings,
for ending their playoff run last year.
Elsewhere McNabb hosts Peyton
Manning on Sunday night.
Week 7
Nearly halfway through the season
now and week 7 and Green Bay
hope to change the outcome of their
season this year to the better against
the Vikings, as last the Vikings
ended the Packers shot at winning
the NFC North. Other matches that
are of interest are Cowboys hosting
the Giants on Monday and Seattle
Seahawks face the Cardinals.
Week 8
sees the franchise travel across the
pond over to the UK for the fourth
International Series where the San
Francisco 49ers adopt London as the
home for the weekend hosting the
Broncos. The 84,254 crowd saw the
Patriots beat a disappointing Tampa
bay 35-7. Back over the pond the
Buffalo Bills with a new coach, Chan
Gailey leads his team out against the
Now into the second half of the season,
the Pittsburgh Steelers having the
focus of reaching the playoffs through
the season on their minds however
the main focus for this week will be
beating current AFC North champs
Cincinnati Bengals.
The Cowboys have the unfortunate
journey to a cold Green Bay and
the Bears lineup against the Bills in
Toronto.
Week 10
sees the first Thursday night game of
the season with Ravens vs. Falcons,
this game will be the first of 8
Thursday night games. In 2008 both
teams made the playoffs with rookie
QB’s, however Baltimore will enter the
match favourites as they appeared in
the postseason whereas Atlanta slipped
up in regular season. The weeks last
game gives McNabb a second game
against his old team on Monday night.
Week 11
This week could turn out to be another
classic, the week 11 game between the
Patriots and Colts, Brady vs Manning
both eyeing up to be kings of AFC
and add another ring to their fingers!
San Diego Chargers, a team that hide
behind all the spotlights of the bigger
teams, won the AFC West the last 4
years. Can they make it a fifth as they
take on the Broncos.
Thanksgiving week
the annual event this year is graced
with games involving 5 out of the 6
teams that featured in the postseason
last year. The first game feature the
Pats and the Lions, then the Saints
face the Cowboys who ended the
Saints 13-0 streak last year and the
Thanksgiving meals will end with
Bengals and New York Jets in a wildcard rematch to close the annual
tradition.
Three weeks left
in the season and this is where the
final push for the playoffs happen.
Eight divisional matchups fill the
evenings schedule. Bengals host the
Browns, 49ers at Chargers, Pats going
to potentially play in the snow in
Green bay and the Saints travelling to
Baltimore.
Christmas weekend
Giants play the Packers, whoever wins,
this could be a crucial victory for the
postseason. NFC West championship
could be decided between Saints at
Atlanta and it will decide who needs to
win the final game of the season.
Week 17
the final week, the final push for the
last postseason positions. 16 divisional
clashes play host to many implications.
NFC East and AFC North are the
division to watch with Cowboys and
Eagles in the East and Bengals and
Ravens in the North.
...Stuart Holland
2-year-old son of quarterback
legend dies
The 2-year-old son of legendary exquarterback Randall Cunningham died
last month in what appears to be a hot
tub accident at his Las Vegas home.
Police were called to the scene on
Tuesday afternoon, on the 29th of June
– but the child was pronounced dead
an hour later.
The boy was identified as Christian
Cunningham, the youngest of
Randall’s four children, by the Clark
County coroner’s office.
Randall Cunningham was an elusive
quarterback for the Eagles, and
later the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas
Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens in
a career that spanned 16 years. He
retired in 2002 as the NFL’s all-time
leading rusher among quarterbacks.
with an Achilles tendon injury.
Medical tests on Tuesday the 29th
of June revealed that Willie Colon’s
tendon is torn and will require surgery
and a nine-month rehab period.
It has been a turbulent few months for
the six-time Super Bowl champions,
with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s
suspension and star wide receiver
Santonio Holmes being traded to the
Jets.
But the loss of Colon, who has not
missed a game for the last three years,
will damage the running game that the
team will look to depend upon in the
absence of their Pro Bowl passer.
The Steelers kicked off the search for
a veteran replacement by bringing
in former Cowboys lineman Flozell
Adams for a visit, but so far there is no
deal in place.
Saints bid to help oil spill
victims
NFL launches new cartoon
show
Reigning champions New Orleans
Saints have raised over $500,000 in a
Super Bowl ring raffle to help those
affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico.
The winner will be announced
before the season opener against the
Minnesota Vikings, and will get their
hands on a ring identical to those given
to the team that won the Lombardi
Trophy in February.
The oil rig exploded on the 20th of
April, killing 11 people and causing
millions of gallons of oil to pour into
the ocean.
Saints players, coaches and owner Tom
Benson visited an area of Louisiana
hit by the spill and were quick to
announce the raffle, which will run
until the 9th of September.
The NFL is teaming up with
Nickelodeon to launch a 22-episode
cartoon series featuring a number of
the league’s players and coaches.
Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core,
about a 10-year old boy whose super
powers include dazzling football skills,
will air in September and continue
throughout the 2010-2011 NFL season.
Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli
Manning and Saints head coach Sean
Payton have been named among those
scheduled to do voice overs, with
episodes expected to run from two to
five minutes.
...Mike Revell
Steelers woes continue to
grow
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting right
tackle will miss the entire 2010 season
NFL
NFL Corner - 2010 Draft
Pete Barker discovers who hired who in the pre-season draft
The 2010 NFL Draft received special
attention as the milestone 75th Annual
Draft in American Football history.
Ostensibly because of this ‘special’
billing, the draft’s seven rounds were
conducted over a three day period,
with rounds 1 – 3 being shown on
prime-time television in the USA. The
experiment proved a success, with
7.29 million viewers taking in the
first round on Thursday 22nd of April,
which was broadcast live from the
Radio City Music Hall, in New York
City.
There were several characters worthy
of such attention in this year’s draft.
Not least of all Quarterback Tim
Tebow, who’s stellar college record
– albeit via unconventional style –
divided opinion on his eligibility for
the pro-game. Sure, many QBs earn
the Heisman Trophy off the back of 32
passing touchdowns; but not so many
of them pick up 23 running scores
along the way. Tebow’s slow, looping
passing technique does go against
the Brady/Manning model of the
NFL pocket QB, but it seems highly
backward to consider a new style,
which was so successful at college
level, to be a certain failure waiting to
happen. Despite his doubters, Tebow
was picked much higher than expected,
at 25, by the young Broncos coach
Josh McDaniels.
There were, however, two quarterbacks
who seemed to lose out so that
Tebow could go so early – Jimmy
Clausen and Colt McCoy. Clausen,
picked 48th overall by the Carolina
Panthers, was touted as a top-10
pick pre-draft; but despite excellent
records, technique, measurables and
talent, his cocky, ‘preppy’ attitude was
seen to have undone him in critical
meetings with various agents, scouts
and coaches within the NFL. He is
still, however, seen as competition
for Carolina’s Mathew Moore, who,
despite an acceptable season in 2009,
punctuated with enough flair to surpass
a disappointing Jake Delhomme as
Panthers starter, is never-the-less
unproven as a franchise quarterback.
Fittingly, for this article at least,
Delhomme is now QB at the Cleveland
Browns, who picked up Colt McCoy
with the 85th overall pick. This pick
was again far below expectations, as
despite distinctly non-outstanding
measurables, McCoy holds the
record for most career wins in the
NCAA Division, with 45. Questions
over his arm strength, release point,
and experience at taking a snap
(having played nearly only out of the
shotgun with the University of Texas
Longhorns) persist, though, and with
three other quarterbacks at the Browns,
president Mike Holmgren has already
stated that McCoy will likely not
feature in the 2010 season.
Mr. Irrelevant (the final pick of the
draft) of 2010 is wide receiver Tim
Toone, out of Weber State, picked at
255 by the Detroit Lions. The former
Wildcat, from Peoria, Arizona is
entirely unremarkable aside from his
new title.
The first overall pick of 2010 went to
St. Louis, who selected quarterback
Sam Bradford. The Rams new-boy is
something of a quintessential, allAmerican athlete, born and raised in
Oklahoma, starring as a quarterback
and double-double (double digits in
points and rebounds in a single game)
season-average basketball player.
Progressing to the excellent Oklahoma
Sooners, Bradford threw for 36 passes
in his Freshman year, an NCAA
record. At 6ft 4 and 236lb, he fits the
NFL model of a franchise quarterback,
and despite spending most of his final
season at Oklahoma on the sidelines,
he has the pedigree to match.
Pick No.2 went to the Detroit Lions,
who had to choose between taking
a much needed offensive tackle to
protect quarterback Matthew Stafford
or taking the highest rated player in the
draft, DT Ndamukong Suh. They went
with Suh, whose exceptional college
record with Nebraska (earning MVP
in 2009’s Big 12 Championship Game
against Colt McCoy’s Longhorns),
marks him out as one of the potential
super-stars among the NFL’s younger
players.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the
third pick, took Gerald McCoy out
of Bradford’s Sooners team. Scoring
25 solo tackles and a monstrous 15½
tackles-for-loss in his senior year,
McCoy’s exploits were somewhat
over-shadowed by fellow defensive
tackle Suh. Over-shadowed, but not
forgotten, of course, the Bucs are
thought to have acquired a great fit for
their 3-4 defence.
...Pete Barker
Photo © Leigh Morris
4
4
PHOTOGRAPHY
6
PHOTOGRAPHY
features photos of
players in the UK
taking the game Airborne
2
7
13
3
1
Photo © Kevin Gedny
Photo © Kevin Gedny
1. A Birmingham Lion tries to evade a tackling Hertfordshire
Hurricane
2. Bedfordshire Blue Raiders missing a pass
3. A tongue in cheek entry from Kevin Gedny (technically they are
all airborne!)
4. A Berkshire Renegade leaps for a missed pass against Watford.
5. More BUAFL action
6. A Southampton Stag gets taken out
7. A Kent Exile fails to avoid being tackled by two Peterborough
Saxons
5
COACHING
COACHING
A Beginner’s Guide: Defence
With Simon Purcell, Defensive Coordinator of the Lancashire Wolverine Colts
Football is a game of two sides; a fact far too often forgotten by the glory boys on offense.
Missing the intricate passing patterns and block schemes of an intelligent attack, the defence is often looked
upon as a group of hard-heads, whose major interests include hitting and grunting. But behind every great
D, there is a thoughtful, instinctive coach, and IAF caught up with Lancashire Colts Defensive Coordinator
and GB Youth defensive-backs coach Simon Purcell. He kindly agreed to let us probe his mind in an effort
to discover what is fundamental to a shut-out D...
How did you get into coaching?
I’ve played Football since the age of
14, winning a National Championship
in my first season with the Lancashire
Wolverine Colts. I played 5 seasons at
Lancashire before moving to Cardiff
to study. There, I played for the Cobras
University side and the South Wales
Warriors senior side, before graduating
and moving back to the North-West.
I then returned to the now Lancashire
Academy of American Football (one of
few programmes in the country to offer
football from the age of 7 upwards –
www.wolverineden.com). It was in
Cardiff that I first took on an official
coaching role – helping with the South
Wales Rebellion Flag team under
Coach Marcus Price, who sadly passed
away last year.
I never really intended to coach full
time until I’d retired from playing but
I tore my ACL in 2008 and started
coaching full-time while I got fit
enough to play again. I’m fortunate in
that I managed to fit 13 seasons into 10
years playing. I do definitely intend to
play again at some stage (though don’t
tell my wife) but for now I’m loving
coaching and seeing the guys I coach
developing on and off the field.
Why youth Football?
I love youth football for many
reasons. We regularly get 30 guys to
practice for both Sunday and midweek sessions, which is something
many senior teams with bigger
squads struggle to do. Players at that
age are also so keen to learn and are
enthusiastic about the game, which
makes my job hugely rewarding.
I am very lucky that the coaches
running the junior teams of the
Lancashire Academy are great coaches
(Ian Nicolson and Greg Adam) so at
the Youth team we get players who
already have sound fundamentals
and we are able to continue their
development. The Lancashire
Wolverines senior team is packed
full of Colts graduates and it’s only a
matter of time before that team gains
promotion from Division 2!
4-3 or 3-4?
Neither! I currently run the 3-3 (3-5). I
initially chose to run the 3-5 as it was
the D I knew how best to coach – I
think that should be one of the two
key factors in choosing which D to
run. The other factor being the players
you have. At youth level we tend to
be over-run with DB/OLB types but
struggle to find guys who can play
DL effectively. The 3-5 allows me
to get my best athletes on the field,
whilst being flexible enough to have a
solution for most offences.
The key to any defence isn’t what
front you run as much as it’s having
guys that can block, tackle and run
aggressively to the football. Whichever
front you run, if you have 11 guys who
know their individual responsibilities
and can do those 3 things you will
have a solid D.
So it’s first and ten – what are your
options?
There are a huge number of
considerations: current score, stage of
the game, and personnel... You also
have to consider why are you on the
field? Have your offense just scored or
have they fumbled or been intercepted?
Field position is very important,
especially in the danger zones. What
do the opposition ‘usually’ run on 1st
and 10 is an obvious key question. You
also get a feel for the game and may
choose to take a risk or play it safe, I
usually have a call sheet of 3-4 plays
for 1st and 10 but come 2nd quarter I
tend to call plays based more on my
gut feeling and how aggressive I’m
feeling – I’m not sure if this is a good
or bad thing though!
What is it that makes an effective
blitz?
I think the key is to look at the offense
and see where they are weak, either
through system or personnel. Mixing
up blitzes is important so that an
offense is never certain which area
you are going to attack. I also like my
backers to show blitzes and then drop
to coverage. I think it’s also important
to teach linebackers that blitzing isn’t
just about sacking the QB and to be
aware that I may be sending my OLB
as I’m anticipating an outside run for
example.
Should a rookie D mix up their zonal
coverages, or would it be best to
simply stick to one you know?
I have conflicting views on this.
Unfortunately youth Offenses rarely
force you to come out of a single
coverage so it’s possible to sit in the
same coverage all game. However,
I believe in trying to develop wellrounded football players who can
progress to either university or
senior football with sound football
knowledge. With this in mind I do
run different coverages and I try to
teach my players the strengths and
weaknesses of each of those coverages.
With the shorter arms in the UK
league, is Cover 1 Man a better pass
defence than pure cover 3?
For me, it’s not about the shorter arms,
it’s about the fact that we play in a run
heavy league. I want my DBs to be
involved in run support quickly and so
I prefer to play zone to enable them to
read both the play and the receiving
threats to their zone.
I also prefer zone from a coverage
point of view due to the lack of quality
we see at QB. Far too often I see DBs
in poor man coverage come away
with interceptions because of poor
throws. Conversely, DBs with great
man coverage often can’t get to poorly
thrown balls because they are in great
position on the WR but the ball is
nowhere near! Zone gives DBs a better
chance to break on the ball, in my
opinion.
What are the main steps to a solid
gap-defence?
I think ensuring everybody knows their
responsibility and is aware of their role
within the scheme as a whole. Players
need to understand that there are 11
guys on the defence. If they ignore
their responsibility on 1 play they
may make a great tackle for a loss but
the next play the offense will score a
TD. Probably the hardest to teach at
youth level is BCR (bootleg, cutback,
reverse) for the backside players.
On one hand I tell my players to run
aggressively to the football but on the
other hand I want my backside guys to
be aware of any reverses or cutbacks
and tell them not to over-pursue. I
think this is where film helps a lot as
they are able to see how important
their role is and what can happen if
they are not disciplined.
Who should be signal caller?
