Touchdown UK May 2015 by Kieran Etoria-King

TOUCHDOWN UK The ONLY magazine for the BAFA leagues!

May 2015 FREE!

MEET THE S PA RTA N S We go to Merseyside to catch up with the teams - new and old - leading a surge in popularity for American football

FL’S LONDON REMEMBERING THE N

MONARCHS

AWKS KICK OFF TI MERSEYSIDE NIGHTH

TLE DEFENCE

Editor’s Letter...

n February 2013, I sat up until 3am in an attempt to watch

I looked at college football in America, and at first I felt a

my first Superbowl - Ravens v 49ers. I made it up to the

pang of jealousy. I wanted to be a star on campus, to have my

second half power outage, and the next day I wrote a

education paid for, to catch a touchdown in front of 70,000

scathing blog post declaring American football a sanitised,

people. But then I realised, that’s not why we play this sport.

over-complicated version of rugby.

Sure, everyone who plays an amateur sport does it out of

How wrong I was.

passion, but I feel a unique community spirit in British American

Later the same year, in September, I was at my university’s

football. Sometimes people will laugh at us, accuse us of tak-

fresher’s fair, when I heard a sentence that would go on to

ing the danger out of rugby, the beauty out of football. But still

change my life.

you spend hours in the gym, still you run route after route after

“Hey mate, you’re quite tall, you look like a wide receiver. Have you thought about playing American football?”

route in practice, still you eat 5000 calories a day and travel the length and breadth of the country and come home on a

“No, I haven’t,” I replied, and started to walk away. But then

Sunday evening battered and bruised and covered in mud,

I did think about it. I’d been looking for something new to do.

ready for work or class the next morning. Still you hold first down

Why not this? I turned around and signed my name on the

chains in the freezing rain and run through tackles in helmets

sheet of paper, and I’ve never looked back.

that don’t fit and play on soccer pitches without proper mark-

I don’t really know what I had been expecting, but it was nothing like that. Far from the pint-snorting lads of the rugby world, I found a group of people with a great spirit, a great bond, and a great desire to win.

ings as Sunday league guys on their way to the pub pull baffled faces at each other. Unlike in America, you don’t play this sport for the glamour. You don’t play it for money, or cheerleaders, or fireworks, or Jim

But what fascinated and inspired me more than anything about my foray into American football was how bizarrely hidden it is. Once I started becoming part of the world, I started discovering enclaves of people around the country, dedicat-

Nantz, or half time shows, or arenas full of screaming fans. You play it for the love of the game, and that’s why I created this magazine. I hope you enjoy it.

ing themselves to a sport hardly anyone knew existed there. The London Olympians, one of the most successful teams in the history of the sport in this country, had been training and playing within walking distance from my house for 20 years and I’d never even heard of them. As it turned out, I wasn’t the best wide receiver my team ever recruited. But I had loved every minute I spent playing, and I had fallen in love with the weird, underground world of Brit Ball.

Kieran Etoria-King

may 2015

front page image © tim furfie

Contents p4: GRIDIRONTV TO RELEASE CLANSMEN DOC We chat making movies and the future of Brit Ball coverage with the guys behind gridirontv.co.uk

p8: REMEMBERING THE LONDON MONARCHS We speak to sports journalist and author Alex Cassidy about London’s short-lived and long-forgotten NFL experiment

p14: NIGHTHAWKS BEGIN TITLE DEFENCE We go to Merseyside to catch up with the national champions, and learn about their close ties with John Moores University and the University of Liverpool

p22: HALTON SPARTANS MEAN BUSINESS Our focus on Merseyside continues as we cross the Runcorn-Widnes bridge to meet ambitious new boys Halton Spartans

p:28: GUNNING FOR GREAT BRITAIN (COLUMN) Running back Laurent Tshimanga describes his experience trying out for the Great Britain Lions international student team

may 2015

Shooting for the

Stars In 2011, two men started Gridiron TV with their own money and a dream. Now they want to help take Brit Ball to the next level...

by KIERAN ETORIA-KING ritain’s American football leagues are a world away

When did you decide to set up Gridiron TV?

from the glitz and glamour of the NFL and the thun-

Gridiron TV was formed in November 2011, with the first show

derous noise of the NCAA. Played at amateur level,

published in December 2011. It was originally created by Stuart

‘Brit Ball’ is propelled by the passion and dedication of

Gilmartin & Stuart Young, and Allan Price joined the team in

its participants – so it’s fitting that the same can be said of the

February 2012. The show is currently run by Stuart Gilmartin &

leagues’ primary broadcaster.

Allan.

Gridiron TV was started in 2011, out of the pockets of a pair of

What were your professional backgrounds?

video production experts with a passion for American football.

Stuart has many years experience in film & video production,

Four years later, the webshow is the biggest broadcaster of

and has recently been involved in several feature film produc-

the BAFA leagues. They livestream the national finals to 30,000

tions, and spent some time covering the San Fransisco 49’ers

viewers in 30 countries, have enlisted the presenting services

& the Oakland Raiders for Sky Sports. Allan also has a lot of

of former NFL star Cecil Martin, and are about to release a fea-

experience working in video production, but has many years

ture length documentary following Scotland’s best university

working with technology brands and experience in speaking/

team, the Stirling Clansmen, throughout the first

presenting roles with international companies which is why he

of their recent consecutive

joined the team as a presenter. Both of us have also played

title-winning seasons.

football in the UK, which gives us a first hand knowledge of the

Presenter Allan Price and director Stuart Gilmartin spoke to Touch-

Where did your passion for American football come from?

their

Everyone in the team has had some form of experience in the

achievements to date,

sport. Both of us used to play – Allan has 10 years of experience

and their ambitions for

and over 100 games played in Senior & University leagues. _ This

the future:

passion combines with our passion and skills in film production,

downUK

UK game.

about

and is the basis of the show.

interview

How did you become a regular live broadcaster for american football? We have been providing regular coverage of the sport for the past 3 years. Beginning initially with a weekly studio show, we grew to incorporate twice-weekly interviews with players & coaches across the UK. We have been live broadcasting since 2012 , with the first ever live broadcast of the BritBowl (BritBowl 26). We continued to pioneer with the first ever live broadcasts of the University finals & the Youth/Junior finals. To date, we have had over 200,000 views of our online channel, and approximately 30,000 viewers of our live broadcasts from over 30 countries. Additionally, we have provided video footage of

ALL ANGLES: Gridiron TV’s live coverage © Gridiron TV

the leagues to be aired on Sky Sports to the wider NFL audiences.

