Faces Of The Game by SophieRobinsonSportsPhotography

FACES Game Of The

One man alone cannot make a team

An insight into the faces of British American Football

FACES Game Of The

One man alone cannot make a team

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Sophie Robinson

American football is my life. I wanted to pursue a project surrounding the camaraderie that makes up this wonderful sport because without football I wouldn’t be where I am today. Not only has it formed my craft photographically, it has also saved me in some difficult times. As a lesser-known sport in the UK, American Football is fast making its way onto the British Sporting radar, with more and more people looking to play the sport at grass-roots level. Through interviews and photographs, this magazine encompasses the faces of the men and women that make up the British game; from coaches to players to event staff, as without those faces, there wouldn’t be a team. Everyone is human, and even when teams work together like clockwork, there are unique stories to be told from each and every person. I photographed, designed and interviewed for this magazine to tell the stories of the people and the highs, lows and experiences that make them who they are. Enjoy.

THE LINEUP 4-5 42-51 6-19 52-57 58 20-23 59 24-33 34-41 FACES Game Growth of a Game: American Football in the UK - Overview.

The Life of Ryan: A day in the life of a Running Back: Ryan Reid.

The Wysest man in football: A

Jack-of-all-trades in British American Football, Jon Wyse talks about his football career.

The a500 Bowl: The rivalry on

the D-Road between Crewe and Staffordshire.

There is No daunting Jauncey::

But Sir!!: The man who makes

Coach Sarah Jauncey talks about being a woman in a man’s game.

all the decisions. The Zebra. The referee, Jon Ikins

Facing My Demons: Why I

believe my concussion affected my Depression: Mark Walter.

Thank you: Thank yous and credits to everyone who has been a part of my journey.

The daily grind: Player portraits in working life.

Of The

Growth Game Of A

An Overview

know? u o y Di d ll Fo otba

an Americ e d f ro m t orig ina orts such sp Eng lish and soccer by r as rug popula e m a c and be can co llege eri late on Am in the s e s u p cam 1800â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Faces of the Game

Di d yo u know? Tho

ug h fo ot ball gam usually l es as t aro u nd 3 ho u the ball rs, is typical ly in pla for only y 11 minut es. On TV as many , as 75 min utes is spent on shots of play s tand ing on the lin ers e of scrim mag e, hu ddl ing, or jus t w alking a r o und between snaps.

Di d yo u know?

The mo st watche d televisio n e in the U vent n it States is e d the Super B owl

merican football in the UK first had its insurgence in the 1980s when coverage of the game was broadcast on Channel 4 for British fans. More recently the coverage of the Super Bowl and the introduction of American League games, played at Wembley Stadium in London at multiple times of the year, have added to the British fan-base and as a result a significant increase in numbers taking up the sport at grass-roots level. In the States, American Football is played at professional level, college level, high school level and amateur level with the highest league being the National Football League, known as the NFL, which is the one that is covered most on TV, in global media and here in the UK. Football in the UK is played in a senior league, the British American Football Association National League, or BAFANL for short. It consists of the Premier Division in which popular TV personality Vernon Kay plays for the London Warriors, Division 1 and Division 2 with promotion and relegation opportunities between each level. The senior league currently comprises of 63 teams based in towns ranging from Newquay in the south of England to Aberdeen in Scotland.

In addition, many universities also play American Football and 79 universities in Great Britain currently compete nationwide. In contrast to adult contact football, the British American Football Association, or BAFA, also runs youth, junior and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contact football, and also flag football across all age ranges. There are many rules and regulations surrounding American Football and it can be a little complicated to follow, but one thing is for sure, the camaraderie and spectacle that surrounds the game at all levels is exciting stuff. The UK game differs from the US game as anyone of any age and ability can get involved. The more professional teams in the UK still take on older players, bigger players, smaller players whereas in the States, you pretty much get your chance at a young age and most athletic stature, or miss out. The UK game is nowhere near as big as the US game, however the rise in popularity of British American Football means that it has great potential. More money is slowly being invested in the sport and shows signs of being bigger and better as the years go on. You never know, with talks of a permanent professional franchise, there may just be an NFL team based here in the United Kingdom before long!