The defensive play caller should be the
leader of the defence, on and off the
field. They need be a leader and know
the playbook inside out in order to be
able to make adjustments to formations
etc. For that reason it should ideally
be your middle linebacker or safety
as they are well positioned to see
the whole offense and communicate
effectively to the entire D. If those
guys aren’t leaders though and don’t
know the playbook I have no concerns
about giving the responsibility to
another position. My current play
caller is a CB and does a great job – in
fact he knows my playbook better than
me!
All photos this item courtesy Simon Purcell
What is most difficult to coach?
By far, it’s the mental aspect of the
game. Football is a tough game and
to play D you have to have some
nastiness inside you. Some guys have
it automatically but to develop it
takes time and a number of different
approaches. Especially at youth level,
players often need to overcome their
fear of contact first by building up the
level of contact in a safe manner.
A big part of coaching DBs is getting
them to understand that they are often
on an island and WILL get beat. They
need to learn that it isn’t getting beat
that’s important, it’s having the mental
strength to forget the previous play and
continue with the belief that they won’t
make another completion.
COACHING
COACHING
How do you prepare your D for
fumbles and interceptions?
We practice interceptions and fumbles
at every practice. But it’s not the act
of intercepting or recovering a fumble
that I focus on. It’s what to do once
the football is in their hands. I see so
many DBs in practice either catch the
football and think the drill is over, or
run the ball back to the QB – in a game
situation that’s going to get you hurt
as you’ll be running straight into the
O-Line! I teach my guys to ‘finish the
play’ every drill which means catching
the football, securing the football in
their outside arm, shouting ‘BINGO’
and returning the football down the
nearest sideline past the LOS. If you
have two or more players in the drill,
the second guy should always look to
block the WR the ball was intended for
while the others lead block.
In your first season as a defensive
coordinator, what was your
proudest or most memorable
moment?
Probably the most memorable aspect
of last year was conceding zero
points throughout the regular season,
including a shutout against a very
tough Gateshead team. I tried not to
concentrate on it throughout the season
as I don’t like to focus on winning or
shutouts as individual players can’t
always affect those. Looking back
though, it’s an achievement I’m proud
of and probably won’t ever be lucky
(every defence needs luck and we were
no exception) to repeat it.
It’s also great to see the young guys
develop on and off the field. I’m proud
of all the guys who have represented
GB Youth recently but it’s also great
to see guys develop off the field. So
many lessons from football can be
transferred to everyday life.
Do you set goals for your defence?
I never understand DCs who set
targets such as 3 interceptions per
game – what happens if the offense
doesn’t throw the football 3 times?
I prefer to set my players 3 simple
goals on every single play: The 3 A’s.
ALLIGNMENT, ASSIGNMENT,
AGGRESSION. If they line up in the
correct place on every play, fulfil their
responsibility and run aggressively to
the football they have fulfilled their
goals. They are easy to assess and
they don’t depend on anything that has
happened before or after so they can
focus fully on the current play.
Who have been the most influential
coaches on you?
I have been very fortunate to play
under a number of great defensive
coaches such as Jake Box, Tim Macy
and Wayne Hill. Playing for GB Youth
under guys like Riq Ayub, Tony Allen,
Gerry Anderson, and Simon Newnham
etc was also a great experience and
I learnt so much about football from
them. I now coach alongside two of
my first ever coaches in Paul Day and
Geoff Leigh. These guys had a massive
influence on my attitude toward the
game and I think that is why we make
such a great team at the Wolverine
Colts. Coaching the GB Lions Youth
programme is also a great opportunity
to learn from more experienced
coaches such as Damien Anderson and
Scott Rowe. A final mention has to go
to Paul ‘BJ’ Mather who taught me to
be the ‘best you can be’. He is rightly
seen as a legend by almost all who
have played under or alongside him.
What would you say to potential
coaches?
Get involved!! Coaching grass-roots
football is the most rewarding role
within football and I’d recommend
it to anyone with a passion for the
game and developing the superstars of
tomorrow.
Also, make sure you attend the
BAFCA Convention (see www.bafca.
com), as it’s a fantastic resource and
a great opportunity learn from some
fantastic British and overseas coaches.
...Peter Barker
Simon’s CV
Current Role: Defensive Coordinator – Lancashire Wolverine Colts
Philosophy: “Coaching is Teaching. Players don’t care how much you know until
they know how much you care.”
I believe my aim as a Coach of Youth American Football is to help my players to
reach their potential – to be the best that they can be; both in Football and in life,
and of course to have fun doing it!
Football can be a complex game but it is up to us as coaches to make it easily
understood by our players. I am a strong believer of teaching sound fundamentals.
As a defensive coach I believe the 3 keys to a successful defence are: sound
tackling, aggressive block shedding and relentless pursuit.
Coaching History
2008-Present:Defensive Coordinator: Lancashire Wolverine Colts
Defensive Backs Coach: Lancashire Wolverines Youth & Senior
2007-2008: Asst. Defensive Coordinator: Lancashire Wolverine Colts
Defensive Backs Coach: Lancashire Wolverines Youth & Senior
2003-2005 Assistant Coach: South Wales Rebellion (Youth Flag)
Playing Achievements:
11 Great Britain caps
2003: Southern University All-stars (Wildcats) (Defensive Captain)
GB Bulldogs (BCAFL) Tour of Italy
2002: GB Lions Youth – EFAF European Junior Championships
Southern University All-stars (Wildcats)
2000: GB Lions Youth – EFAF European Junior Championships
1999:
GB Crusaders Youth - Transatlantic Challenge
Lancashire Wolverine Colts – BYAFA National Champions
All photos this article
courtesy Simon Purcell
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY
EFAF Cup - A Photographer’s Tale
Dan Aitch, resident photographer with the London Blitz, talks about his recent travels with the
Premier League team
Seeing the Blitz compete in
European competition was a great
experience and an absolute pleasure
– especially as I’ve been with the
team since 2006, their first trip to
BritBowl. Once I was aware of the
draw and realised we’d be facing the
Amsterdam Crusaders, I couldn’t wait.
I’ve met Steve Sheppard, Defensive
Co-ordinator with the Crusaders, a
few times and was looking forward
to meeting him again, this time under
different circumstances.
That said, and whatever my excitement
about going into Europe with the team,
I was very apprehensive about a few
things –
1. What transport we’d be using to
get to and from games – while
I accept there are difficulties in
moving playing kit around, I don’t
think it comes close to the stress
and strain of moving 30kgs+
of camera kit and cases around
Europe – not to mention my need
to take my laptop so as to be able
to process photos and get them
emailed off to various editors in
good time. If we were travelling by
bus or train I’d be OK. Any other
method of transport would cause
me severe headaches (although at
this time I had no idea just how
many).
2. Who would I be sharing a room
with? I normally share with Gerald
Williamson who does such a great
job with the team’s written match
reports. Gerald’s a great room mate
because he doesn’t snore. Neither
does he call plays in his sleep but
then I only know one person who
does that and decorum prevents me
supplying his name.
3. How would I sneak a few cheeky
pre-game beers in, the night before
any away games? The team operate
a very sensible and well-adhered
to policy regarding drinking
before games and I’d need to find
someone to sit at the bar with me (I
was sure the Blitz physios might be
a good option).
Off to Holland
Our first trip to Amsterdam was a
long and tiring trip and the thought of
a few beers after a 12-hour journey
seemed a bad idea. I think I showed
some resolve though and managed to
squeeze a few down before passing
out (sharing a room with one of the
defensive coaches who, thankfully
didn’t snore… much!).
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY
Sunday morning, as promised, dawned
overcast and with heavy rain forecast
for the whole day. Despite nearly
taking the top of the bus off trying to
get under a low bridge, we arrived at
the Crusaders stadium in good time,
and in good spirits.
Shooting in the rain is absolutely
horrible. Pro-spec camera kit has
an element of weather-sealing and
water proofing but, unlike many
professionals, my kit wasn’t signed out
of a central equipment store and so I
had to use all of my waterproof covers
to ensure nothing got damaged. While
my rain covers are extremely good,
they make swapping between cameras
in a hurry virtually impossible. This
might not sound like much of a
problem but when you’re shooting
with a 400mm lens and a long play
semi-final to get to, and a chance to
host the game at Finsbury Park.
And so to Sweden
As it turned out EFAF awarded the
semi-final to Carlstad and we knew we
were off to Sweden. THAT’s when my
problems started.
How would I get approximately 35kgs
of photo kit to Sweden, with Ryanair?
I’m allowed 10kgs of carry-on baggage
and 15kgs of checked-in baggage. All
the players have to get their playing
kit with them and on top of that, we
need to get some sideline equipment
with us, too. Another concern is that
the last thing I want to do is check
anything expensive or fragile into the
hold, certainly on the way to the game
where loss or damage would mean that
I wouldn’t be able to shoot the game
and would have wasted my time and
breaks open, you need to switch to a
shorter lens to try and get anything
other than a player’s eyeballs in the
frame. With all my kit covered in
polyurethane and waterproof PVC,
it’s nigh on impossible to change over
in under 5 seconds… and by then the
play is over. I did my best.
As for me, I had as much waterproof
clothing as I needed but, as ever,
I forgot to take a change of shoes
with me so after the game was over
(a resounding victory) my clean dry
socks were rather wasted inside sodden
shoes.
his or her pint all over my laptop. I
finished about 2am, put my laptop
away and concentrated on some heavy
celebrating. I lasted an hour and
collapsed, exhausted, into bed. If my
room mate snored that night, I was in
no fit state to notice.
The trip back was uneventful (apart
from the storm force winds and waves
that lashed our ferry for an hour and
a half) and I got home in fine fettle,
processing done and photos ready to
upload to my gallery.
Work not yet done
Our next game was hosting French
team the Cougars. I helped the team
out by acting as one of the escorts
to get the Cougars from St. Pancras
Eurostar station to Finsbury Park.
Unfortunately, an alarm in the tunnel
delayed their train and the kick-off
was delayed for a couple of hours.
Thankfully, with another victory in
the bag, this time in fine, problem-free
weather, it was time to hit the pub for
a couple of post-game beers but, as
ever, discretion led me to leave pretty
quickly to get my photos processed. I
got home about 8pm, and finished my
processing about 3am. Another long
night, but worth it. We had a European
Once back at the hotel (about 7pm)
the players and most of the coaches
planned to go into central Amsterdam.
For me, I had photos to upload,
process and email to various people. I
shan’t go into detail but suffice to say
that by the time the first few players
were returning to the hotel, I was still
working on my photos – six hours
down and only another one to go. I
had a few beers in the bar while I was
working, but was careful to make
sure that no well-meaning member of
the Blitz family sat with me to keep
me company and accidentally tipped
money in going.
To cut a long story short, my nonessential (everything but camera
bodies, lenses and laptop, but minus a
lot of the equipment that I’d normally
have with me at a game) went into the
hold, at 14.7kgs. I carried on a nonpadded rucksack with a camera body
and two lenses, at 9.8kgs. Hero of the
trip (to me) Team Captain Rod Bradley
sacrificed his entire carry-on allowance
to take another non-padded rucksack
with a camera body, a lens and my
laptop, at 9.7kgs.
Did I add that Rod was carrying
approximately £8000-worth of kit
for me, in a bag not designed to
protect electronic kit from bumps and
bruises, and that my bag had about
£9000-worth? I can’t describe the
stress of knowing that a bad bump
could negate the point of my entire
Bring on the French
PHOTOGRAPHY
trip and that Rod would feel pretty bad if the bag he was
looking after was the one that gave way. Thankfully,
Rod’s comment that he usually loses or drops carry-on
bags proved not to be an accurate prediction. Mind you,
once again, on arrival at our hotel I was so tired that the
thought of spending time in the bar left me cold and I
headed to bed by 11pm. Some good it did me… my room
mate was a ‘tad’ noisy in the snoring department and kept
me awake for the entire time I should have been asleep.
Disappointment at Carlstad
Despite the stresses and hassles, the achievement of
reaching the EFAF Cup semi-final took my mind off the
subsequent loss to Carlstad. The team had performed
admirably throughout the campaign and had done
themselves proud in their first European excursion.
Our second night in Sweden didn’t afford us the luxury of
a hotel due to the late game finish, a 6-hour coach journey
back to the airport and a very early flight departure. As a
result, I found myself with a complete absence of sleep
for the entire trip and I simply didn’t have the mental
concentration required to process my photos during the
long bus journey, or in the early hours of the morning
at the airport. As a result I didn’t get my photos
processed until the day after we returned (I had tickets
for Rage Against The Machine at Finsbury Park, three
hours after we landed back in England). I felt bad at
having been so lazy but I have to admit, sometimes I
just need a rest. It’s lucky the rest of the team are a bit
more disciplined.
I’d recommend a trip into Europe for any photographer
who has the opportunity, even if you find yourself with
logistical and practical nightmares in your planning.
You won’t regret it. I didn’t.
I hope I’ll get another chance in the future.
...Dan Aitch
BAFRA
BAFRA
Inside Refereeing
Last issue we spoke with one of the country’s most experience American football officials, Steve
Tonkinson, who has some 25-years’ worth of experience.
This month we talk to one of the country’s newest recruits to the officiating ranks.
Stuart Young is 27 & works in IT for
a pharmaceutical supplier. He’s based
in the north in the Lancashire town of
Preston.
He first became involved in American
football 15 years ago when his uncle,
who emigrated to the States, sent him
some Pittsburgh Steelers merchandise
for Christmas. He says: “(the present)
along with sport-induced childhood
insomnia got me into it on TV and my
passion for it grew over the years to
include college football and obviously
now UK games.”
Stuart is a self-confessed sports-junkie.
“I am a total sports junkie, there’s
very little that I don’t or won’t watch,
from Aussie Rules to Pro-Bull Riding,
but AF and Rugby union would be
my top two – although I’ve played
neither competitively for quite a few
years. I thought I’d stick to playing
sports where I wasn’t worried about an
aggressive 20+ stone man wanting to
kill me. And then I started refereeing.”
Other than AF, Stuart plays soccer &
squash & enjoys reading and walking.
I asked whether he had ever played, or
considered playing, American football.
“Not seriously, I played rugby until
I was 18 when I suffered a bad knee
injury which stopped me playing rugby
in my first year at university and, while
Glasgow had two decent university AF
programmes running, I decided that it
wouldn’t be a good idea to take it up
at the time and really never seriously
considered playing after that. It wasn’t
for a lack of love for the game though
and it was a plug on NFL on Channel
5 one night when they advertised
the “get into American football”
campaign.” This prompted Stuart to
visit the website and make an enquiry.
“It’s just snowballed from there really.
I did consider looking into coaching
but I was worried about whether I
could give up the time required to
commit fully to a team, I may still
consider it though some day.”
All photos this item
courtesy of Stuart Young
Joining BAFRA
Stuart’s officiating career began in
2009 with an exchange of emails
between him & BAFRA Director of
Training, Ben Griffiths.
He was invited by Ben to come down
to a game in Merseyside where he was
given the opportunity to shadow him at
the Head Linesman position. “I got the
chance to run the chains and get a feel
for whether it was something I’d enjoy
doing. It helped that it was a decent
game and I enjoyed it thoroughly.”
The next stage was for BAFRA to
assign Stuart a mentor. Experienced
official, Paul Sutton, got the job of
guiding Stuart through his initiation
into the life as a football ref. “He gave
me a great insight into not only the
rules and mechanics of the game but
most importantly, how to officiate with
a bit of common sense.”
Once the mentoring was complete,
rookie officials sit a competency exam
which must be passed before venturing
onto the actual field of battle. Stuart
reckons it was about 12 weeks between
his initial email enquiry & first pulling
the zebra kit on. Though his first
experience was a somewhat mish-mash
of ill-fitting garb borrowed from other
officials while he waited for his new
kit to arrive in the post.