“The importance of live games is that fans from everywhere can be part of the action”

relate to watching some form of live TV and/or sport in their lives – and we believe that live broadcasting of games is one of the best ways to advertise the sport to the UK and to the rest of the world. Our live broadcasts have been viewed in over 30 countries, and we regularly receive messages from fans in other countries complementing the UK teams on their playing abilities. The importance of live games (above recorded highlights) is that fans from everywhere can be part of the action – the 2014 university national championship (Stirling vs. Birmingham) was viewed by approximately 9,000 – 10,000 people; far

How did you get former philadelphia eagles star

greater than the number of fans that were able to attend in person. Also, particularly with the university leagues, it is an

Cecil Martin involved in that coverage? Cecil has been working with us for some time now, and is a joint partner of the show alongside Stuart & Allan. We met

opportunity for friends & family of international students to see them playing.

him during his previous work with the Football University training

What else do you think the UK game could do to bring

camps during their first venture into Europe. Since then, he has

in spectators and encourage NFL fans to get behind

become part of the team and is also a guest presenter on the

their local teams?

show.

One of the most obvious differences between watching

How

NFL games & UK games is the amount of money available to

hard

keep

your

small

operation

provide an all-round entertainment for fans. It’s entirely under-

going? Our biggest challenge is financing our work. We

standable that, due to having the huge budgets available,

always endeavour to provide the highest quality of

the NFL can create amazing gameday experiences in

work we can in order to represent ourselves profes-

modern stadiums with a variety

sionally & to showcase the sport to its best. We are

INVOLVED: Former NFL of entertainment over & above star Cecil Martin. the game itself. They can also © Lisa Helmuth/ Wikimedia fund high-level TV productions Commons with great in-depth coverage of

almost entirely self-funded (with no funding support from league bodies or other parties). Whilst we have had some support from our excellent fans and from

games. With the advent of live

other sources, this is ultimately the biggest lim-

broadcasting we have seen some NFL

iting factor in preventing us from continuing

fans (previously unaware of their local

to grow our coverage of the sport. How

you

think

live

teams) get in touch with local clubs

coverage

and begin participating.

would help the growth of the UK’s

Ideally,

a greater level of external invest-

leagues? The reason we decided to pioneer

ment could allow teams to cater

with live broadcasting of games (and

for fans in this way, and invest-

to base our show on video content rath-

ment in live broadcasting allows the production teams involved.

er than written content) is because of our belief that video/visual media perfectly complements the sport. Live broadcasts offer a unique way to engage new & existing fans – everyone can

interview

Why did you choose to focus on the Stirling Clansmen for a feature length documentary?

always had an element of professionalism on what they did. You followed them in their championship

Gridiron TV had previously filmed Clansmen games, and we

winning season of 2013/14, and they have just suc-

have developed a good relationship with the team. During

cessfully defended their championship in 2015. Were

the 2013/14 season, we had been filming some content with

you surprised by this or did you see that potential

the team, and during discussion with the head coach, we

when you were with them?

made the decision to take a more in-depth focus on the

I don’t think we were particularly surprised to see them

team. Fortunately (from a story-telling point of view) the team

continue their winning ways – all of the professional approach

had a successful year, and we were delighted to have been

we saw in everything they did means that they can continue

witness to it.

to be a strong team, even with the loss of their senior players

What was interesting about following a

from last year. They faced some tough teams this year (es-

university team for a full season?

pecially with the re-structuring of the league), but I think their

One of the key differences between university football and Adult or Junior football is that the players not only play/train together, but they generally live & study with each other

experience from last year and their committed approach ensured that they made it back to the top. Do you think Americans would be interested by your

throughout the week. This creates a much stronger bond between the team, and with every player having a finite time

documentary? I hope that Our Year gives an accurate portrayal of the

with the team before graduation, there is a greater sense of

team & their journey throughout the season, combined with

need for players (and squads) to win during their time there.

a bit of flair and excitement to keep people engaged. The

Did you notice anything about Stirling that you

story wrote itself perfectly, especially with the Birmingham re-

think is unique to them?

match, so we were lucky to be there for that year. However,

The team were very accommodating of us for all of our film-

we made a conscious effort to make it an entertaining docu-

ing, and allowed us access to whatever areas we needed. At

mentary, and to express that story through a combination of

the same time, it was important for us to retain respect for the

individual perspectives and game footage. We have already

team and their focus on their games & the season. The Stirling

had excellent feedback from those that have reviewed

Clansmen have a very structured and organised approach to

the documentary & from the team themselves, and we are

everything they do – from training to individual player devel-

working on some other avenues to bring the documentary to

opment, the team had great unity and a number of traditions

much larger international audiences.

that they honoured, which made it feel like they were very

Gridiron TV are still working on a release date for Our Year.

passionate about winning for each other, and for the team as

Yuo can stay updated by liking their Facebook page and

a whole. The players took their preparation very seriously, and

following them on Twitter @GridironTV.

interview

www.gridirontv.co.uk

THE BRIEF REIGN OF THE

MONARCHS As the international series prepares to sell out wembley again this year, Touchdown UK Remembers London’s NFL Team with Alex Cassidy, the Author of ‘American football’s forgotten kings: the rise and fall of the london monarchs’...

by Kieran Etoria-King

so strange that this history wasn’t being recorded by anyone.”