Officials are responsible for obtaining
their own kit, though Stuart says
anyone lucky enough to be on the
same games as Ben Griffiths can take
advantage of an Aladdin’s Cave of
various bits & pieces of kit which he
brings to each game, curiously, in a
body-bag.
The first game
Steve says of his baptism into the
world of officiating: “My first game
was up at Lancaster University, I think
it was against Merseyside. I don’t
remember the score, I don’t remember
who won, but I remember wondering
what I was doing there. I was at Head
Linesman which basically is one of
Stuart Young - First-year Official
the two sideline (or wing) officials
on the line of scrimmage, the main
responsibility of that position other
than the general play on the field was
to manage the chain crew and I think
it was this that I was most nervous
about as you can really mess up the
rhythm of a game if the chain crew are
slow or keep making mistakes and I
was worried that this would impact the
main job which was watching the field
of play.”
Overall, he was quite pleased with his
first performance. “it all went quite
well, I only threw my flag twice, once
on an obvious false start by the left
tackle and the other on a blatant fair
catch interference where the “gunner”
smashed the receiver about 2 seconds
after he caught the ball and clearly
waved fair catch. It was only after
the game that the other guys told me
I shouldn’t have been anywhere near
that penalty and should have been
watching something totally different.”
In his first year of officiating, Stuart
has stood at all three positions barring
referee on four-man games with the
occasional deep official positions on
5,6 and 7-man crews. His favourite,
though, is Head Linesman. “I’m not
sure why, I think it’s because you’re
always busy with something between
plays, it’s easy to become mentally
tired especially on a double-headers
so having the chains there and making
sure they’re correct keeps your head
in it… and you don’t have to leg it
around on punts and field goals!”
Stuart’s games are based around the
North West & Scotland where there is
a general shortage of officials (anyone
interested should see the BAFRA
adverts elsewhere in IAF!) So getting
a game isn’t a problem all year round,
though a recent knee injury has so far
kept him out of the summer season.
He says: “I’ve done university, senior
and youth and all present slightly
different challenges but ultimately
it’s the same game and you have
a responsibility to the players and
coaches to be fair and professional
so my preparation and focus doesn’t
differ a great deal. Sometimes when
you know you’ve got a player or a
coach you know can be a handful you
have to mentally prepare yourself but
the level of play shouldn’t influence
that too much.”
What about the training?
I asked about the level of ongoing
training & the opportunities to keep up
to speed with officiating developments.
BAFRA holds an annual conference
which gives officials the chance
to meet up, network, & pass on
information & current trends. “I have
to say that the feedback from the last
two years of these has been superb
but criminally I haven’t been able to
attend either one as I have had other
commitments those weekends.”
The conference usually includes a
keynote speaker, often an experience
NFL or NCAA official from America.
Jim Jackson attended this year. There
are also break-out sessions which are
set up & run by senior officials and
can focus on certain mechanics or rule
interpretations.
Some regions in the UK game, which
have more officials than others, have
monthly meetings to discuss BAFRA
topics. Stuart reports that while they
have talked about a system of more
frequent meetings in the North-west,
they haven’t started, yet. He says: “I
keep in touch with Paul, my mentor,
and pop up to him every now and
again but the most important place to
learn is on the field, it must be backed
Stuart in action in a 2009 BUAFL game
up by a thorough understanding of
the rules and mechanics but there
really is no substitute for game-time
and the time spent in the company of
experienced officials pre and postgame.”
I wondered how his confidence was
now he was a year into officiating
compared to when he started. “Good
question, you’ve highlighted I think
the most important attribute to any
new official and that is confidence, if
you show that you are confident, the
players and coaches react to that, if
you show nerves and indecision, the
players and the coaches pick up on
that too. Any good official needs to
BAFRA
BAFRA
know the rules but it is not enough,
having the confidence to throw a flag
and go and discuss it with another
official and being prepared to learn on
the field while also explaining things
to and being respectful to the players
and coaches are essential attributes
to being a good official and enjoying
being there.
“This confidence obviously grows
(from almost zero in my case) as you
do more and more games but you can
never be a perfect official, we see
mistakes made at the very highest
level so all of us continue to learn and
improve but I’m still on the steep bit of
the curve, it’s the guys on the flatter bit
at the top who give you the confidence
to improve.”
Stuart is yet to don the white cap of
the game referee. It doesn’t sound like
he’s in a hurry to take charge, just yet.
“I would certainly give it a go but I’m
happy at the moment getting better
at what I’m doing for now. I’d like to
think that I’ll be able to manage the
white hat someday, if nothing else
to help Pete Johnson who has the
unenviable task of scheduling all the
crews for each game which are in short
supply.”
I asked what the interaction was like
between him & the players he is
officiating. “In my limited experience
I’ve found that you get what you give,
if you have a bit of banter and show
them respect, you get it back. Some
coaches are a bit of a pain and they
regularly feel hard done to but that’s
just sport and it’s better that way as it
means they care about what’s going on
and for the a growth sport like AF in
the UK it needs passionate people to
drive it forwards.”
What does Stuart enjoy about his
role? “I enjoy the guys I ‘work’ with
(although it’s not really work), the
banter between us and the players
and just being involved with a sport I
love.”
What about the less enjoyable
stuff? “Sometimes the travel is a bit
tiresome. My only real frustration is
when teams don’t supply the correct
people, equipment etc. to get the game
started, we need chain-crew, ball boys,
post protectors, balls, lines, etc. to
officiate effectively and efficiently
and sometimes teams do not see how
important these things are.”
Join up!
It’s clear from talking to Stuart that he
enjoys what he does, even though he’s
currently on the ‘injured reserve’. He’s
keen to promote the sport. The last
word goes to him.
“Please get involved! We’re really
desperate for new officials to join in,
there are loads of people who have
played the game and now can’t for
time or age or injury reasons – give
reffing a go. There are even more
people than ever watching the game on
telly and if you want to have a totally
new AF experience then how better? If
you’re not interested in refereeing, but
want to get involved, find your local
team and get involved that way, it’s a
small community at the moment which
means you can be a big part of it.”
Stuart (right) hob-nobbing with the stars as he poses with actor
Ryan Moloney, who plays Toadfish Rebecchi in ‘Neighbours’
...Garry Neesam
So, you want to be involved but…
Did you ever notice that during a
game of American Football, there are
actually three teams on the field? If
you enjoy this fantastic sport, then
officiating could be for you!
“But how can I learn all those rules?”
we hear you cry! Even though the
Rule Book is a lengthy document,
it can be digested in easy chapters,
and as you gain game-experience in
officiating, you not only learn it but
also understand it!
BAFRA meets the cost of training,
including Rule Book, Mechanics
Manual, necessary paperwork and
insurance; your first game fee earned is
paid directly to BAFRA to help offset
this.
Who can be an official?
Just about anyone at least 18 years
old can join the ranks of the men &
women in black & white. Whether
you’re passionate about the game but
not keen on kitting up, someone who’s
going to be on the sidelines anyway,
a retired player or coach, or a college
league player who’d like to stay
involved during the summer leagues,
involvement is a lot more accessible
and more rewarding than you might
think. A great way of keeping you
active and of engaging those grey cells
just a bit, officiating keeps you active
and looks brilliant on the CV!
How do you become an official?
We really won’t let you go onto the
field unprepared. Training consists of
a step-by-step induction to enable you
to officiate: we help you understand
where to stand and
what to look for.
We allocate new
officials to a game
where an experienced
official will 'buddy'
you, giving you the
necessary tips on how
things are done. The
first ten games are
monitored closely by
your crewmates on
the field, enabling
you to develop and
to gain confidence
in officiating this
fascinating sport.
Since officials work
together as a crew
(usually of 4 or
more), you are never
alone.
What is BAFRA?
The British American Football
Referees' Association was founded
in 1984 to provide officials for the
then fledgling sport. Each year, we
train and schedule officials to cover
several hundred games at all levels
nationally, including senior (over 18),
college and youth games. Through
the European Federation of American
Football (EFAF), BAFRA also
provides officials for tournaments
on the continent. BAFRA's Elite
Programme meets the need for ongoing
development and training, should you
wish to take it to a higher level.
contact, or through a group training
session, according to demand.
We operate two seasons a year: the
BAFL and youth leagues run from
April to September; the college
league runs from October to March.
While most officials work in both, it
is possible to tailor your officiating
to your availability and level of
commitment. We also need officials to
cover flag football tournaments during
the summer.
You can decide your own level of
involvement in the Association as you
go along – the Director of Operations
will assign you to games as and
when you are happy to work them.
Furthermore, membership covers you
for insurance on the field. You will
normally be paid £25 for each of your
first 10 games (after the first), and,
once qualified, will receive £40 per
game. BAFRA pays travel expenses
for longer journeys.
For more information:
•
Talk to the officials at a game
•
Go to www.bafra.org
All photos this item © Garry Neesam
What happens next?
One of BAFRA's Training Support
Officers will get in touch with you
to plan your training. Usually an
experienced official will be appointed
to guide you through it. This can
be through one-on-one face-to-face
GB LIONS
C o u ld y o u ta k e
Lions roar towards Frankfurt
C ontrol?
The countdown is on as the GB
Lions Senior Team get ready to head
to Frankfurt for the 2010 American
Football European Championships at
the end of July.
Head Coach Riq Ayub and his team
have now selected the players who
will represent Great Britain at the
Championships and are now in the
final stages of preparation for the
challenge ahead.
Playing with Lions isn’t for the faint
hearted, requiring huge dedication
and hard work, as well as attendance
at regular training and development
events across Britain. But what does
Coach Ayub think it takes to make a
Lion? “From day one they have been
asked to show, passion, desire, high
energy, spirit and a relentless pursuit to
find the winning edge - which all Lions
should have.”
Players have been selected for the final
squad from nearly twenty different
British Senior teams, many of whom
graduated up from the ranks of the
British University team system – a
major pipeline of talent for the sport
in the UK. For Coach Ayub, the most
difficult stage of this process has been
breaking the news that not everyone
will make the journey to Germany in
July. “It’s been hard telling players
that they’re not part of the final squad
or will be reserves for the travelling
squad. The Lions’ spirit is so great that
I know every member of the team felt
for the guys who won’t be with us in
body,” he revealed.
The road to Frankfurt has taken a great
deal of hard work and commitment
from everyone involved in the GB
Lions Senior Team. According to
Coach Ayub, the key milestone on this
journey was the team’s participation
in last year’s tri-nation tournament in
Loughborough against the Australian
and Swedish National Senior Teams.
“This gave players and staff the
experience of being involved in a
physically and emotionally charged
GB Lions in some 2009 action against Sweden
Photo © John Singer
B e c o m e a n A m e r ic a n
F o o tb a ll O ff ic ia l
Visit www.bafra.org
or email [email protected]
May 2010 - Inside American Football 50
Head Coach of the GB Lions, Riq Ayub
Photo © Dan Aitch
atmosphere for a sustained amount
of time. Going in, it was all about
accepting the errors we would make
and learning from them for the future.
Today we can say we took a great deal
from that experience, which will put us
in good stead for the Championships.”
In the first rounds of the
Championships the Lions will take on
France on 27 July at Stadion Wetzlar,
followed by Sweden at the Brita
Arena in Wiesbaden on 29 July. How
does Coach Ayub think the team will
fare? “We’re honest enough to know
we’ll have to bring our A-plus game
to be successful but we don’t fear
this. We have a very honest and hard
working squad who’ve grabbed every
opportunity to improve. As long as we
remember our core belief to play and
live every moment- every single breath
- then the best is still to come.”
The GB Lions Senior team is just one
the elements that makes up the BAFA
national programme, providing athletes
with the opportunity to represent Great
Britain in international competitive
American Football across different
disciplines and age ranges.
Find out more about the 2010
American Football European
Championships at www.efaf.info and
you can follow the progress of all of
the teams in the national programme,
including the GB Lions Senior Team,
on Twitter by signing up to www.
twitter.com/GBLions.
...Amanda McDonald
EUROPE
EUROPE
A beginners guide to Streaming American
Football (& how to watch it)
with Dean Rasmussen
Hello, esteemed British American
football fan. I am Dean Rasmussen
and I am kind of a freak. But not so
much of a freak when you hear me out.
Let me tell you a little about myself
and my plight and why I search for
streaming football games from teams
all through Europe.
It all begins in the United States
during a horrendously dull and spiritcrushing period of time called “the off
season”. This time actually begins the
week before the Pro Bowl (because
the Pro Bowl is like Arena Football
- no real replacement for an actual
football game) and extends, for the
true football freak, until the last week
of June/first week of July when our
brethren to the True North crank up the
white hot CFL action. So that leaves
four months of nothing.
Or so I used to think! I have always
had a love for Spring football. It
broke my heart when the USFL folded,
and it gave the true football fan yet
another reason to despise the soulless
jackal, Donald Trump. Crappy
casinos and architectural blights I can
stomach. Driving a perfectly viable
football league into financial ruin is
unforgivable.
So Trump drove the beloved Michigan
Panthers and Memphis Showboats and
Boston/Portland/Somewhere Breakers
into oblivion, leaving us nothing.
These were the hard years between
1985 and 1990. I drank them away
and found comfort in the arms of loose
women, as most folks in their early
twenties will do. Still, there was an
emptiness.
I like baseball enough I guess, but
c’mon, it’s just not football. I’m
a Dallas Cowboys fan. I have no
room for any other sport. There was
emptiness and all was bleak. All hope
was gone. I started pretending to
like the Milwaukee Brewers and then
maybe the Texas Rangers. “BAH!”
I said to myself. “Who can watch
this?!” Well, millions of Americans.
But I’m not millions of Americans. I
don’t find solace in the changing of the
sport with the changing of the season.
I WANTED FOOTBALL.
Then, and I will never forget because
it started the same weekend that my
girlfriend of 4 years broke up with me,
the WLAF started! I was stoked about
the Montreal Machine and London
Monarchs and the Sacremento Surge.
Hell, I was excited because guys were
wearing helmets and hitting each other
and they were televising it. So it was
great. There was a slight blip when
they took two years off and went to
the hugely unsuccessful all European
league (unsuccessful in the sense of
how it was killing the burgeoning
grass-roots growth in Germany, I
found out later. Monetarily, I assume
the NFL could have taken much larger
financial hit since the NFL randomly
pays folks like Albert Haynesworth 21
million to not know how to play a 3-4
defence.) But anyway, I was perfectly
fine with 6 weeks of no football. It
was manageable.
Then the rumours started. Then they
stopped mentioning NFL-E on the
NFL Network ads. I figured it was
over. It was depressing watching the
final games knowing that the horror
of the Off Season was returning.
But THEN... during one of the
final games, Fox announcer Brian
Baldinger was talking about one of
the assistant coaches for one of the
German teams and said that he would
be going straight from the final game
to coaching the Rome Gladiators in
the Italian Football League. I said to
myself, “WAIT! There’s an ITALIAN
FOOTBALL LEAGUE?” I went to
the internet and VOILA! The whole
new world of European American
football was there for the discovery.
That was three years ago and it went
from finding ways to follow teams
through highlights and YouTube to
now finding whole games. If you
follow enough, you can figure how
far along each country is. Austria and
Germany are the probably the farthest
along. I would say comparable to
higher end Division 3 NCAA inching
into Division 2, in that Appalachian
State wouldn’t completely beat the best
team in Germany to death.
France, UK and Finland are close
to Germany and Austria. Spain and
Italy seem to vary each year of the
four years I’ve been trying to follow
them. Eastern Europe and Russia
will overtake everyone in ten years
if their rate of growth isn’t impaired
by things that tend to impair these
type of things. So after you get a
handle on how the leagues work, you
can gauge which league plays at a
level high enough that you feel is AT
LEAST the lowest level of competence
that you will tolerate. I have a giant
tolerance. During the beloved football
season, I will watch 40 college games
a week. I will watch 20 division
III games a week. Division 3 is my
dividing line. If it doesn’t reach the
level of at least a Colorado School of
Mines vs Nebraska-Kearney tilt, then
I don’t considerate it worth watching.