hether it’s the snazzy animal print shirts lining

That history was of an ambitious experiment. In an attempt to

the racks of River Island, the upcoming release

capitalise on American football’s popularity boom in the late

of the boisterous NWA biopic ‘Straight Outta

1980’s, the NFL created the World League of Football (WLAF),

Compton’, or the stealthy return of the Polaroid,

the first ever intercontinental professional sports league. When

early 90s nostalgia is at an all-time high.

it kicked off in 1991, it consisted of three European teams –

However, sports journalist Alex Cassidy has

Frankfurt Galaxy, Barcelona Dragons, and Lon-

spent the last year digging in to the histo-

don Monarchs. Alex was hooked.

ry of another ‘Big in the 90s’ craze, that has

“The Monarchs were a weird NFL experiment,

largely been forgotten: the London Mon-

and I found it really engaging, because it’s

archs, of the World League of Football.

strange – the NFL haven’t tried to use that history

If the name doesn’t sound familiar, you’re

in any kind of way. I guess my fascination came

not alone – even Alex, a lifelong NFL fan, had

from the fact that they’re so unknown, which

to stumble across their story by accident.

is strange when you consider the impact that

“On my 21st birthday, I went out to an in-

they actually had at the time in the 90’s. Ob-

duction ceremony at the NFL Hall of Fame in

viously it was before the Internet really kicked

Canton, and I just thought the way Americans

off, so there wasn’t that branch to the whole

treat their sports teams is so different to the way

marketing side of it, but no one has really

we do them with English sports, they really hold

heard of the team. Considering the current

interest in the game, that was really surprisA signed ing to me. I’ve interviewed so many people, research what some of the British teams have MONARCHS trading card done, and I just stumbled across the Monarchs © worldleagueofamerican- and even though I’m too young to have actufootball.com ally supported the team, I’ve got all these guys completely by accident, and I thought it was just them high in regard historically. So I thought I’d

history

who were fans, players, executives, who really invested some

the time he turned up to London. I could have written a whole

of their lives into the Monarchs.”

book just about him.

The WLAF’s teams were made up primarily of out-of-favour NFL players and undrafted college stars, but as Alex found, the Monarchs also had a healthy British contingent.

You had a lot of interesting guys that came over from the NFL, and William Perry was a strange one. The guys who got allocated by NFL teams were all there to

“There were British players who had come from the Nation-

try and make a name for themselves, so they put 100% effort

al Leagues. There were a handful of them every year and I

into everything they got to do with the Monarchs, so that they

thought it was quite an interesting link that you had this profes-

could try and impress people in the NFL.”

sional experiment from the NFL but there was also these British players on the team.”

However, even Fridge’s massive presence was unable to prevent a gradual decline in interest. The British fans were passion-

With the UK’s interest in the sport at an all-time high and the

ate about their team, but as Alex explains, the Monarchs were

National Leagues experiencing a golden age, the Monarchs

hit by extenuating circumstances. In 1993, after two seasons,

were an immediate success. They drew crowds of around

the WLAF was put on hiatus, and the Monarchs went dormant.

40,000 to their home games at Wembley, and won the league’s

“The NFL interest in the UK was huge in the 80s, but I think

first championship with a 21-0 shutout victory over Barcelona in

they underestimated the cost of putting an American football

the first World Bowl, which was held at Wembley.

franchise in London, so from the first incarnation of the league

One of the biggest (literally) stars to grace the Monarchs was Chicago Bears legend and Super Bowl winner William ‘The Refridgerator’ Perry. Perry weighed around 300 pounds through his career - in his own words, “even when I was little, I was big” - but the South Carolina native was not limited to line duties. The Bears found a use for him as a lead blocker and even a running back, and his stellar career included three touchdowns,

where it was with a handful of American teams, they pulled

out.”

he Monarchs returned in 1995 when the WLAF became NFL Europe, with three new teams in Amsterdam, Dusseldorf and Edinburgh, but the momentum had been lost.

“That first exodus, with the Monarchs gone for two seasons,

thanks to his astonishing pace. He had registered as the 6th

coincided with the creation of the Premier League, and the

fastest player on his high school team, with a 100-yard-dash of

new era of football in this country. The departure was a prob-

11 seconds.

lem, because they’d built something, and then they lost a lot of

“William Perry is an interesting case study in himself,” Alex says,

the connections that they’d built. They had sponsors, and ad-

“because he was recruited to market the team as much as

vertisers, and fans, and fan club members – relationships that

play for them – he had played in the NFL for several years, by

they damaged.”

Homegrown: london-born Victor ebubedike was one of the monarchs biggest stars © victor x

Attendance to the Monarchs games dwindled, and they left

everyday life, the Monarchs were forgotten. But the strangest

Wembley for Tottenham’s White Hart Lane. Before long, they

thing about the Monarchs legacy, considering how much

had to move again, choosing Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, but

American sports love to play up their history, is how little of one

eventually they decided to take the team on tour in search of

there even is. The NFL has done nothing to revive or commem-

new markets. Experiments in Bristol and Birmingham failed, and

orate the impact of the London Monarchs, even as they con-

the Monarchs eventually folded in 1998. So what happened to all those players? Kicker Phil Alexander, the leading point scorer in the championship

winning

1991

season, had been a professional footballer before joining the Monarchs. He returned to regular football in a business role, and is now the chief executive of Premier League side

“They got to experience what it was like to be a superstar in an American football league, even though it was in a different country.”

Crystal Palace. Meanwhile run-

tinue to expand their international series with another three regular season games coming to Wembley in 2015. There have been no half-time ceremonies, no commemorative plaques or flags, and the 1991 World Bowl trophy is sitting in a warehouse basement in New York. “It’s quite sad,” Alex commented, “because that was a big deal for 60,000 people that went to watch that game, and

ning back Victor Ebubedike, the first non-American to score a

hundreds of thousands followed the team throughout the sea-

touchdown in the WLAF, has joined the Nation of Islam, which,

son, so I’m getting together with Victor to try and do something

as he told Alex Cassidy in an interview for Vice Sports, changed

about that. The Monarchs were quite important to pushing the

his life completely.

game’s interest here, and there’s a lot of fans now who owe

Apart from those two, Alex says he was disappointed not to find many inspirational ‘where are they now’ stories.

their level of fandom to the Monarchs, and I think it’s a shame that the NFL and NFLUK haven’t done

“What surprised me most is how the guys just sort of

anything to commemorate the players – espe-

went and did normal jobs after they finished their ca-

cially the English guys, who were trailblazers

reers, because even though they were big deals in Lon-

for the game.”

don, to the English fans, you have to remember that the WLAF was still on the fringe of the sporting consciousness

Monarchs might be, American

at the time – people in the States considered it to be

football hasn’t gone anywhere.

a second rate league, people in England loved it but it

NFL Europe disbanded in 2007,

was still a few tiers below the football, so it was strange. They were superstars for a brief period in London, then they’d go to America and get cut from an NFL training camp,

en’s

cause they got to experience what it was like to be a superstar in an American even

though it was in a different country.” And so, as the stars faded

back

into

Memories: Former Monarchs star Dan Crossman signs a vintage jersey for a fan. He is now special teams co-ordinator for the Buffalo Bills © worldleagueofamericanfootball.com

al Leagues are expanding at senior and established a kitted wom-

them hold London in a high regard be-

league,

but the sport is growing again – the UK’s Nationuniversity level, BAFA recently

and end up just doing a normal job. Lots of

football

nd yet, as forgotten as the

history

league, the NFL International Series sells out Wembley time after time, and talk suggests the prospect of a London-based NFL

The Curious Journey of

Victor X

team might be on the cards again. So does Alex think it would happen? “I think that they’ll be more cautious now – once bitten twice shy. I think that any attempt to create a Monarchs 2.0 would be a completely different enterprise in many ways, because of

From the Monarchs to the Nation of Islam

the different circumstances in, say, 2020, compared to 1991. The current interest is huge, but they’re not going to create a new team so it would have to be an existing team that moved. There are so many different things to consider. In the early years of the World League when the Monarchs were first created, they were playing against American teams, and it worked pretty well. They once went on a mad 13-day road trip and travelled all around the US, and it worked well for two years – and travel technology has come on since then. But I think Los Angeles would probably be taken first, and if you’re bringing a team here there would just be so many logistical problems, and people say that the NFL have the resources to just throw people and money at the problems until they go away, but I think if they encounter even half of what the Monarchs had to sort out, then they’re going to have problems. Even just the pay, with the currency difference, is an issue – some of the players told me that their pay was affected by the different exchange

by Alex Cassidy

ven at 48, Victor X, formerly known as Victor Ebubedike, is still in good shape. If you saw him out-and-about in London, dressed in the sharp suit and colorful bow tie synonymous with the Nation of Islam, there would

be little doubt you were looking at a serious athlete; you just wouldn’t assume that the sport he played was American football.

rates. I don’t think it’s going to happen. Some of the guys in the

For all the flirtatious buzz around the United Kingdom and the

book told me why they don’t think it’s not going to happen,

NFL, X, perhaps its greatest gridiron export, has been largely

and they’re pretty convincing arguments.”

forgotten. I had no trouble spotting him in the busy West Lon-

If Alex is right, the prospect of the NFL returning to London per-

don cafe we’d agreed to meet in, his football player’s build

manently is pretty slim, despite what teasers their PR machine

clearly standing out in the crowd. I soon found that his impos-

drops. Which makes his book all the more important – if we’re

ing stature also served to amplify the already deep timbre of

not getting another team, then we’re left to look back fondly

his voice, as he told me with poised erudition of his journey from

at a golden age when Galaxies shone in Frankfurt, Dragons

the muddy pitches of England to the manicured fields of the

roared in Barcelona, and Monarchs reigned in London.

National Football League.

‘American Football’s Forgotten Kings: The Rise and Fall of the London Monarchs’ is set for release on September 1. It is available to pre-order on Amazon.co.uk now.

“It was my sixteenth birthday, and I was up early,” X says. “I grew up around Paddington, so I left my house and walked from there through Little Venice, Chinatown, and Soho, then all the way back across to Hyde Park. There, I saw some guys playing American football. I hung around and they asked if I wanted to play. I didn’t even know the name of the team, I just joined in and that was it. That’s how I spent the rest of my birthday.” X had found his calling. Football would be his life for the next 30 years. “The London Ravens,” he says, “were the roots.” The Ravens were the UK’s first ever amateur football team and had just begun their 1982 inaugural season. X was a natural. He had the physique, the speed, and the grit, and with him as the lead running back, the Ravens cruised to a 57 game winning streak and four British championships. X’s domestic dominance was such that over a three-year period he ran for 66 touchdowns and 3,770 yards, with an average of 8.9 yards per carry. ... X was one of four British players on the Monarchs as the team posted a 9-1 record and claimed the first World Bowl in 1991.

history

‘Before Menel Lawrence Okoye Monarchs, bef Wembley games, Pass and Twitte before all of was Vict

“I saw some guys playing American football. I hung around and they asked if I wanted to play. That’s how I spent the rest of my birthday.”

During that season he became the first, and to date, the only, English player to score a touchdown at Wembley Stadium. In 1995 he changed his name to Victor X. The X is representative of his path through the Nation of Islam, a religion that was vital in forging the discipline that defined his career. “Getting your X comes from a process of studying,” he tells me, “It’s a form of achievement. Then the X goes and the X takes over, the holy name.” “All of this [gestures to his body] is nothing without this [gestures to his head]. The most important muscle in the body is the brain. For example, I tell the youngsters to stop taking the protein shakes when all you got to do is eat properly. Why take

history

lik Watson and e, before the fore sold out , before Gameer and NFL UK, f that, there tor X.’

read the full story...

shortcuts?”

position. Running back? Not so much.