I don’t watch high school and I don’t
watch Arena. Luckily, higher end
European games can truly reach
levels comparable to a good Uconn vs
University of Richmond Division 2
playoff game. Most streamed games
I’ve watched this year fall pretty much
in the middle. So yeah, watching a
steady diet of European streaming
football is like watching a steady
stream of great NCAA Division 3
games with the occasional mid-range
Division 2 games. So you can sign me
up. My off season is set!
The most streaming games are French.
RadioSSA.com is a radio station in
France that does sports talk radio about
American football (and makes me
think that the American idea of France
is COMPLETELY warped. How could
we not love a country that also has
idiot Eagles fans calling in to whine
about Andy Reid?) They have most
of their games live over their internet
radio site (http://www.radiossa.com/)
and then they upload the video version
to their dailymotion site (http://www.
dailymotion.com/TeamRadiOSSA) a
few days later. The commentary is in
French and is very spirited and lively,
thus you get the fun of listening to
guys enjoying a game with you but not
having to actually understand whatever
idiocy they are blathering on about,
like when are trying to make it through
a Troy Aikman/Joe Buck broadcast.
Plus, they use 3 cameras and have
instant replay and it’s shot better than
most games on Comcast Sports Net
local football games.
The games are all archived so you
EUROPE
EUROPE
can spend time that would be wasted
at work by working by, instead,
watching Bethune Cookman legend
Jimmy Russell lead the Thonons Black
Panthers against the mighty Flash
Courneuve (or however they spell it.)
Unfortunately, the greatest name ever
gifted to a football team - the Cannes
Ironmask - are the worst team in the
FFFA. Not only does RadioSSA.com
cover the FFFA overall, the Black
Panthers stream their home games on
USTREAM (http://www.ustream.tv/
user/BlackPanthers) and they are one
of the better franchises in Europe.
They use two cameras and no replay,
but there are announcers to help you
along. Sometimes the RadioSSA.com
guys team up with BP and it is the best
of both worlds.
There is also a giant bank of archived
games for the Nimes Centurions at
http://centurions-nimes.com/centstv.
php though they only post what seems
like every other home game. The
erratic posting is a shame because
they are one of the more fascinating
teams in France, being in the middle of
the pack of the FFA without actually
having imports at the skill positions.
But watch for yourself. It’s quality
stuff.
The BEST streaming productions
in Europe is the Swarco Raiders in
Austria (http://www.raiderstv.at/).
Four cameras, replay, an announcer
that can switch to English announcing
if they get an American guest in the
booth (which they did for a quarter
a few weeks back and it was really,
really good). Not only is it the slickest
production in Europe (the backing of
the Oakland Raiders is a big help),
but it is one fourth of the four headed
monster of Austria, as the Vienna
Vikings, the Danube Dragons, the Graz
Giants and the Raiders really do make
a good Austrian impression of the NFC
East, thus making it a really interesting
team in a really interesting league
to follow. Plus they are in the EFL
Bowl League thing so you can watch
them stomp on teams from Spain and
Hungary. Or have the European Game
of the Year against the GFL’s Berlin
Adler.
The odd thing about Austria and
Germany is that this is the only
consistent streaming for any team. The
Danube Dragons and Vienna Vikings
get extensive video coverage at Vienna
Online (http://www.vienna.at/sport/
football) and the GFL has a good video
site (http://www.gfl-tv.de/) and a really
comprehensive weekly highlight show,
but there really is no excuse for France
smoking both countries so completely
in weekly live games. But yeah,
the template for all future streaming
ventures should be the Raiders.
Or you could use the SAJL (Finnish
League) Maple League Game of
the Week. Four cameras, replays,
a fabulously melancholy Finnish
announcer who does get worked up
for big plays. They are played live
(usually Friday) here: http://www.sajl.
fi/media/netti-tv/ and then archived a
few days later on Vimeo here: http://
vimeo.com/noitamedia. Maple League
is really great football. I’d put it right
up there with Austria and Germany
(though the Adler/Butchers game
archived on the Vimeo site would say
that things may be otherwise.) Maple
League has some of the best imports
and the most freakishly huge lineman
ANYWHERE. And they pull and
block and everything. It’s great stuff.
Italy is going through transitions. The
Warriors Balogna were one of the first
teams to stream games three or four
years ago. They scrapped that and
started an impenetrable video page.
The Hogs Reggio stream most of their
home games but it is one camera and
tends to be one long shot from the top
of the stands, as I’m assuming it’s the
game-film camera. But it is the whole
game and Italian football can be really
good sometimes so check out their
archives here: http://www.ustream.tv/
user/hogsre.
Last year, Italy divided up into a
batch of smaller leagues, mostly over
imports and non-imports rules. The
bigger non-import teams stream a few
games a month on LiveStream but
you usually have to find out when by
following this site: http://www.aftv.eu/
en (which has the button to translate
it to English but then opts to stay in
Italian.) This is pretty much the level
that gets close to my dividing line as
this looks more like non-Texas/nonFlorida/non-Ohio/non-Pennsylvania/
non-Virginia high school football.
Spain’s top team L’hopital Pioners
streams their home games, though I
have not actually watched one yet to
see the quality. http://www.ustream.tv/
user/PionersLH.
In the UK, the Sussex Thunder has
started streaming games and I’ve
only watched a few minutes (Sunday
mornings are for slee... uh... church).
They archive for a week, so check
them out here: http://www.ustream.tv/
user/SussexThunder.
So there is a quick overview. One
hopes that next year, there will be even
more. Serbian football is making it
onto basic cable in Eastern Europe
so that should be a harbinger of good
things to come from there. As it is
now the beginning of July and the end
of the dreaded off season, join me in
adding this to the list of football to
watch on the internet: http://watch.tsn.
ca/cfl-games-on-demand/.
Thank you, Europe. You got me
through.
...Dean Rasmussen
So where can you catch streaming football?
France
Radio SSA
www.radiossa.com
www.dailymotion.com/TeamRadiOSSA
Black Panthers
www.ustream.tv/user/BlackPanthers
Nimes Centurions
centurions-nimes.com/centstv.php
Austria
Swarco Raiders
www.raiderstv.at
Danube Dragons
www.vienna.at/sport/football
Vienna Vikings
www.viewnna.at/sport/football
Germany
German League
www.gfl-tv.de
Finland
Finnish Maple League
www.sajl.fi/media/netti-tv
vimeo.com/noitamedia
Italy
Hogs Rhinos
www.ustream.tv/user/hogsre
Italian League
www.aftv.eu/en
Spain
L’hopital Pioners
www.ustream.tv/user/PionersLH
UK
Sussex Thunder
www.ustream.tv/user/SussexThunder
Canada
CFL
watch.tsn.ca/cfl-games-on-demand
YOUTH
YOUTH
Doing it for the Kids
How the Lancashire Academy of American Football is leading
the way in the development of the sport in the UK
The Lancashire Wolverines are a
competitive and capable group of players
but many of their fans are unaware that
the next crop of stars are already being
moulded and readied to take to the field.
The Lancashire Academy of American
Football now includes three independent
junior clubs, the Chorley Buccaneers,
the Standish Raiders and the Burnley
Tornados as well as Lancashire’s own
youth team, the Wolverine Colts, and
the Wolverines themselves. All of these
squads are either competing in league
competition or looking to compete.
Greg Adam, team manager and assistant
coach for the Wolverines and also
offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers
kitted team, is in the best place to witness
the rise in interest in the academy.
“All three [junior clubs in the academy]
have seen an influx in players. We’ve also
seen growth at the youth and senior level,
with a significant proportion of each team
made up of players either in their first or
second years,” said Adam.
To see the development structure at the
academy you have to look no further than
to the Lancashire Wolverines’ starting
quarterback, David Mead. “He started his
football career at age 13 with the Chorley
Buccaneers and is now an established and
successful senior player,” muses Adam.
The Wolverine Colts’ starting
quarterback, Lawrence Quinn, also came
through the ranks, starting his career
playing Cadet Flag football with the
Buccaneers. Last year the academy sent
ten players from the Buccaneers junior
Paul Horsburgh
Head Coach Lancashire Wolverines
All photos this article are
courtesy of the Lancashire
Academy of American Football
Standish Raiders
Lancashire
Wolverines
Burnley Tornados
Lancashire Wolverines
kitted team to the Colts’ squad.
Players making the step up from
junior flag football then replaced
these in the junior kitted team.
Adam believes that American
football is finally starting to come
of age in the UK, stating that,
“Investment in the grass-roots
certainly takes its time but I’m
convinced we’re starting to see
real rewards at all levels from the
time and effort put in.”
The Lancashire Academy is also
leading the way in aiding players
make the transition from the
university leagues into club football
by creating links to several local
universities. Several academy
members, including coaches at
the youth level and players at the
senior level, still play university
football and the long-term aim is
Lancashire Colts
Chorley
Buccaneers
Chorley Buccaneers
that Lancashire will be able to
offer a smooth transfer for players
wanting to take up the challenge
of club football.
But the academy’s work doesn’t
just stop on the field. They have
brought out several initiatives
that have developed a spike
in interest, particularly from a
younger group of prospective
players. Their annual family fun
day has seen a rising attendance
each year and all of the academy teams
see an influx of interest around this
time.
This year the team will be holding a
double header with the Colts playing
the Gateshead Senators followed
by the Wolverines playing the
Staffordshire Surge. People from the
local area are invited to attend and
a range of football related activities
will be on offer, run by the junior
teams. This has been a success for the
academy in recent years on several
fronts and also helps to promote
interest in the sport.
On top of this the academy also runs
taster sessions for the local councils
with whom they have close links with
and for local schools. The latter has
seen a definite growth in interest with
many local schools seeing American
football as an alternative sport to get
involved with.
The hard work on and off the field
is paying dividends for the academy
with players from Lancashire now
representing Great Britain at junior
flag, youth flag and youth kitted levels
in the last year. This is in no small
part due to the level of coaching at
the academy, which has also been
recognised on the national stage with
junior flag, youth kitted and senior
kitted coaches from the academy now
on the Great Britain team.
Greg Adam is well placed then to share
his tips on anyone wanting a first taste
of playing the sport. “I’d certainly
recommend that anyone who wants to
try out the game should get in touch
with their local team.
“In my opinion American football is
the greatest team sport in the world,
and there is a place for everyone. If
you don’t want to get involved in
kitted football there is flag football
played at all ages too. This can either
Lancashire Colts in action
Lancashire Colts in action
be a good place to start or also a very
rewarding variant of the sport on its
own.”
...Nathan Sharrocks
BAFRA
BAFRA
ASK THE REF - Downing Punts
with senior BAFRA Official Steve Tonkinson
To start with I’ll point out that the rules about punts and F.G.
attempts are pretty much the same and to avoid duplication,
the Rule Book uses the term “Scrimmage kick” to mean a
punt or a F.G attempt.
Downing punts is an area of the kicking game that is often
misunderstood. Let’s look at some example plays – we’ll keep
it simple and have:1)
No fouls occurring that might change who ends up with
the ball.
2)
No possession by the receivers and subsequent fumble
on a return.
3)
No-one is pushed into the ball to make them touch it,
or the ball deliberately knocked into them.
EXAMPLE 1
The ball is punted a reasonable distance, has a good hang
time and the kicking team are quick to get downfield. The
receiving team decide they want no part of it and all back off
and let it roll to a stop.
4-1-3 says A live ball becomes dead...
f. When a free kick, scrimmage kick or any other loose ball
comes to rest and no player attempts to secure it.
So if everyone backs off the punt and clearly no-one attempts
to get it, the officials will blow it dead. Whose 1st and 10 is
it?
6-3-7 says
If a scrimmage kick goes out of bound between the goal
lines or comes to rest and inbounds and no player attempts to
secure it, the ball becomes dead and belongs to the receiving
team at the dead ball spot.
So it goes to the receiving team.
Watford punt the ball to Berkshire
in their June 2010 match
The ball belongs to the receiving team at the dead ball spot unless the
kicking team is in legal possession.
So the question is are they in legal possession?
6-3-2-a says
No inbounds player of the kicking team shall touch a scrimmage kick
that has crossed the N.Z. before it touches an opponent.
The kicking team picked the ball up so they have definitely touched it
and the ball had not firstly touched an opponent(i.e. the receivers). So
the answer is No the kicking team are not in legal possession, so it goes
to the receiving team.
EXAMPLE 3
The ball is punted a reasonable distance, has a good hang time and
kickers are quick to get downfield. The receiving team all appear to
initially back off. The ball is still rolling and a kicking team player
reaches down and briefly touches the ball and then walks away. A
receiver then quickly picks up the ball and starts a return.
6-3-2-a says
No inbounds player of the kicking team shall touch a scrimmage
kick that has crossed the N.Z. before it touches an opponent. Such
illegal touching is a violation that, when the ball becomes dead, gives
the receiving team the privilege of taking the ball at the spot of the
violation.
Lets read that more carefully...
Notice that it says that the touching gives the receivers the option of
taking the ball at that spot when the ball becomes dead. So the kickers
simply touching the ball does not make it dead.
If they want to, the receivers can pick it up and run with it.
Final thoughts.
The Ref’s tip to kicking team players? Don’t just touch it, get possession
of the ball! That kills the play dead for sure.
EXAMPLE 2
The ball is punted a reasonable distance, has a good hang time
and kickers are quick to get downfield. The receiving team
decide they want no part of it and all back off. The ball is still
rolling and a kicking team player reaches down and picks it
up.
6-3-6-a begins by saying
If a player of the kicking team catches or recovers a
scrimmage kick that has crossed the N.Z. the ball becomes
dead.
So the ball is dead, but whose 1st and 10 is it?
6-3-6-a goes on to say that
Sussex Thunder punt against the London Blitz
REVIEWS
REVIEWS
Friday Night Lights: Friday Night Lights has seen media
attention in many forms, from the
book by H.G. Bassinger based on the
real Permian Panthers in their 1988
season in Odessa, Texas to the 2004
movie starring Billy Bob Thornton.
The book followed the controversial
Panthers up to their Semi final
defeat to the Dallas Carter Cowboys
who went on to win the 1988 State
championship (and were subsequently
stripped for grade tampering).
In 2006 Friday Night Lights was
released as a TV show airing during
primetime on NBC, following much
the same over arching story as the
book and film. The show follows The
Dillon Panthers and the trials and
tribulations following the loss of their
team’s star QB to irrecoverable injury.
The first season focuses greatly on the
ascension of Eric Taylor to head coach
and the strain that brings on his work
and home life. Running parallel, after
the paralysis of Jason Street (former
QB); the challenges of a young Matt
Saracen who has played back up QB
A Town, a Team, and a Dream
his whole life and the pressure that his
new starting spot puts on him and his
relationships.
H.G. Bassinger’s Friday Night
Lights looks a lot at the relationships
between team mates, families and the
community in Odessa. Bassinger is
critical of the emphasis put on football
and this is an underlying theme of the
show. Players for the Dillon Panthers
are elevated to the highest position
in high school society and regarded
as local heroes. This pressure and
admiration at such a young age is
shown to have a negative effect on
the players, producing arrogance and
disregard. New coach Eric Taylor
must balance his desire to win with
the expectations of the town and the
development of the children under his
ward, forcing him to make difficult
decisions, sometimes to the dismay of
his wife and family.
In 2007 the show received a Peabody
award for TV excellence and an
Emmy for Outstanding Directing For
A Drama Series (for the pilot episode).
It has also been nominated every year
since its launch for a Writers Guild
of America award for best dramatic
series.
Season 1 looks at the team during
the playoffs leading up to the state
championship, something held in very
high regard in US high school football,
more so than any school based sports
we have in the UK. New star QB Matt
Saracen, HC Eric Taylor, hard hitting
and heavy drinking FB Tim Riggins
and talented HB Smash Williams
feel the pressure of being in a team
formerly tipped for the top, which has
had upheaval and uncertainty thrust
upon them.
In season 2, football is overshadowed
by bad decisions and moral choices.
The season focuses on Taylor’s
coaching choices, relationship choices
for Saracen and big decisions for
Riggins and Street regarding the
implications of the latter’s paralysing
...Luke Hill
Friday Night Lights: Movie
Friday Night Lights: Season 1
Friday Night Lights: Season 2
Friday Night Lights: Book
back injury.
After 2 seasons of trials and
tribulations a new star QB joins Dillon
in season 3. J.D. McCoy and his
father Joe begin a plot to take out the
diamond duo of Taylor and Saracen,
in order to begin a new legacy at
Dillon High. The ins and outs of the
seasons are better watched than told.
Unfortunately for UK viewers Friday
Night Lights aired in the in 2007 on
ITV4 and tanked with viewers. With
its timetabled slot amidst shows such
as Police! Lights! Action! there is no
wonder why it didn’t really pick up
a lot of steam. Season 2 was due to
air this May but it was nowhere to be
seen.
There is good news for UK viewers
though. Season 1 can be bought online
for Region 2, Seasons 2 and 3 are
available for region 1 from most good
online retailers. If you haven’t watched
it yet, it is highly recommended.
£4.99 @ Play.com
£12.99 @ Play.com
£15.65 @ Play.com
£6.99 @ Play.com
NFL COMPETITION
NFL COMPETITION
Photo Competition
Fancy the opportunity to capture great NFL shots like these?
The NFL has teamed up with the British American Football
Community Leagues & the British American Football Imagery
Association to offer the chance for you to go to Wembley to
shoot the next overseas NFL game
The National Football League (NFL), British American
Football Community Leagues (BAFACL) and the British
American Football Imagery Association (BAFIA) are
delighted to announce a joint initiative that will see one lucky
person shoot an NFL game from the sidelines at Wembley on
Sunday October 31st.
From Tuesday June 2nd anyone can upload their favourite
photo of a 2010 BAFACL Senior game to be in with a chance
of winning. The competition will be hosted as a Facebook
group and there is no limit to the amount of times you
can enter. Uploaded photographs may contain a copyright
marking, if required by the photographer, but this must not
be placed so as to obstruct or detract from the image. All
photographs submitted must name the BAFACL team(s)
featured, the date the photo was taken and, wherever possible,
the photographer should describe the action or event that is
displayed. Photographers may only upload photographs they
have taken themselves and will need to able to supply proof
of this, if requested.
This year, judges will include NFLUK.com, renowned British
NFL photographer Sean Ryan, Dave Shopland from ‘The
Mail On Sunday’ - 2007’s Sports Photographer of the Year and BAFIA’s Dan Aitch.
The competition will close a week after the inaugural
BAFACL season culminates in its National Championship,
and the photo judged to be the best will earn the photographer
who created it a sideline photography pass when the Denver
Broncos play the San Francisco 49ers, at Wembley, in
October. Sean Ryan will be on hand on the day to provide
advice and guidance to the winner.
A full fixture list for the 2010 BAFACL season is available at
www.bafacl.com and photographers must be aware that it is
only the Senior Teams from this league that may be featured
in the 2010 competition, based on rules surrounding Child
Protection within Youth and Junior leagues.
The competition winner will be responsible for their own
transportation and accommodation costs relating to their
attendance at the game.
The URL for the Group is http://www.facebook.com/group.
php?gid=132564880087761
All photos this page
© Dan Aitch
BAFA YOUTH
BAFA YOUTH
We are the Champions
an intro to the Farnham Knights Youth Team
The Farnham Knights Youth Team are
the current British Youth Champions,
winning their second Championship
in 2009 when they beat the Lancashire
Wolverines 16 - 0. They’re pretty
good; appearing in the national
championship finals for the last 3 years
in a row & are currently ranked second
in the BAFA Youth South Division
with a record of 4 and 1. They are
hoping that 2010 will see their seventh
appearance in the Championships.
The team are based in Farnborough
with their fellow Farnham Knights
senior team who play in the BAFA
Premier League. Currently, the squad
is made up of around 30 16 to 18-yearolds drawn from the local area.
Many of the members will graduate
into the senior team which means
recruitment is an on-going process.
Richard Scott, Assistant Coach at
Knights Youth, said: “Every year is
a rebuilding year in youth football,
more than 10 players will graduate
each season to the senior team.”
Recruitment seems to be reasonably
low-key. “We encourage our players to
bring along friends, we put up posters
and hand out cards to people we think
might be interested. We currently don’t
go into schools but it’s always been
something we want to do.”
Knights Staff
The Youth Team currently has four
coaches. Richard Scott, who helped
with the information for this article,
is an ex Knight Youth player & was
selected for the GB team. He is in his
third year on the Knights coaching
staff.
Head Coach, Simon Srour, is currently
in his fifth season at the helm. Simon’s
roots are in the game having been a
youth & senior player. He was a Youth
National Champion & selected to
represent England & GB.
Nic Budd is an Offence assistant coach
& has 3 year’s service. Nic is an ex
senior player with 10 years’ playing
experience.
The latest recruit to the coaching team
is ex-youth player Alex Thompson,
who only graduated from the youth
squad last season and is taking a year
out from playing. He was also a GB
Lions selectee.
Farnham Knights take on the London Blitz, summer 2009
photo © Dan Aitch
The Knights are managed by Andy
Davies who is in his second year in
charge. Andy does a good line in
recruitment, having provided his
eldest son to the franchise who
graduated from the Youth to the seniors
& won the Most Valuable Player
Award at the 2009 Britbowl. Andy’s
second son is currently enjoying his
second season in the youth squad
and the third is currently lining up
alongside dad on the sidelines waiting
for the clock to tick so he’s old enough
to join the squad.
The current manager has been able to
bring a number of financial donations
which assists with the required
expenses to run the club. All kit is
supplied by the team though players do
pay a subscription which the Knights
think is among the lowest in the
league.
How it works
The current league setup at BAFA
Youth involves 4 divisions: BAFA
Youth Central, east, North and South.
The Knights play in BAFA Youth
South together with the Bristol Aztecs,
London Blitz, London Warriors,
Reading Rebels and Hampshire
Thrashers.
The regular season schedule is a
season of 8 games against other teams
in the regional division. The top two
progress to the play-offs to play in
the quarter-final, semi-final & then
championship game.
I asked Richard Scott what the team’s
ambitions were. “The target is always
play-offs, we have been fortunate
enough to achieve that for the last
three years and hope to do so again.
Once we make the play-offs, we aim
for the championship.”
The Knights train at Wavell-Cody
Community Campus, Lynchford Road,
Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6BH
from 12pm to 3pm every Sunday.
New players are always welcome and
further information can be obtained
either via their website at www.
farnhamknights.com/youthteam.asp, or
via email to [email protected]
Farnham Knights Youth take the 2009 Youth Championship
photo courtesy of Farnham Knights Youth Team
2010 Farnham Knights Youth Season
Date
23/05/2010
13/06/2010
20/06/2010
04/07/2010
11/07/2010
18/07/2010
08/08/2010
22/08/2010
Home
Farnham Knights
Bristol Aztecs
London Warriors
Farnham Knights
Hampshire Thrashers
Farnham Knights
Farnham Knights
London Blitz
Score
19 - 8
14 - 6
0 - 22
46 - 14
0 - 48
Away
Reading Rebels
Farnham Knights
Farnham Knights
Hampshire Thrashers
Farnham Knights
London Blitz
Bristol Aztecs
Farnham Knights
...Garry Neesam
BAFA YOUTH
BAFA YOUTH
Aiming for the top
Accreditation
IAF takes a look at the London Blitz Youth Programme
Jason Henry, Head Coach of the
London Blitz Youth Team, describes
the evolution of the Blitz as like a
family tree with many roots. The team
was born out of several teams who
developed & amalgamated out of the
early days of UK American Football.
The Ealing Eagles & Hayes Generals
have their DNA within the modern
club.
In the winter of 1994 a meeting
was held at Northolt Rugby Club
during which names for the newly
merged club were discussed. Had it
not been for a player & committee
member having what Henry describes
as ‘a unique moment sitting in the
bathroom’ the Blitz might have
been known as the London Flame or
London Blues.
The clubs ‘LB’ logo derives from
ex Blitz Head Coach, Damon Kirby,
who was, with Henry, a 49ers fan, so
inspiration was taken from them.
The first two or three seasons of the
Blitz Youth were played in Watford
but the club struggled to attract players
& coaches, so the decision was taken
to move to Cranford. Damon Kirby
& Adrian Klemens came on board,
however, recruitment problems were
still apparent & the pair was also
involved in the senior team.
Jason Henry kind of strolled into the
team as an often-injured senior player.
Around ‘98/99 he found himself at
training where a handful of youth
players had turned up. He had some
experience with Ealing Eagles youth
programme & strolled over to the
younger guys to offer some help. It
was around this time that they had a
stroke of luck when one of the new
players contacted the NFL office
in London. As a result, they found
themselves the lucky recipients of
20 sets of kit, game shirts, pants &
training equipment, everything a
fledgling team needed to get off the
ground. The London Blitz Youth Team
was born.
Fast forward to today where Henry is
Head Coach & the Blitz Programme
supports a senior team with over 100
registered players & 10 senior coaches,
a youth team of around 35 players, a
junior squad nearing 20 & a recently
formed junior flag team of 12. There
are currently 12 dedicated coaches
& sidelines assistants to support the
under 19s football programme.
The Youth squad covers an age range
of 16 – 19.
The London Blitz & Colchester
Gladiators are the only current teams
which have been awarded ‘Clubmark’
status. Clubmark is the only national
cross sports quality accreditation
scheme for clubs with junior sections.
It is built around a set of core criteria
which ensure that accredited clubs
operate to a set of consistent, accepted
and adopted minimum operating
standards.
Henry explains, “When the youth
reformed back in 2007, I put together
a 3 and 5 year plan of what the under
19s programme would look like. The
current head coach and chairman both
agreed the massive importance that an
under-19 program would have on the
future of the club and the 2006 season
highlighted this with many of that
year’s crop of players being former
Blitz Youth members.
“Achieving Clubmark took us around
5 months which is good going, many
clubs have questioned what immediate
impact this would have and what
financial benefits we would receive
from being Clubmarked, but trying
to explain that any structure which
may support you tapping into local
and national funding and also being a
club which does things the ‘right’ way
should be the aim of ALL clubs in the
UK, is difficult.
“We do sometimes have slow channels
of communication between our NGB
and our management team but now
with the additional help sort by BAFA
I believe this will improve.”
Going the Clubmark route does place
some burdens on the club. Henry
describes some big financial demands.
They currently ask their coaches to
support the club by paying all or part
of their registration fee. There are costs
involved in CRB (Criminal Records
Bureau) checks, attending first aid
courses & doing the child protection
course. A first or second year coach
can cost the club around £150 each.
However, this can be offset s one of the
benefits of being Clubmarked is that it
opens avenues to funding support. The
Blitz has been able to get some level of
funding towards coaching costs for all
their staff over the past 3 years.
Building & growing
Each year the Blitz tries to secure
some kind of local funding in order to
carry out advertising for their under 19
programme in order to help with the
ever-present problem of recruitment.
Henry describes the most successful
was back in 2006 when they had 70
potential recruits turn up to their first
ever ‘rookie session’. They also rely
on Facebook, NFLUK & their own
website.
Their flag team started just this year &
already has a membership of 12 whilst
the junior squad is 75% made up of
new guys.
This year the club has produced A5
flyers & several hundred A2 posters
and have sent out packs to 100 local
schools, feedback suggests that these
are now being displayed on school
notice boards. Henry says he receives
around 5 calls a week about football.
Coaching setup
As mentioned, the Blitz has a
very solid coaching setup. Adrian
Klemens says they have an extremely
dedicated group of coaching staff. It
has taken time to build but with good
communication and development
processes for coaches to learn and
develop, they retain their coaching
staff year on year.
The Blitz Youth have a fairly fluid
system in regards coaching since they
have multiple staff coaching the same
All photos this article © Dan Aitch
BAFA YOUTH
BAFA YOUTH
looking at another coaching position
an individual might not have any
knowledge of.
Because the Youth Programme has
been running so long they also get a
number of ex-youth players coming
back to coach & give something back
to the club.
The Blitz also run a system, on a rota
basis, where senior team coaches
attend youth sessions. This helps build
a relationship between the youth &
senior programmes & aids consistency
throughout the club. Because the teams
train separately (they’re just too big
to combine practice times), it’s also a
great way to form links between the
programmes.
The only thing they seem to be lacking
is a dedicated youth administrator; the
role is currently performed by one of
the coaches. This is one of the things
on their ‘to-do’ list.
positions as a few of the staff struggle
to make all the sessions. A hard-core
set of 6 coaches usually make every
practice with a further 6 dropping in
when work & family commitments
allow.
Klemens says: “We’ve found that this
works extremely well, as you keep
some coaches involved in the sport
when they couldn’t fully commit to
every session, and often you will find
over time their commitments will
change and they will one season be
part time and the next full time, and
vice versa. The key in this situation is
communication. Making sure we know
what staff are at which sessions, and
planning what drills/techniques will be
covered in every session.”
At the start of every season the staff
get together for their own in-house
coaching clinic. This is where they
discuss the techniques and skills they
will be teaching that year, so they are
all teaching the same thing. They also
use this as an opportunity to develop
their own personal skills, maybe
Financing
The team is mainly self-financed with
members expecting to pay registration
fees & game-day fees. Grants &
funds have been available & the team
continue to explore possible avenues to
offset their expenses. Equipment grants
have allowed them to build up a stock
so that all players are provided with
helmet & shoulder pads. Blitz Youth
have been able to take advantage of
grants from such organisations as
Sports Relief and Help a London
Child, etc.
The budget for the squad is kept
separate from the senior team. The
youth team can take advantage of
training equipment purchased by the
senior squad but must look after their
own travel expenses, officials’ fees,
training ground, ambulance cover etc.
Coach Henry explores other avenues
for funding too. “I’ve also done what
every coach should do, tap up your
work place for whatever you can get.
We needed new shelves’ for some new
helmets (Lottery funded) and I asked
work and they gave me and delivered
some old racking, desks and draws for
nothing. The trick is to ask them for
small things first and then build. Only
last year we got £500 in vouchers from
them.”
Henry says that he is also keen to
manage what they do have well. “I
think if you ask any player they will
tell you how much every belt, chin
strap or buckle costs. Working for a
large company it has rubbed off on
how much you can reduce cost by
managing your wastage and losses.”
The ultimate aim is to offer football
for free but until then Henry has to
be satisfied that this years’ costs are
cheaper, for the players, than last
years’.
Results
The Blitz Youth programme has come
a long way in the last few years with
year-on-year improvements. In 2007
the record was 1 – 6. In 2008 4 – 4.
2009 was 6 – 2, which still didn’t get
them into the playoffs.
Klemens says the Southern Division of
what is now the BAFA Youth League,
is probably the toughest division to
be in, having provided the National
Champions for at least 6 years. “With
teams such as the Warriors, Knights
and Bristol in our division, you get
challenged every week, however we
like that as we feel this has been a
factor in helping us make our program
better by playing the best teams every
week.”