For X, the Nation’s strict approach to health proved to be

The new fan base in London, millennials who have been at-

compatible with football. In addition to abstaining from alco-

tending the International Series for the better part of a decade,

hol, he followed elements of the dietary doctrine laid out in

have had the luxury of witnessing American football establish

Elijah X’s How to Eat to Live, an adaptation of which was also

itself somewhat in the UK. But it’s still worth remembering that

used by the religion’s most famous athletic son, Muhammad

before Menelik Watson and Lawrence Okoye, before the Mon-

Ali.

archs, before sold out Wembley games, before GamePass and

Meanwhile, his British peers unanimously recognized X as one

Twitter and NFL UK, before all of that, there was Victor X. (This article is excerpted with the permission of the au-

of the greatest to ever set foot on their fields. X was the first British skill position player to make a real impact in professional football—not to suggest that kickers don’t count (shout out to John Smith), but soccer skills can transfer to the

thor. You can read the fascinating full story at Vice Sports. sports.vice.com/en_us/article/an-american-football-playerin-london-the-journey-of-victor-x)

history

In focus: Merseyside on the march

CAN ANYONE STOP THEM?

Feature

ÂŠ John maher

With the nighthawks undefeated in over a year, LJMU enjoying their largest squad ever, and two new teams preparing to join the bafa leagues, touchdownuk went to meet the guys leading a boom in the football mad city of liverpool... Feature

by Kieran Etoria-King

es University [LJMU] involved, and that’s helped us make our

here are many ways to kick someone in the teeth, but there’s nothing quite like working towards something for years, only to have it yanked away from you like a dollar on a fishing hook.

That’s what happened to the Merseyside Nighthawks when,

after going undefeated all season to win the National League Bowl and earn promotion to the BAFA Premier League, a league reshuffle saw them land right back where they started. “It’s really disappointing,” says head coach Craig Pennington. “We want to play the best football we can: as a group and as a club the Premier League is where we want to be. We did everything right last year – we won the conference, we went undefeated, and we still didn’t go up. The only positive we can take from it is it gives us another year to solidify our group. “We get some great guys coming in to the area, and we’ve got a great sporting culture with Liverpool and Everton, decent rugby teams in St Helens and Widnes. There’s lots of sport going on in this area of the country. It’s just the natural tenacity we have – once these people get their teeth into something, they want to be the best at it, and you can see it, you give these guys a spark and off they go.” The

Nighthawks

have

grown into an outstanding example of a growing American football team, and apart from nine years

contacts with the University of Liverpool. We want to take that all to the top, and work to get to the next level.” They might have suffered a setback from the league reshuffle, but they have had a storming start to the 2015 season with two comfortable wins – they started with an away trip Edinburgh Wolves, who gave them a thrillingly tight contest in the National League final last year, beating them 42-20. Two weeks later, they played their first home game of the season, nearly shutting out Nottingham Caesars 46-6, a team who played in the Premier League last year. Craig achieved a lot in his days as a player, including winning two Bowls in three years with Coventry, playing on two Great Britain Lions tours, and being part of the last GB team to win an international tournament, but he says that his achievements with the Nighthawks give him a better feeling than any of that. “I have affected so many people, and given so many people that amazing feeling, to be around winning something that big. People don’t get the opportunity to be winners every day,

“People don’t get the opportunity to be winners every day, but my guys are getting so used to it that they almost don’t know how to lose anymore.”

away during his playing

but my guys are getting so used to it that they almost don’t know how to lose anymore.” I visited them on a bright April Sunday, to see their victory over the Caesars. They were dominant from start to finish – they barely let their opponents out

of their own half until the fourth quarter, and were up by four

days, Craig has been there since the beginning. “I lived by a sports centre in Bebington that the Nighthawks moved to when they became the Nighthawks [Having originally been the Wirral Wolves]. They had an open day on the 4th of July, and I started playing, because some of the lads in school had been playing and said I should come and have a go. Full contact, running around in the mud, fifteen years old. That was the late 80’s.” Since returning in 2009, Coach Pennington has been at the helm of a remarkable rise that has seen the Nighthawks go from languishing near the bottom of the table to a storming undefeated season in 2014. “There’s been times when it’s been difficult, and I’ve thought: why am I doing this?” he explains. “There was one game, a few years ago. It was not long after I took over as head coach, when I had been feeling like: ‘people aren’t interested, they don’t want to get better, I don’t know why I’m doing this,’ but that game, even though we had a massively losing season, turned my attitude around, because they gelled, they started wanting to get better. “From there, we’ve had a few setbacks, but everyone’s always wanted to strive to get better. We’ve made a better program as a whole, we’ve got the Fury from Liverpool John Moor-

coaches better. We’ve formed a youth program, and made

touchdowns at half time. Wide receiver Alex Eager bagged a hat trick, and running back Laurent Tshimanga covered nearly the entire field in two rushes to set up a fourth from receiver Ben Barker, who had dropped a couple of spectacular long passes in the first quarter. Three more touchdowns followed in the second half, from receiver Liam Holebrook, running back Daishawn Honohan, and back up QB Ben Robinson. The ‘Hawks also managed an impressive three interceptions and two fumble recoveries, a couple of which were returned for significant yardage. The Caesars were brave and did not play badly. They were understandably incensed by a handful of questionable refereeing calls, but in truth it would not have made a bit of difference to the result. When I spoke to him after the game, Craig held up this performance as a perfect exhibition of what the Nighthawks have achieved and what they are building. One of the key elements to their success has been their close relationship with the nearby university team at John Moores University, LJMU Fury – where Craig has also been head coach since 2010. “You watched what we did today: we had Adrian Hodgers throwing the ball, and Ben Robinson calling the signals into him – both of them have been starting QB’s for the Fury. Liam Holebrook scored a touchdown today, he’s been a starting re

Feature

“They had an open day on the 4th of July. Full contact, running around in the mud, fifteen years old. that was in the late 80’s...”