The Blitz train all year round, other
than three weeks at Christmas. “The
best way for our athletes to get better
is to play football, so we try and give
them as much opportunity to do so,”
says Klemens. This means that they
can integrate new players at any time
rather than have them call the team to
be told, ‘come back in x-months’ time
when we start training’.
For Further Information about
London Blitz Youth contact:
www.londonblitz.com
[email protected]
Coach Klemens: 07710 853051
BAFA YOUTH
BAFA YOUTH
Team
Like any team, the Blitz want to
improve every season they play.
Klemens says that success is measured
not by tallying up the win and loss
sheets, but by seeing how players have
improved as individuals. “We are we
helping develop respectable young
people for our community, and they
are learning not only athletic, but life
skills to help them grow and become
better in every aspect of their lives
and not just sport. Teamwork, respect,
communication, hard work, discipline
are all keys to our program and we run
workshops on these very topics with
our team on a regular basis. We’re
using sport as a vehicle to develop
young people, and hopefully these
things translate into success on the
field.”
Pride
The Blitz have a great talent-base to
draw on, so much so that the stats on
offence show how evenly the players
are matched.
When pressed on the standout players,
Klemens seems – naturally given his
position & love of the team - to want
to give a mention to everyone.
“Our GB Youth players, Franklin
Nwokeji, Charlie Joseph, Clinton
Richie play both sides of the ball
and are great leaders in our program
and work extremely hard. Our
QB is in his second year and has
come an extremely long way in his
development.
“We have two GB Offensive lineman
in Jade David and James Connolly
who both started in GB Youth’s recent
European win, with the rest of our line
very strong also.
“On Defence we have a very strong
linebacking core containing Jaiah
Turay-Benson, Jacob Price, Anthony
Eiliazadeh & Ibrahim Almazwagi. Our
defensive backs are one of our team’s
strengths with Kwame Olu-Wilson,
Enoch Hankombo, Abdul Bundu,
David Protheroe, Cameron Fraser, Ben
Locker, & Luke Hancock all featuring
heavily and we’re lucky that we have a
lot of quality depth this season.
“We have a young defensive line lead
by final year player Jerome Jarrett.”
The Blitz have many success stories
70
in their ranks, past and present. Most
notable would be Jason Brisbane &
Lorn Mayers, who went on to play for
the San Diego Chargers & Oakland
Raiders respectively. Both were
products of the youth programme who
excelled.
“We’re proud of all of our past
players however. Many have gone
on to play senior football and now
coaching for the London Blitz or other
organizations, and gone on to set up
their own American Football teams,
which is great for the sport.
Most importantly our players continue
to stay in touch with the club and each
other and have gone on to further
education or entered the work force
and we’re proud of their achievements.
2009 saw the inaugural Youth Alumni
match, where we played the Farnham
Knights Youth Alumni team, and that
was a fantastic vehicle for getting
players to return to the club.”
With thanks to Jason Henry & Adrian
Klemens of the London Blitz.
... Garry Neesam
Joseph is a 17-year-old wide receiver at the Blitz who found
Charlie
the team via a friend.
“I started playing football for the Blitz three years ago because I liked
watching the sport and wanted to try it out. Here I am three years later
and still loving it.”
Charlie says that playing American Football at the Blitz has helped him
out in other areas too. “I think it’s important to notice that the sport has
helped me with leadership & teamwork skills, as well as learning how to
be committed, responsible and accountable.”
Charlie wants to take the game further, his aim is to get an American
college scholarship. He’s well on his way. He is currently part of the GB
Lions Youth squad & travelled to Holland to play their national squad.
He has also received a scholarship to Tabor Academy, a prep school
in Massachusetts. “Hopefully, I can impress over there and then who
knows what might happen?”
Mills-Lamptey plays QB for the London Blitz Youth
Ithevan
team. He went straight to youth level American Football at
age of 16, playing his first season in 2008. He started as a
running back but made the switch to QB.
“When I was in year 11 one of my schoolmates told me that
there was an American football team that he played for
named London Blitz. So I joined the team. Before then I had
no idea that American football existed in this country.
Ivan led a 4 – 4 team to a 6 – 2 season with the highest
scoring offence of the year. He won a gold medal for most
improved player in his rookie year and a play of the day’
award in his second.
“My favourite award is the most improved player as it was
my first ever award won as an athlete and as part of a team.
It always reminds me that no matter how great you are
there’s always room for improvement. Yeah my coaches
always tell me that too.”
Ivan loves the adrenalin rush before the first few plays of
the game, “the taste of success when you know that you’ve
done your job...you won the game and most importantly the
team spirit. Knowing that your team mates got your back
throughout all four quarters and your coaches have faith
in your decision making makes it enough for you to go out
there, have fun and have a great game.”
His goal is to lead the Blitz to their first ever Championship.
“For three years Blitz Youth has had the speed, strength, skill,
determination and all the other attributes needed to be a
successful team . This year we got that extra team spirit to
take us all the way.
“Team. Pride. Blitz.”
71
PHOTOGRAPHY
NEIL BIGGS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Neil Biggs is one of a new breed of
photographers covering British American
football. His work is based around the
south of the UK & Neil does a lot of work
at the London Cobras home & away
games.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
IN FOCUS
72
Neil Biggs is one of a new breed of photographers
covering British American football. His work is based
around the south of the UK & Neil does a lot of work at
the London Cobras home & away games.
Neil describes himself as a ‘self-taught advanced
amateur’. Of his taking up of the hobby he says:
“There’s a photo that used to sit on top of my piano. It
was taken by my dad at a Jean-Michel Jarre concert,
and as he took it, all the screens went red which left the
image almost monochrome and the crowds silhouetted
beneath it. It was pretty much that set of photos of my
dad’s that made me interested in photography.” It wasn’t
until the prices of a Digital SLR camera fell below
£1,000 that h felt he could afford to take up the hobby.
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY
of telling a story, a ‘violent silence’
where the picture moves you without
moving itself. Simon Annand’s “The
Half” is another fine exhibition of
that style which traces back to Henri
Cartier-Bresson. At the moment, I
still shoot pretty much anything that
I find visually interesting. In the last
year I’ve done jousting, several bands,
a late evening parade and fireworks
by the Thames, a kite festival, a
balloon festival – all with the notion of
working on my composition. This year
I want to experiment with panoramic
shots, and maybe do a few storybased projects if I can get the time and
opportunity – for example I’d love
to shoot a fair from setting up, to the
general public going on the rides, until
the morning after the final night and
the rides are driven away.”
The Gear
He bought his first camera, a Canon
300D in 2004 & began by shooting
folk at parties and occasional events,
such as the Isle of Man TT races in
2005. Then, a non-related injury to his
leg kept him away from photography
until 2007 when he started to follow
the London Olympians.
Some photographers specialise in
particular genres while others are
happy to try out whatever opportunities
they can find. I asked Neil to tell us
what it was about photography that
interested him.
“The parts of photography I love
are the areas where it tells stories. I
realised I had no chance of going down
the portrait/studio route when I picked
up books by Rankin and Mario Testino
and thought “Is that it?”. They are
considered masters of the genre, but
their work left me cold. I had a fairly
similar reaction to abstract work, in
that although I could appreciate the
composition, it had no response within
me.
“It was when I saw Tom Stoddart’s
iWitness exhibition on the banks of the
Thames that I knew what I wanted to
achieve in my photos – that moment
Neil currently uses a Canon 40D with
Sigma lenses - mostly a 28-70 f2.8 for
indoors/low-light, and a 70-300mmm
f4:5.6 zoom for sport. It’s not ideal, but
it does what I need it to on a budget.
My dream kit would probably consist
of f2.8 Canon lenses, a mixture of
zooms and a few long range primes,
and a Canon body with a faster frame
rate (although the 40Ds 6.5fps is fast
enough, I’d like that little bit more!).”
Unlike Leigh Morris, who we featured
in Issue One, Neil had no involvement
in American football prior to shooting
it. He says that he became bored of
soccer, mainly due to working in a
betting shop at the time. He says: “I
was up one night, flicked over on to
Channel 5 and saw Daunte Culpepper
throwing the ball when he had two
defensive linemen trying to tackle him.
I started to follow the sport (and the
Vikings in particular) from then. Fast
forward a few years and I was chatting
with some friends about applying for
tickets for the first Wembley game.
I can’t remember which one of us
actually talked about watching a local
team first, but between us, we quickly
decided to follow the Olympians, and
since it was one of our birthday’s that
weekend we decided to go to Coventry
to watch the Jets vs O’s at the Ricoh
Arena. I think I’ve forgiven the guy
who decided that MegaBus would
be a good way to get there! Anyway,
it was a good game (27-20 with the
O’s dropping the equalising TD in the
endzone) and we followed them for the
rest of the season.”
He then began shooting games from
the Olympians’ sideline and at the
end of the season was just about to
offer to work with them on a more
official basis when the club folded. Not
wishing to give up on the game, he
went looking for another team & found
details of the London Warriors on a
fixtures list at Crystal Palace.
Emails between Neil & the team
followed and Neil was made to feel
very welcome by the club. As a result,
he has shot every Cobras game (The
Cobras being the adult wing of the
London Warriors franchise) since
their first league match against the
Gladiators in 2008.
He currently shoots matches & other
events that the club are involved in
and has been helping with producing
the ID photos this season. He hopes
to be able to help with other publicity
material in terms of photography, but
this will dependent on the time he
has available & his ability to learn
the required software, for producing
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY
posters etc.
“I love the mixture of detailed tactics,
and the severe brutality of the hits. It’s
like chess played with ogres instead of
pawns!,” says Neil, whose preparations
for each game begin the night before
the match. “I clean my lenses, check
the memory cards are clear, charge
the camera batteries and then double
check everything is in the backpack.
I’ll also prepare a snack for half-time,
or for between games if I’m shooting a
double-header.”
Preparations
When it comes down to gameday, Neil
says American football has its own
challenges. “The biggest challenge
is being in the right spot. With some
sports you can settle down comfortably
and know that most of the action
will happen in certain areas, but with
AF it’s so easy to have a shot ruined
by being on the wrong side of the
offensive line to see it, or it happening
on the other side of the field, or with a
ref in the way.
“I tend to shoot like ‘a machinegunner’ which was a phrase an
American pro-photographer used when
he was talking to me. I shoot loads to
try and capture everything and edit
down in post-processing. I typically
get about 1,400 shots per game, and try
to edit down to a set of about 60.
“Albums should be punchy with a
good sense of movement from one
photo to the next. I look for the shots
where the ball is visible along with at
least one player’s face (preferably the
ball-carrier) and where there is a good
amount of movement in the picture. I
also try to get photos of conversations
between coaches and players and other
human moments which can sometimes
get lost in the action.
“I preference the more dramatic/
important shots (celebrations, TDs,
catches) in my final set, and once I
know what ones I’m going to use, I
crop and adjust the colours slightly.
Very rarely I’ll combine shots together,
either for illustration (like putting
positional coaches photos combined in
to one image) or for humour as I did
with game at the Cats last year where
a Cobra player intercepted it, only to
have another player collide with him
and knock it loose. My post process
can take several hours including
moving all my photos to my harddrive from the memory card, but once
they’re done I upload them to Flickr
and to FaceBook.”
Neil says he is more concerned about
the Warriors or Cobras winning the
game than he is about the photos
he takes, though he does wish he
could capture more interceptions but
describes the frustration of the kit not
living up to expectations, especially
in regards to the Sigma lenses he uses
not being able to autofocus as fast as
he would like. His prize shot would
a photo of the Cobras’ QB lifting the
European Trophy.
Details & Settings
Non-photographers can look away
now - Neil prefers aperture priority
mode on his camera & will adjust
ISO settings accordingly to enable
shutter speeds of 1/500 or a second.
“The only essential thing I’d say you
have to carry beyond the camera is
waterproofing so you can shoot in less
77
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY
than pleasant conditions. There is no
finer example of the British sense of
humour than to invent a sport which
needs five clear days of sunshine in the
summer... Though Jade Johnson, the
long-jumper who is allergic to sand
gives Cricket a run for its money in
that regard!”
I asked Neil what he would say to
a photographer new to the sport or
thinking of taking it up. “If I was to
give one piece, it would be ‘Your
lenses are made of glass. The players
are covered in armour. They ask you to
keep your distance from the pitch for a
reason...’
Helping the community
Neil is hoping to work on a project
with other members of the British
American Football Imagery
Association (BAFIA) to deliver a
downloadable guide that’ll cover
everything a beginning photographer
could want to know – from what to
look for in terms of kit, to positioning
around a field, to what software is
available and what it can do. “After
the guide is done, I’d love to be at a
match to simply talk to people who are
trying to learn and advise them whilst
a game was going on. It’s hard to
commit to doing that during a Cobras/
Warriors game so it might have to wait
for the BUAFL season, or weeks when
we’re not playing and I’m not needed
to cover anything at training/promoevents.”
Aside from American football, Neil
says just go & play. “If the photo is
awful, no-one will ever need to see it.
Shoot anything and everything until
you know the camera and how to
adjust it, and constantly critique your
own work or find someone willing to
do so.”
Neil is happy for his teams to use
his work for publicity. He has also
given shots to other clubs who have
requested them. “I’d like to sell
images, but don’t have the time
between other things I’m involved in
to commit to getting them printed and
mailed-out, and would like to have
some better lenses before doing so.”
He uploads his shots to Facebook in
the hope that friends of the players
might see them kitted up & be
prompted to give the sport a go.
On the contentious issue of players
taking photos without permission &
posting them over websites such as
Facebook, he says: “It annoys me
when someone lifts them and there is
no credit given though, but the players
I’ve pulled up on it have usually been
pretty quick to add a ‘Photos courtesy
of...’ message beneath the shots.”
BAFIA
Neil was instrumental in the formation
in 2010 of BAFIA, a group of likeminded individuals whose aim is to
get the best in photography for the
photographers & the sport. “I started
what has become the BAFIA in
attempt to just talk to people interested
in shooting the game. When the
whole BAFLing mess kicked-off, it
became something better than I had
envisioned and now has the chance
to get the images and photography
handled properly (due mostly to the
excellent efforts of Dan Aitch and John
Singer), but I’m hoping that at its core
it remains a collective of people who
have the love of photography and of
this sport.”
Away from Football & on the general
side of photography, Neil says he
doesn’t have any specific photographic
heroes. “There isn’t anyone I
particularly follow, but I do try to look
at Getty Images from time to time to
see the work the photographers at that
agency are producing. Sometimes it’s
amazing, other times it’s too arty for
its own good. I saw a photo of New
Orleans post-Katrina on the frontpage of one of the major American
newspapers. Four soldiers were
standing in front of a huge puddle and
all their full-length reflections were
captured in it. I felt that the image
over-powered the story and was more
distracting than illustrative.”
He would like to produce photographic
books of his images, especially since
dabbling with Photobox in producing
a book of flower images he captured
whilst on an away game with the
Cornish Sharks. “The next year of the
Snake in the Chinese horoscope will
be 2013 and it would be amazing if
I could produce a book detailing the
rise of the Cobras from Division 2
to champions of Europe that season.
Generally, I’d love to produce books
that take you inside unfamiliar worlds,
particularly if I could do something
like “The Half” but maybe behind the
scenes of a sport.”
To end with I asked Neil to describe
some of his work of which he was
particularly proud. “The shot of one
of our lineman having his wrist taped
prior to the Cornish sharks game is one
of mine I love.
“At the Youth final in 2008 I saw (in
my mind) the best shot I never took. A
Gateshead Senator payer was injured
on the pitch and his mum came down
from the stand. As the steward put
his arm across the front of her, she
put her hand to her mouth. I couldn’t
bring myself to point the camera and
shoot – it felt intrusive, even though
it would very much be the kind of
image that has inspired me. I shot a
Christening for a child seriously girl
with Rett’s syndrome a few weeks ago.