feature

graduates: Alex eager scores for Merseyside Nighthawks, and opposite, ljmu fury face uclan rams © John maher ceiver and QB for the Fury. Alex Eager, who’s playing some

championship game in front of thousands of people. He has

wonderful football at the minute. Johnny Maher, who’s start-

signed on to play for them again this season, this time on a pro-

ing to play for us now at offensive line, was a Fury line backer

fessional contract. Mark Houghton, meanwhile, has flown out

for years. You’ve got Steve Kilgannon – Kilgo – at nose tackle,

to play for Florida Falcons in the USA’s Gridiron Developmental

who’s really developed into a clever thinking player, and you

Football League, a summer league that runs from May to Sep-

can see it in his game.

tember. Connections like this give the Nighthawks an enviable

“It’s inspiring other guys to get back – we’ve got three coaches, who decided to sit back last year, who want to play this year. Rich Keir, who played for us a few years ago, has come back to the sport and was excellent today.” The Nighthawks are also building up an impressive portfolio of alumni playing abroad – last year receiver Harry Routledge

profile, and will help them to learn and improve.

ne of those Nighthawks stars who came through from the Fury is Alex Eager, who played as a corner back up until a year ago. He switched to receiver and scored 11 touchdowns to help the

played semi-professionally for Carlstadt Crusaders of Sweden,

‘Hawks to their championship last season. He told me how he

and helped them win the national championship, scoring

shares his coach’s excitement for the future:

several touchdowns through the season including two in the

“This team can go anywhere, really. Coach Penn’s aim is to get into Europe, but playing European football is obviously a long way off at the moment. We want to play in the Prem – the North Division of the Premiership is so competitive at the minute, and we just want to get in it and show everyone what we can do. We’ve got an amazing QB in Adrian, another in Ben who is learning the game, all our receivers are quality, our running backs are ridiculous – we’ve got so many top running backs. If everyone stays here, we can go anywhere.” However, with this being his graduating year from LJMU, he also was keen to talk up the two-way relationship between the Nighthawks and the Fury. The link has provided the senior side with many of its most promising players, but the university team

Connected: (From left) Liam Holebrook, John Maher and Luke Ingram are among the many players to play for both LJMU Fury and Merseyside Nighthawks © John maher

itself has also benefitted. In 2013/14, just before the Nighthawks started their undefeated season, the Fury made the play-offs for the first time, qualifying for the old-format National Plate with a

Feature

6-2 win-loss record, the young team’s first ever winning season. They were drawn away to University of Hull Sharks, where they lost a tight game 16-12 in the final minute of the fourth quarter. “A lot of the guys at Nighthawks come and coach Fury,” Alex explains, “which means that all the coaches at Fury are now National Champions. The experience the players can get playing senior ball and bring it back to university is just invaluable. We’ve got seven or eight Fury players with us this year at Nighthawks, and probably four or five of them will be going back to the Fury next season, and they’re going to be much better players for it, having played at senior level.” However, 2014/15 was a tougher season for the Fury. Having converted their play-off appearance into a hugely successful recruitment, they started the season with over 60 players, but the majority were complete rookies to the sport, which led to a 4-4 finish. Nonetheless, Alex is confident the team will be able to push on. “It was hard this year – but I think we should have at least gone 6-2 again. We shouldn’t have lost those last two games [against MMU Eagles and Lancaster Bombers], we just took our foot off the gas a bit. Other games were close – against Aberystwyth Tarannau, we lost by one touchdown in the very last second, when we probably should have wrapped that game up easily. UCLan Rams beat us fair and square, but apart from that I think we could have gone 7-1 and had a completely different season. If it all comes together again next season then who knows, maybe they can go and get a 7-1 or better. It’s just about finding that winning mentality, and getting the momentum to keep going.”

horizon for the Fury. Liverpool Varsity 2016 will be the first to include American football, as the University of Liverpool (UoL) have

finally managed to start their own team, which will be entering the league this November. “Ever since I’ve come to Liverpool, I’ve seen the adverts for Varsity, and I’ve always wanted to play in it,” says Alex. “It’s not even about the league or anything, just playing Varsity, getting that win against the rivals down the road, it would just be amazing. I

really

University of Liverpool do get

The uol clocktower © man vyi/ wikimiedia

can beat them!” UoL aren’t shy of the challenge. Jonny

Cook

one of the lead committee members that has

brought

the team to the brink of

the Nighthawks. “I know that both sides are looking forward to this rivalry in particular,” he said. “The American football community in Liverpool is very tight knit and many members of each team have played and coached together in the past so I imagine there will be a great atmosphere come game day. “I am very confident in the quality of the athletes at Liverpool University, we also have a number of experienced players at key positions and access to great coaching and facilities. There is obviously a steep learning curve ahead of us but we are really looking forward to the challenge.” Just as with Liverpool FC and Everton, it’s a fierce city rivalry between LJMU and the University of Liverpool, brewed from familiarity as both universities share a couple of square miles in the centre of Liverpool. When Varsity comes,

here is one particularly exciting event on the

their team together…so we

the BAFA league. And, wouldn’t you know it, he also plays for

hope

there will be one particularly familiar face on UoL’s side line. After five years at LJMU, Craig Pennington has decided to jump ship and take on a new challenge across the road. “I don’t really see it as a jump ship,” Craig commented. “It’s more about coaching and program

development.

I’ve

established

a great coaching team at Fury. The guys are of

brilliant. the

loop,

But we

I’m all

not

out

still

talk,

we’re all friends, we’ll go out and have a drink and talk about ideas, that won’t change. Plus there’s guys that are coaching the Fury that will come in and help coach at UoL. “Varsity is going to be great – it will be played in good spirit, played the right way, and it will be the best game we play all year, because everyone will be trying to play the best football they can, and then afterwards everyone can go out to town and have a few beers and have a laugh about it. They’re all going to know each other, because they’re all

“The American football community in Liverpool is very tight knit.” 20

associated with the Nighthawks.” Jonny added: “The Nighthawks have done a massive amount to promote the sport in this city, both in the success that they’ve experienced and the guidance they’ve offered to the university teams. Having a National Championship winning coach come to UoL will be a fantastic asset and we hope to emulate some of the success he and his coaching staff have had elsewhere.” Jonny is keen to see his UoL team finally enter the BUAFL this November, after years in the making. The idea to get a team

Feature

going at the university was first floated several years ago, but

and students that may never have considered joining a team

it takes a lot of resources and time to build a team from the

when they came to university.

ground up. On May 7, they were finally sanctioned as an offi-

“Ideally we would like a squad size of at least 50 - the strongest

cial team. They are planning to vote on a name at the team’s

teams in the University league possess plenty of depth in each

first social, which will take place ‘in the next few weeks’.

position and this helps to set them apart later in the season.”