At the end of the service was a candle
lighting service and I got a photo of
the mother placing the candle on the
stand with her son standing beside her,
both with a sombre look on their face.
Seeing that on the back of the camera
put a lump in my throat as it captured
a major worry, that little Melody might
not have long left. I know now from
that shot, that I probably should have
taken the one of the player’s mother.
The action we capture is meaningless
without also capturing the impact that
it has on other people.”
You can see more of Neil’s work at
www.flickr.com/photos/violentsilence
...Garry Neesam
All photos this article © Neil Biggs
DIRECTORY
DIRECTORY
BAFA CL Team Directory
BAFA Premier
Bristol Aztecs
www.aztecsadult.co.uk
twitter.com/AztecsAdults
Filton WISE, New Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS34 8LP
Coventry Jets
www.cassidyjets.com
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=30695263557
twitter.com/CoventryJets
Coventry RFC, Butts Park Arena, Butts Road, Coventry
CV1 3GE
Farnham Knights
www.farnhamknights.com
Farnborough Rugby Club, Tilebarn Close, Cove, Farnborough,
GU14 8LS
London Blitz
www.londonblitz.com
twitter.com/londonblitz
Finsbury Park, Endymion Road,London
London Cobras
www.londonwarriorsafc.co.uk
twitter.com/londoncobras
Boston Manor Fields, Boston Gardens, Brentford, Middlesex
TW8 9LP
Sussex Thunder
www.sussexthunder.com
facebook.sussexthunder.com
twitter.com/SussexThunder
Thunder Stadium, Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre, Wickhurst
Lane, Broadbridge Heath, Nr Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 3YS
Peterborough Saxons
www.thesaxons.co.uk
Stanground College, Peterborough Road, Stanground,
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE7 3BY
BAFA Division 1 South West
Birmingham Bulls
www.birminghambulls.org
Aston Old Edwardian’s Rugby Club, Sunnybank Avenue, Perry
Common, Birmingham, B44 OHP
Leicester Falcons
www.leicesterfalcons.co.uk
twitter.com/leicesterfalcon
Leicester Forest RFC, Hinckley Road, Leicester Forest East,
Leicester LE3 3PJ
Nottingham Caesars
www.nottinghamcaesars.co.uk
Harvey Hadden Stadium, Calveley Road, Nottingham NG8
Oxford Saints
www.oxfordsaints.com
twitter.com/oxfordsaints
Abingdon Rugby Club, Lambrick way, Preston Road, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire OX14 5TJ
South Wales Warriors
www.southwaleswarriors.co.uk
Llanharan RFC, Bridgend Road, Llanharan, Pontyclun CF72
9RD
Tamorth Phoenix
www.tamworthfootball.com
twitter.com/TamworthPhoenix
Lichfield Rugby Club, Tamworth Road, Lichfield WS14 9JE
BAFA Division 1 South East
BAFA Division 1 North
Cambridgeshire Cats
Doncaster Mustangs
www.cambridgeshirecats.com
Coldhams Common, Barnwell Road, Cambridge
Colchester Gladiators
www.colchestergladiators.org.uk
Wivenhoe Stadium, Wivenhoe Town F.C., Elmstead Road,
Wivenhoe, Essex, CO7 9HX
East Kent Mavericks
www.ekmavericks.co.uk
twitter.com/EKMavericks
Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NP
Ipswich Cardinals
www.ipswichcardinals.co.uk
www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=ts&g
id=89269243608#!/profile.php?id=1517657752&ref=mf
Venue: Northgate Sports Centre, Sidegate Lane West, Ipswich
IP4
Kent Exiles
www.kentexiles.co.uk
Crockenhill FC, Wested Meadow Ground, Eynsford Rd,
Crockenhill, Kent BR8 8EH
www.doncastermustangs.com
Keepmoat Stadium, Stadium Way, Doncaster DN4 5JB
Dundee Hurricanes
www.dundeehurricanes.com
Dawson Park, Dundee
East Kilbride Pirates
www.piratesfootball.co.uk
Hamilton Rugby Club, Bent Road, Hamilton ML3 6QB
Gateshead Senators
www.gateshead-senators.co.uk
Gateshead International Stadium, Neilson Road, Gateshead
NE10 0EF
Merseyside Nighthawks
www.merseysidenighthawks.co.uk
Formby Football Club, Altcar Road, Formby
Yorkshire Rams
www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/?u=YORKSHIRERAMS&s
=football&t=c
Leeds Corinthians RUFC, Ring Road, Middleton, Leeds LS10
4AX
BAFA Division 2 East
Bedfordshire Blue Raiders
www.bedfordshireblueraiders.com
www.facebook.com/Bedfordshireblueraiders
twitter.com/BedsBlueRaiders
Bedford International Athletics Stadium, Barkers Lane, Bedford
MK41 9SH
Essex Spartans
www.essexspartans.co.uk
twitter.com/EssexSpartans
Hannakins Farm, Rosebay Avenue, Billericay, CM12 0SY
Lincolnshire Bombers
www.lincolnshirebombers.com
Sultan Qaboos Pavilion, RAF Cranwell, Sleaford, Lincolnshire,
NG34 8HB
London Olympians
www.olympiansfootball.org
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, Maberley Road, London
SE19 2JH
Maidstone Pumas
www.pumasafc.co.uk
New Line Learning Academy, Boughton Lane, Loose, Maidstone
ME15 9QL
Norwich Devils
www.norwichdevils.com
The Hewett School, Cecil Road, Norwich NR1
BAFA Division 2 West
Berkshire Renegades
www.renegadesafc.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-United-Kingdom/BerkshireRenegades-American-Football-Club/97814424333
Palmer Park Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading RG6 1LF
Cornish Sharks
www.cornishsharks.co.uk
Newquay Sports Centre, Yeoman Way, Newquay TR7 2SL
Gloucester Banshees
www.gloucesterbanshees.com
Oxstalls Tennis Centre, Plock Court, Tewkesbury Road,
Gloucester GL2 9DW
Hampshire Thrashers
www.thrashers.org.uk
Winchester Rugby Club, North Walls Park, Winchester SO23
7EF
Milton Keynes City Pathfinders
www.mkcitypathfinders.co.uk
twitter.com/mkpathfinders
Bletchley Rugby Club, Manor Field, Bletchley, Milton Keynes
MK2 2HX
Watford Cheetahs
www.watfordcheetahs.com
Fullerians Rugby Club, Coningsby Drive, Watford WD17 3BD
BAFA Division 2 North
Clyde Valley Blackhawks
www.blackhawksfootball.co.uk
Beltane Playing Fields, Wishaw Sports Centre, Alexander Street,
Wishaw ML2 0HQ
Edinburgh Wolves
www.edinburghwolves.com
Meadowbank Stadium, London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE
Glasgow Tigers
www.tigersfootball.co.uk
www.facebook.com/pages/Glasgow-Tigers-AmericanFootball/112176064763?ref=nf
twitter.com/tigersafc
Lochinch Stadium, Pollock Country Park, Dumbreck Road,
Glasgow G41 4SN
Highland Wildcats
www.invernessblitz.co.uk
Bught Park, Bught Road, Inverness IV3 5SS
West Coast Trojans
www.west-coast-trojans.com
King George V Playing Fields, Dean Park Road, Renfrew PA4
Division 2 Central
Chester Romans
www.chesterromans.com
www.facebook.com/chesterromans
www.twitter.com/RomansFootball
Chester Rugby Club, Hares Lane, Vicars Cross, Chester CH3
7DB
Hull Hornets
www.hullhornets.webs.com
Brantingham Park, Brantingham Road, Elloughton, Brough
HU15 1HX
www.wolverineden.com
Blackburn Rugby Club, Ramsgreave Drive, Blackburn BB1 8NB
Manchester Titans
www.manchester-titans.co.uk
twitter.com/manchestertitan
Broughton Park Rugby Club, 2 Houghend Crescent, Chorlton,
Manchester M21 7TA
Sheffield Predators
www.sheffieldpredators.com
Westfield Sports Centre, Eckington Road, Sothall, Sheffield S20
1HQ
Shropshire Revolution
www.shropshirerevolution.co.uk
Oakengates Leisure Centre, New Road, Telford TF2 7AB
Staffordshire Surge
www.teamsurge.com
Longton Rugby Club, Stanley Matthews way, Trentham Lakes,
Stoke on Trent ST4 8GR
NATIONAL
GB Lions
twitter.com/GBLions
DIRECTORY
DIRECTORY
BAFA CL Team Directory
BAFA Kitted Youth
BAFA Adult Flag South
Birmingham Bulls
Basingstoke Zombie Horde
Bolton Bulldogs
Bristol Aztecs
Chichester Sharks
www.birminghambulls.org/Pages/YouthTeamRoster.html
www.aztecsyouth.co.uk
Cambridgeshire Cats
Chester Romans
www.chesterromans.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task
=view&id=5&Itemid=12
www.rollhorde.co.uk
www.chichestersharks.co.uk
Coventry Jets
www.coventrygridiron.com
War Memorial Park, Coventry
Leicester Eagles
www.leicestereagles.co.uk
Home Ground: Belgrave Rugby Football Club, Thurcaston Road,
Belgrave, Leicester LE4 2QG
Clyde Valley Hawks
East Kent Mavericks
London Rebels
Edinburgh Wolves
St Albans Kings
www.ekmavericks.co.uk/index.php/youth-team
www.edinburghwolves.com/junior.html
Farnham Knights
www.farnhamknights.com/youthteam.asp
Forth Valley Fusion
www.forthvalleyfootball.co.uk
Gateshead Senators
Glasgow Tigers
Highland Wildcats
Kent Exiles
www.londonrebels.com
Wanstead Flats, Leytonstone, London
Westminster Lodge, Holywell Hill, St Albans
Woodham Warriors Black
www.woodhamwarriors.com
Woodham Community Technology College, Newton Aycliffe,
County Durham
Two shots from the Peterborough Saxons home game with Kent Exiles, June 2010
Photos © Garry Neesam
Woodham Warriors White
Details as per Woodham Warriors Black
www.kentexiles.co.uk/news.php?cat=Youth
Lancashire Wolverine Colts
BAFA Adult Flag North
Leeds Varsity Rams
London Blitz
Aberdeen Oilcats
www.wolverineden.com/index.php?option=com_content&view
=category&layout=blog&id=41&Itemid=72
www.londonblitz.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=ar
ticle&id=201&Itemid=61
London Warriors
Maidstone Pumas
Norwich Devils
Peterborough Saxons
Redditch Arrows
Sheffield Tomahawks
Staffordshire Surge
www.gallowtech.co.uk/TeamSurge/youth/youth.asp
Sussex Thunder
Tamworth Phoenix
www.tamworthfootball.com/Youth%2009.html
Yorkshire Rams
www.aberdeenoilcats.com
Carluke Cobras
www.carlukecobras.co.uk
Glasgow Hornets
www.glasgow-hornets.com
East End Healthy Living Centre, Crownpoint Road, Glasgow
Glasgow Tigers
www.glasgowtigers.org.uk/Web_Pages/Flag/flag_Home.htm
Grangemouth Broncos
www.gobroncos.co.uk
Inchyra Park, Inchyra Road, Grangemouth
Kircaldy Bulls
www.kirkcaldybulls.com
Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy
Tayside Raptors
www.taysideraptors.co.uk
The North Inch, Perth
LEAGUE RESULTS
LEAGUE RESULTS
BAFA League Results
Here we provide the most up-to-date results at the
time of publication.
We will update the tables with each issue.