“Liverpool University has a great tradition of building success-

With the Nighthawks, the Fury, and University of Liverpool all

ful sports teams and we hope to build on that,” he says of the

on the up, Merseyside is undoubtedly a huge growth area for

team’s prospects. “Many of the student body already partic-

American football. But there’s one more new side we haven’t

ipate, but we believe that American football can offer some-

mentioned yet, and they might be ready to make the biggest

thing different and hopefully recruit both experienced athletes

splash of anyone…

Feature

MEET SPART

Feature

T THE RTANS

The

halton

bafa’s they an and

spartans

newest

mean

through

home

undefeated their

friendlies

enter

league

full

and

swagger. ground run

association

have

the

confidence

and

business.

impressive an

team,

are

seen

them

Touchdownuk

spoke

the

spartans’

ian

derbyshire

team’s

feature

lofty

head

to coach

about

his

ambitions...

Feature

by Kieran Etoria-King

targeted for our home games through the season this year, to

s the legend goes, the Spartans were a small army

try and average around 500 fans, and look to try and increase

of mighty warriors from a tiny town that held off the

that as we go. “We’ve had a lot of help and support from Halton Borough

might of empires. “Spartans, what is your profession?” Leonidas

Council, the sports development team, they’re keen to help

bellows in the film 300. The response is a spine-tingling battle

the Halton Spartans grow, and therefore help the Runcorn and

cry. Spartans are noisy.

Widnes area get on the map.

The metaphor behind the name is fitting. Merseyside Night-

The size of Halton has undoubtedly played a part. While the

hawks have ruled their own little gridiron empire in Liverpool for

Nighthawks are based in one of the country’s major cities and

decades. But drive 15 minutes out of the city and across the

have to compete for attention with two of its biggest football

Runcorn-Widnes Bridge, and you’ll find a noisy-new-kid-on-the

clubs, Halton has a population a quarter the size, and little to

block, in the form of the Halton Spartans.

offer in the way of spectator sport. Halton Council jumped on

Established in January 2014, the small outfit has grown astonishingly quickly into one of the most exciting sports teams in

the opportunity to bring something new to the area. Ian sees a lot of opportunity for growth.

the Greater Merseyside area. They have moved in to the ex-

“We know that once our season gets going in the summer

cellently equipped Select Security Stadium, and in December

we’re not competing with the football, and if I’m being hon-

they were accepted into the BAFA league. They begin in the

est, while Widnes is still very much a Rugby League town, at

Division 2 North West, where they won their first game away to

the amateur level Rugby League is struggling, and we’re trying

Crewe Railroaders 19-14 on April 12. But the most remarkable

to leverage that and make use of getting people who would

fact to make you sit up and pay attention to the Spartans is

have watched rugby league to come and watch a different

that they actually turned a profit from the attendance to their

sport.” “Halton itself is a fairly small borough, but we’re looking to

first home game. “It was in the middle of winter,” says head coach Ian Der-

extend our catchment area out towards Warrington – in fact

byshire, “it was at the same time as the Manchester United v

we’re doing work with Warrington Collegiate at the moment.

Liverpool derby in the football, and we had just on 600 people

We know we’ve got Manchester Titans, Merseyside Nighthawks

come to watch us in a friendly, which I think was fantastic. We

and Chester Romans, but if you circle around Halton and work

had the local mayor and the local MP in attendance. We’ve

outwards until you get onto their catchment areas, we feel

“It was in the middle of winter, it was the same time as the united-liverpool derby, and we had 600 people come to watch us in a friendly”

Feature

we’ve got a large area of our own to build our own fan base, and we feel we can attract fans to come and watch a game in a stadium, rather than on a field at a rugby club somewhere. We’re trying to make it the whole event, we’ve got cheerleaders, food, drink, all that stuff.” Given his background, Ian Derbyshire seems like the perfect man to lead the demons. He played for Halton Demons from 1987 until the team folded in 1996, so Halton football runs in his blood. “I was a young man then,” he says, “but then life took over. Basically, January last year, I stumbled across a couple of lads who had started up a team in Runcorn, and the rest is history as it

“O

had some help from a name we’re almost bored of by now… ne of the things that I found coming back into the sport is how open coaches on other teams are when it comes to helping me and helping the Spar-

tans. Craig Pennington has been a great help – our very first scrimmage game was against LJMU, who he was head coach of, and that was a very

“All I’ve ever done is aim high. I want to build a legacy, a dynasty, and I want the Spartans to be known throughout the country.”

good hit-out for our guys. I have a good relationship with Craig, we always have opportunities to catch up, and I went and watched their game against

Nottingham

Caesars. I’ve got a good relationship

with

Gary

Lee as well, the general

were.”

manager at the Night-

He says the Spartans owe much of their early success to a tool the Halton Demons never had – social media.

hawks, and I think that’s really what we’ve got to target. I can see Nighthawks are going to head towards the Premier, and I

“I go back to when we started with our team in the 80s, we

see a structure and an organisation that I aspire to do.”

were reliant on local papers once a week to get ourselves out

It’s clear how much the Spartans look up to their neighbours

there. With social media we’ve got a Facebook page just short

across the Mersey, but they are also tantalised and excited by

of 3000 likes, Twitter, Instagram you can get your messages out

the prospect of a local rivalry.

there quickly. We’ve got a group of guys involved already that are massively committed.”

build our team – obviously in our first year we’re not allowed to

But it takes more than witty Tweets and Facebook updates to build what the Spartans have. Ian has built a dream team, and together they have worked incredibly hard. “I’ve been able to draw on some ex-colleagues of mine, ex-players I’ve known, we’ve kept friends for 25 years. So I’ve got an offensive

“Yeah!” Ian exclaims at the mere suggestion. “We want to recruit players from other teams, so 90 to 95% of the guys in my squad are total rookies playing this sport for the first time, but as we go along, I want to make this team attractive to players. Do I see a rivalry with Nighthawks? Would I like a rivalry with Nighthawks? Yes, of course I would, because I think it would be a good rivalry, a healthy rivalry.”

co-ordinator in a chap called

Asked to describe his favourite moment so far with the

Ian Beattie, and a defensive

Spartans, the coach thought for a few sec-

co-ordinator

onds before settling on the moment

called Simon Dwight.

they

Off the field we’ve

were

accepted

into

the

league.

got a very dedicat-

“At our home game on the 14th

of December – which was the end

committee,

of a year that started on the 5th of January, a

and

our

general

BAFA

manager is called Simon Mills –

official

it was Simon Mills who started

game. At the end when we giving out awards

attended

our

the club back in2014, I went

for MVPs and such, I handed him the mic to say

along to session one and he

a few words, and he stood on the stage next to

saw something in me, and

me and announced to the whole audience that

gave me the opportunity to

we’d been accepted into the league! I went ab-

be a head coach.”

solutely bananas, I was jumping up and down like

The Spartans even

Feature

a kid at Christmas. I get goose bumps even now

a stadium, try and get yourself a relationship with your sport development council, and aim high. “That’s all I’ve ever done, is aim high. I want to build a legacy, a dynasty, and I want the Spartans to be known throughout not just the north-west but the country, as a team that’s wellrun, well-structured, and build a network and do what’s best for the sport.” Both

Merseyside’s

teams

have big talk, and big goals. On one side of the river, we have

the

Nighthawks,

with

thinking about it, because there was so much work that went

30 years of history, riding at

into it, and it meant we could go and have a fantastic Christ-

an all-time high. Across the

mas, and get into our preseason planning, which culminated

bridge, the Spartans; ambi-

in us winning our first game. I spoke to my players the week

tious, noisy, and not to be

before saying it was my dream that the BAFA official would do

under-estimated.

exactly that, and he did.” However, as exceptional as the Spartans path has been so far, Derbyshire believes he has laid a precedent that other teams can follow to help grow interest in the sport. “It takes a tremendous amount of effort. I have to say part of the reason is we’ve got a tremendous help from Halton Borough Council. I think the key is to form relationships with your local councils, your local council run stadiums, see if you can get a good deal on that, and then just market it and try and

Let the rivalry begin.

get people to try and watch a game, because it doesn’t take much for people to get hooked, and that’s what we’re hoping to do this year and build a fanbase. Try and get yourself into

Focus Feature

GOING INTERNATIONAL

great britain competes internationally at Student and senior levels. touchdownuk invited A student athlete to describe his memories of the tryouts...

by Laurent Tshimanga

more - the level of focus and intensity in each and every guy’s

o find out I was going to be given a second chance to

eyes was immense. We all knew we weren’t there to make

prove I deserved to be part of this country’s national

friends.

American Football programme, brought me back a lot

The first drill we did was Oklahoma one on ones. The first op-

of excitement and passion for football. 2013 was the

portunity I got, I side stepped the linebacker and walked it in;

first time I ever heard of the GB Lions, but it was also the first time

that was to be last easy encounter. This one running back, Ja-

I encountered a serious injury whilst playing American football.

cob Amadi, who must have weighed about 220 lbs, was just

That year, just weeks before Trials for Great Britain I tore my

laying out linebackers for fun, and nobody wanted to be up

MCL whilst practising with my University team. It was a major

against him.

blow to my confidence and chances of being selected into

I felt I had put in a decent performance in the first half of the

the programme, but I managed to make the 110-mile jour-

tryouts, but like my team mate Ben had mentioned, one big,

ney to Loughborough University. The level of talent present on

massive play could end up being the difference between

that day was incredible, and it made me realise that injured or

making the cut and being sent packing. It came first from Alex

100%, the level of competition was so overwhelming that it my

Eager: he ran a seam route down the field and the QB found

injury wouldn’t have mattered, I was yet to reach that level.

him and connected for the catch, but it wasn’t the catch that

When I saw myself getting invited for the second time to

got the people excited, it was the side step he did away from

Loughborough in January this year, it was another opportunity

the corner trying to guard him, and the explosive run down

I felt, an opportunity to set things right and truly showcase the

the sideline to the endzone. It was a proud moment, not just

improvements i had made to my game.

for him, but for the LJMU Fury. By this time the floodlights had

Travelling with me were my Fury companions who had

set in meaning tryouts would soon be at an end, but I knew

also deservedly been invited to the tryouts, Alex Ea-

there was still one more big play in me. I set up to the right of

ger, Liam Holebrook, and Ben Rawthore. I knew, even

the QB, the offensive co-ordinator called the play. I thought

before getting to Loughborough and having seen my

about what I came here to do and how I wasn’t going home

compettion, that I would be going up against the best

until it was done. Before more nerves could set in, the ball had

Running Backs in the country, playing for the best University

been snapped and was in my hands - credit to the O line for

teams. Alex, Liam and I sat there in a classroom after the coach-

picking up there assignments so harmoniously, which allowed

es had seperated the defense from the offense, and here we

for a huge gap. As I exploded through, coming towards me

were eyeing out our competition - everyone was much more

was a linebacker, licking his lips, ready to annihilate me. I faked

bigger and taller then us. I turned to Alex and he turned to me,

left and quickly shuffled right past him. I could see it, smell it,

we knew we were thinking the exact same thing.

and grasp it, and before I knew it I was in it: I found the endzone

Going out onto the field, the nerves started kicking in a little

and my ticket onto the Great Britain Lions National team.

column

‘The level of focus and intensity in each and every guy’s eyes was immense. We all knew we weren’t there to make friends.’

column

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