BAFA Premiership
Date
04/07/2010
04/7/2010
03/07/2010
27/06/2010
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/6/2010
06/06/2010
06/06/2010
23/05/2010
22/05/2010
16/05/2010
09/05/2010
02/05/2010
25/04/2010
Home
Farnham Knights
Sussex Thunder
Coventry Jets
Bristol Aztecs
London Blitz
London Cobras
London Blitz
Farnham Knights
Bristol Aztecs
Sussex Thunder
Farnham Knights
Coventry Jets
Bristol Aztecs
Farnham Knights
Bristol Aztecs
London Blitz
Score
20 - 33
0 - 55
34 - 0
31 - 19
76 - 0
24 - 0
39 - 20
17 - 7
34 - 32
7 - 14
6 - 54
14 - 39
34 - 2
36 - 12
15 - 14
14 - 7
Away
Bristol Aztecs
London Blitz
London Cobras
Farnham Knights
Sussex Thunder
Farnham Knights
Coventry Jets
London Cobras
Coventry Jets
Farnham Knights
London Blitz
Bristol Aztecs
Sussex Thunder
Sussex Thunder
London Cobras
London Cobras
BAFA Division One
BAFA Division Two
Division 1 South West
Date
04/07/2010
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
05/06/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
16/05/2010
16/05/2010
09/05/2010
02/05/2010
02/05/2010
25/04/2010
25/04/2010
Home
Tamworth Phoenix
Oxford Saints
Tamworth Phoenix
Leicester Falcons
Nottingham Caesars
Tamworth Phoenix
Leicester Falcons
Oxford Saints
Nottingham Caesars
Nottingham Caesars
Birmingham Bulls
Oxford Saints
Tamworth Phoenix
Birmingham Bulls
Leicester Falcons
Division 2 North
Score
42 - 20
48 - 20
28 - 0
3 - 19
12 - 7
3 - 47
17 - 15
39 - 7
22 - 15
28 - 2
19 - 25
13 - 41
35 - 35
6 - 12
20 - 14
7-0
48 - 12
7 - 20
28 - 40
Away
Leicester Falcons
Nottingham Caesars
Birmingham Bulls
Oxford Saints
Nottingham Caesars
Tamworth Phoenix
Birmingham Bulls
Oxford Saints
Birmingham Bulls
Birmingham Bulls
Tamworth Phoenix
Oxford Saints
Leicester Falcons
Leicester Falcons
Nottingham Caesars
Oxford Saints
Tamworth Phoenix
Score
6 - 20
45 - 13
6 - 44
34 - 0
34 - 22
7 - 15
28 - 26
41 - 26
42 - 14
14 - 24
12 - 38
15 - 6
27 - 6
6-0
47 - 39
10 - 7
0 - 20
34 - 16
Away
Ipswich Cardinals
Kent Exiles
Cambridgeshire Cats
East Kent Mavericks
Ipswich Cardinals
Cambridgeshire Cats
Kent Exiles
East Kent Mavericks
Cambridgeshire Cats
East Kent Mavericks
Peterborough Saxons
Ipswich Cardinals
Peterborough Saxons
Ipswich Cardinals
BAFA Division One
Division 1 South East
Division 1 North
Date
04/07/2010
04/07/2010
27/06/2010
27/06/2010
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
06/06/2010
06/06/2010
06/06/2010
30/05/2010
30/02/2010
23/05/2010
16/05/2010
09/05/2010
09/05/2010
02/05/2010
02/05/2010
25/04/2010
Home
Doncaster Mustangs
Gateshead Senators
Doncaster Mustangs
Dundee Hurricanes
Yorkshire Rams
Dundee Hurricanes
Gateshead Senators
Doncaster Mustangs
Dundee Hurricanes
Gateshead Senators
Dundee Hurricanes
Gateshead Senators
Score
14 - 11
37 - 0
44 - 6
6 - 35
13 - 14
7 - 21
2 - 13
26 - 6
19 - 0
0 - 33
16 - 14
7 - 27
15 - 20
6 - 58
6 - 34
20 - 28
2 - 14
25 - 0
Away
Yorkshire Rams
Dundee Hurricanes
Yorkshire Rams
Dundee Hurricanes
Doncaster Mustangs
Gateshead senators
Yorkshire Rams
Gateshead Senators
Yorkshire Rams
Gateshead Senators
Doncaster Mustangs
Date
04/07/2010
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
13/06/2010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
23/05/2010
23/05/2010
16/05/2010
16/05/2010
02/05/2010
02/05/2010
25/04/2010
Home
Peterborough Saxons
Cambridgeshire cats
East Kent Mavericks
Ipswich Cardinals
Kent Exiles
Peterborough Saxons
Peterborough Saxons
Cambridgeshire cats
Kent Exiles
Kent Exiles
Peterborough Saxons
Ipswich Cardinals
East Kent Mavericks
Cambridgeshire Cats
East Kent Mavericks
Cambridgeshire Cats
Date
04/07/2010
03/07/2010
27/06/2010
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
16/05/2010
16/05/2020
09/05/2010
08/05/2010
25/04/2010
Home
Glasgow Tigers
Edinburgh Wolves
West Coast Trojans
Glasgow Tigers
West Coast Trojans
Edinburgh Wolves
Highland Wildcats
Edinburgh Wolves
Sheffield Predators
West Coast Trojans
Chester Romans
Glasgow Tigers
Edinburgh Wolves
Highland Wildcats
Score
8-8
7-0
56 - 40
47 - 15
13 - 15
20 - 48
19 - 14
20 - 32
16 - 10
0-6
26 - 6
39 - 12
26 - 12
12 - 7
22 - 13
20 - 14
Away
West Coast Trojans
Highland Wildcats
Edinburgh Wolves
Highland Wildcats
Glasgow Tigers
Chester Romans
Glasgow Tigers
Edinburgh Wolves
Highland Wildcats
West Coast Trojans
Highland Wildcats
Edinburgh Wolves
Division 2 Central
Date
04/07/2010
04/07/2010
27/06/2010
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
23/05/2010
23/05/2010
16/05/2010
Home
Sheffield Predators
Manchester Titans
Staffordshire Surge
Sheffield Predators
Edinburgh Wolves
Manchester Titans
Sheffield Predators
Hull Hornets
Sheffield Predators
Hull Hornets
Chester Romans
Score
24 - 0
0 - 28
34 - 6
6 - 43
25 - 9
0 - 47
7-0
48 - 12
16 - 0
36 - 20
0-6
0 - 30
6 - 10
0 - 30
39 - 12
Away
Staffordshire Surge
Chester Romans
Staffordshire Surge
Chester Romans
Sheffield Predators
Chester Romans
Glasgow Tigers
Staffordshire Surge
Highland Wildcats
09/05/2010
09/05/2010
09/05/2010
02/05/2010
25/04/2010
18/04/2010
Manchester Titans
Glasgow Tigers
Chester Romans
Staffordshire Surge
Staffordshire Surge
26 - 12
12 - 7
19 - 0
29 - 0
13 - 6
15 - 10
Sheffield Predators
Sheffield Predators
Hull Hornets
LEAGUE RESULTS
LEAGUE RESULTS
BAFA Division Two
BAFA Youth
Division 2 West
Date
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
06/06/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
22/05/2010
16/05/2010
09/02/2010
09/05/2010
02/05/2010
02/05/2010
25/04/2010
Home
Hampshire Thrashers
Watford Cheetahs
Milton Keynes Pathfinders
Berkshire Renegades
Cornish Sharks
Gloucester Banshees
Hampshire Thrashers
Berkshire Renegades
Hampshire Thrashers
Berkshire Renegades
Cornish Sharks
Gloucester Banshees
Cornish Sharks
Gloucester Banshees
Youth North
Score
17 - 15
6 - 21
0 - 16
29 - 0
66 - 3
28 - 6
16 - 13
40 - 3
0 - 29
36 - 6
20 - 0
14 - 27
12 - 41
9 - 24
10 - 13
2 -39
8 - 28
Away
Berkshire Renegades
Cornish Sharks
Gloucester Banshees
Cornish Sharks
Berkshire Renegades
Watford Cheetahs
Hampshire Thrashers
Gloucester Banshees
Cornish Sharks
Watford Cheetahs
Hampshire Thrashers
Berkshire Renegades
Hampshire Thrashers
Watford Cheetahs
Watford Cheetahs
Score
0 - 18
0 - 33
61 - 0
39 - 0
7 - 33
2 - 47
23 - 6
0 - 58
26 - 0
25 - 0
46 - 0
18 - 8
20 - 6
36 - 0
0-6
47 - 7
0-8
32 - 6
Away
Essex Spartans
London Olympians
Essex Spartans
London Olympians
Maidstone Pumas
Maidstone Pumas
Essex Spartans
Norwich Devils
Norwich Devils
Norwich Devils
Division 2 East
Date
04/07/2010
04/07/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
16/05/2010
16/05/2010
16/05/2020
09/05/2010
02/05/2010
02/05/2010
02/05/2010
25/04/2010
Home
Norwich Devils
Essex Spartans
Bedfordshire Blue raiders
Essex Spartans
Maidstone Pumas
Essex Spartans
Norwich Devils
Essex Spartans
London Olympians
Maidstone Pumas
London Olympians
Essex Spartans
London Olympians
Maidstone Pumas
London Olympians
BAFA Youth
Date
04/07/2010
27/06/2010
26/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
12/06/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
23/05/2010
09/05/2010
25/04/2010
Youth Central
Home
Gateshead Senators
Leeds Varsity Bobcats
Lanarkshire Longhorns
Manchester Titans
Gateshead senators
Manchester Titans
Manchester Titans
Gateshead Senators
Score
21 - 0
8 - 30
28 - 6
38 - 6
3 - 26
24 - 28
8 - 14
14 - 28
16 - 6
16 - 20
8 - 12
Away
Gateshead Senators
Manchester Titans
Gateshead Senators
Gateshead Senators
Manchester Titans
Home
Farnham Knights
Reading Rebels
London Warriors
Reading Rebels
Bristol Aztecs
Hampshire Thrashers
Farnham Knights
Hampshire Thrashers
Reading Rebels
Bristol Aztecs
Reading Rebels
London Blitz
Score
46 - 14
0 - 46
0 - 22
6 - 48
14 - 6
0 - 17
19 - 8
6 - 46
0 - 16
12 - 12
12 - 0
40237
Away
Hampshire Thrashers
Bristol Aztecs
Farnham Knights
London Blitz
Farnham Knights
Reading Rebels
Reading Rebels
London Warriors
Bristol Aztecs
London Blitz
Reading Rebels
London Warriors
Youth South
Date
04/07/2010
04/07/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
16/05/2010
02/05/2010
02/05/2010
25/04/2010
Date
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
23/05/2010
22/05/2010
09/05/2010
02/05/2010
Home
Tamworth Phoenix
Tamworth Phoenix
Nottingham Caesars
Sheffield Tomahawks
Nottingham Caesars
Coventry Jets
Sheffield Tomahawks
Tamworth Phoenix
Score
58 - 9
26 - 6
8 - 37
56 - 0
16 - 40
28 - 24
46 - 0
22 - 6
Away
Coventry Jets
Birmingham Bulls
Tamworth Phoenix
Birmingham Bulls
Sheffield Tomahawks
Birmingham bulls
Tamworth Phoenix
Nottingham Caesars
Home
South London Renegades
Cambridgeshire cats
East Kent Mavericks
Peterborough Saxons
Kent Exiles
Kent Exiles
Cambridgeshire Cats
Peterborough Saxons
Cambridgeshire Cats
Score
1-0
0-1
6 - 18
78 - 0
24 - 0
0 - 32
0 - 36
6 - 32
14 - 14
10 - 0
0 - 76
8 - 18
0-0
0 - 14
Away
Peterborough Saxons
Kent Exiles
East Kent Mavericks
Cambridgeshire Cats
East Kent Mavericks
Cambridgeshire Cats
East Kent Mavericks
Kent Exiles
Peterborough Saxons
Youth East
Date
04/07/2010
27/06/2010
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/062010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
16/05/2010
16/05/2010
09/05/2010
02/05/2010
25/04/2010
LEAGUE RESULTS
LEAGUE RESULTS
BAFA Junior
BAFA Flag
Junior North
Flag North
Date
Home
Score
Away
03/07/2010
19/06/2010
13/06/2010
05/06/2010
02/06/2010
02/06/2010
23/05/2010
23/05/2010
23/05/2010
09/05/2010
09/05/2010
28/04/2010
24/04/2010
24/04/2010
24/04/2010
Glasgow Hornets
Tayside Raptors
Carluke Cobras
Grangemouth Broncos
Glasgow Hornets
Glasgow Hornets
Carluke Cobras
Glasgow Tigers
Carluke Cobras
Kirkcaldy Bulls
Kirkcaldy Bulls
Glasgow Hornets
Grangemouth Broncos
Grangemouth Broncos
Kirkcaldy Bulls
12 - 13
13 - 64
26 - 18
30 - 41
49 - 24
20 - 18
25 - 52
12 - 53
50 - 12
77 - 19
52 - 13
12 - 45
20 - 60
33 - 47
104 - 0
Glasgow Tigers
Carluke Cobras
Glasgow Hornets
Aberdeen Oilcats
Grangemouth Broncos
Tayside Raptors
Kirkcaldy Bulls
Kirkcaldy Bulls
Glasgow Tigers
Glasgow Hornets
Grangemouth Broncos
Kirkcaldy Bulls
Kirkcaldy Bulls
Glasgow Tigers
Glasgow Tigers
Home
Coventry Jets
Chichester Sharks
Coventry Jets
Chichester Sharks
Coventry Jets
Chichester Sharks
London Rebels
London Rebels
Coventry Jets
Leicester Eagles
London Rebels
Leicester Eagles
London Rebels
South Wales warriors
Leicester Eagles
Score
13 - 32
54 - 0
32 - 33
31 - 13
7 - 34
20 - 33
20 - 34
26 - 18
19 - 25
20 - 21
26 - 14
0 - 40
31 - 20
35 - 26
24 - 34
33 - 36
13 - 27
25 - 40
0 - 19
34 - 40
26 - 47
12 - 7
32 - 24
21 - 13
49 - 13
34 - 35
27 - 25
50 - 0
Away
Chichester Sharks
Coventry Jets
Chichester Sharks
London Rebels
London Rebels
Chichester Sharks
Chichester Sharks
Chichester Sharks
Chichester Sharks
Chichester Sharks
Coventry Jets
London Rebels
Leicester Eagles
Coventry Jets
Coventry Jets
Flag South
Date
27/06/2010
27/06/2010
27/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
20/06/2010
13/06/2010
13/06/2010
13/06/2010
13/06/2010
13/06/2010
06/06/2010
06/06/2010
06/06/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
30/05/2010
23/05/2010
09/05/2010
09/05/2010
09/05/2010
09/05/2010
Date
26/06/2010
26/06/2010
26/06/2010
19/06/2010
19/06/2010
19/06/2010
19/06/2010
19/06/2010
05/06/2010
05/06/2010
05/06/2010
05/06/2010
05/06/2010
05/06/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
15/05/2010
15/05/2010
15/06/2010
16/05/2010
15/05/2010
15/05/2010
Home
Sheffield Tomahawks
Sheffield Tomahawks
Sheffield Tomahawks
Chorley Buccaneers
Sheffield Tomahawks
Woodham Warriors
Woodham Warriors
Woodham Warriors
Balby Carr Mustangs
Burnley Tornadoes
Burnley Tornadoes
Chorley Buccaneers
Chorley Buccaneers
Chorley Buccaneers
Bolton Bulldogs
Bolton Bulldogs
Burnley Tornadoes
Bolton Bulldogs
Burnley Tornadoes
Balby Carr Mustangs
Sheffield Tomahawks
Chorley Buccaneers
Chorley Buccaneers
Burnley Tornadoes
Burnley Tornadoes
Burnley Tornadoes
Score
0-1
0-1
0-1
1-0
0-1
18 - 12
1-0
67 - 0
28 - 27
27 - 28
31 - 29
31 - 8
26 - 6
28 - 7
26 - 38
18 - 31
6 - 34
21 - 46
19 - 51
14 - 49
C-C
0 - 33
C-C
6 - 40
C-C
26 - 44
Away
Chorley Buccaneers
Balby Carr Mustangs
Bolton Bulldogs
Sheffield Tomahawks
Bolton Bulldogs
Chorley Buccaneers
Sheffield Tomahawks
Bolton Bulldogs
Bolton Bulldogs
Balby Carr Mustangs
Bolton Bulldogs
Burnley Tornadoes
Balby Carr Mustangs
Bolton Bulldogs
Burnley Tornadoes
Balby Carr Mustangs
Balby Carr Mustangs
Woodham Warriors
Woodham Warriors
Woodham Warriors
Woodham Warriors
Woodham Warriors
Sheffield Tomahawks
Woodham Warriors
Sheffield Tomahawks
Chorley Buccaneers
Home
Coventry Jets
Coventry Jets
Coventry Jets
Kent Exiles
Kent Exiles
London Blitz
London Warriors
London Warriors
London Warriors
Kent Exiles
Kent Exiles
Coventry Jets
Coventry Jets
Kent Exiles
London Warriors
Score
15 - 28
13 - 19
23 - 7
23 - 33
21 - 12
35 - 31
31 - 6
26 - 14
44 - 6
7 - 13
14 - 34
20 - 32
28 - 19
19 - 21
34 - 13
Away
London Warriors
London Blitz
Marlow Wolfpack
London Blitz
Marlow Wolfpack
Marlow Wolfpack
Kent Exiles
London Blitz
Marlow Wolfpack
London Warriors
Marlow Wolfpack
London Warriors
Marlow Wolfpack
Coventry Jets
Marlow Wolfpack
Two shots from the GB Lions -v- Sweden game in July 2009
Photos © John Singer
Junior South
Date
19/06/2010
19/06/2010
19/06/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
22/05/2010
08/05/2010
08/05/2010
08/05/2010
08/05/2010
08/05/2010
08/05/2010
Thanks to our
contributing photographers
Please visit our photographers’ websites where you can see more stunning American
football shots plus lots of other stuff. While you’re there please leave a comment or sign
their guestbook, it only takes a few seconds but leaves a warm glow of appreciation of their
efforts.
Dan Aitch
www.photoboxgallery/danh_photos
Garry Neesam
www.glnphotography.com
www.neesam.com/photography/gallery-sport-index-1.html
John Singer
www.colchestergladiators.org.uk
Kevin Gedny
www.kevingednyphotography.co.uk
Leigh Morris
www.leighmorrisphotography.co.uk
Neil Biggs
www.flickr.com/photos/violentsilence
There are plenty of opportunities within the pages of “Inside American Football” for photographers to show their work;
whether it’s a whole feature on you as a photographer in ‘Photographers in Focus’ or team-specific articles, match reports,
full page spreads or specific requests for certain subjects.
We can’t pay for any contributions but we can get your work out to the whole British American Football community &
beyond. You should send ideas to the editor via email at [email protected] in the first instance.
Most of our contributing photographers are members of the American Football Imagery Association via our Facebook Group
which can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38580203329. This is also a place where we put requests
out for magazine content. You can also see us at our online Discussion Forum:
http://www.insideamericanfootball.com/forum
July 2010
www.insideamericanfootball.com

1 July 2010 - Inside American Football

Transcription

Similar documents

2009 Women`s Football Academy RSVP Form

Welcome to Chaparral High School Puma Football Summer Camp

Sliema Wanderers Football Youth Nursery - Malta

Please Don`t let Us Be Misunderstood

The Golden Label

N e w s l e t t e r

托马西体育文化交流有限公司

O`Neills.com Leinster GAA Coaching Conference

october, `14 issue - Wilmington College