Faces of the Game

LIFE OF

RYAN THE

A Day In The life Of a running back

Starting running back, Ryan Reid Trains hard and plays hard for the sport he loves in the hope of becoming Great Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next star player

Faces of the Game

FACES Game Of The

RYAN REID

“I am blessed. Every day I get to play this sport, I have a dream and I will chase after it.” Ryan Reid was born in Longton, Stoke on Trent in 1994 and throughout his life he has moved around and changed schools on multiple occasions due to his family life and turbulent transitions through education. But 20-year-old Ryan is a changed man from the boy he used to be, and he owes his turnaround, he says, to the sport that changed his life; American Football. “My childhood was pretty good, but I was a tear-away when I was younger, I’m not going to lie.” Ryan says, “I moved schools a lot and I had dyslexia, which meant that I acted up a bit. I had to overcome a lot of hurdles but the thing that I was always good at, and what kept me motivated was sports.” Ryan played a few sports in high school but one that really stood out to him was baseball; “We used to have PE sessions where they would do a taster session,” Ryan says, “So I went to the try-outs and they ended up putting out a team to play and I found that I was really good at it, my hand-eye coordination and sporting talent just seemed to fit with the sport. “It was quite an unusual thing to play in high school, especially in the UK but that’s what appealed to me. I think that is why I started looking to play American Football, I just wanted to be good at something that was a bit different and prove to myself that I could still excel in something that was out of the ordinary.” American Football was in his life from a young age, Ryan says; “It stems from my family; I support the Miami Dolphins NFL team, mainly because my uncle is a huge Miami Dolphins fan and so was my granddad, so I just grew up with it. I used to play the games on the PlayStation and watch the live games on TV, it gave me an adrenaline rush, even just by watching it and I knew it was the sport for me. After a tough time through his education Ryan turned himself around later in high school: “I got out of all the problems I was in

Faces of the Game

“My biggest role model is my dad, he’s always there for me“

Ryan and his dad, Chris at their home in Hanley, near Northwood.

and started to get my head down,” he says, “It was around about the time I found American Football, which saved me in a way, it got me back on track.” Ryan saw a leaflet in his school about a local American football youth team, the Staffordshire Surge, and went along to the try-outs: “I just felt that it fitted me. I took to it naturally without even needing much coaching.” Ryan says, “With all my sports background coming together, it was as though I’d never played any other sport before at all. I loved it. From the moment I started to play, I put all of my energy into American football to get me out of trouble and keep me away from all the negative things that could have happened in my life especially around where I lived.” But Ryan’s time with the youth team was cut short when he broke all five toes in his foot meaning he had to take

Faces of the Game

a significant amount of time out from football. However after itching to get back, by the time he got over his injury, Ryan was of the age where he could join the adult kitted team: “From that point I gave up every other sport just so I could play American Football, and it became my main focus in everything I did.” Ryan says. Ryan now plays the position of Running Back for his team, a position which is pivotal to the offensive unit, but he says that it would not have been his first choice at the time he joined: “I was always told Running Backs had to be big,” he says, “I always thought I was too small to play the position. When I started I just wanted to play and so I didn’t really know what position I wanted to be, but I am glad that I did now. Being a Running Back is so important to me; You’re not in a defensive position but you still get

to hit people and carry the ball and can score touchdowns, which is great. “I like knowing that being a Running Back, you’re an integral part of the team; I feel important, and that I’m needed. And I believe that my skill set and my footwork skills are tailored perfectly to that position on the field, as though I was born to play it. “I don’t think I’d ever leave the position, I considered it after the first season, because I didn’t get played much, but now I’d never look back. It’s what I want to play for the rest of my life.” A Running Back needs to be quick, agile and strong in order to block, rush and carry

Faces of the Game

“Sometimes the things You want most can Seem out of reach. I say Just stretch A little further”

the ball for long lengths of the field, often through a large defensive unit in front of them. So Ryan dedicates a colossal amount of time to his training regime and fitness and has worked hard on his speed and footwork meaning that the position is somewhere that he holds huge talent; “Everyone has their own secrets or techniques when it comes to keeping fit.” Ryan says, “Mine is simple; I eat relatively healthily, and I train a lot. You have to be fairly fit and healthy to play this sport, not necessarily muscular or lean, but fit, you need a lot of endurance and stamina to be able to run short bursts of plays at any time. Along with football training sessions on Sundays and Wednesdays, Ryan will train at the gym nearly every day and push himself hard: “I train to be the very best version of me that I can be.” Ryan says, “I tailor my workouts to be specific to American football; I do a lot of leg work, a lot of squats, weights, its not all about how much you can bench, it’s about smart workouts. I do quick sprints on the running machine, so every ten minutes I’ll pump it up to the highest level and do 30 or so seconds of sprinting, which is how long I think a play would last. “A few days before game day I will not train at all, as I want to keep my body at full fitness and not strip my muscles already. On game day I won’t eat much, I don’t know how people can eat a fry-up or anything like that because the time I did I was sick, so I’ll eat a banana and get myself ready. To Ryan, American Football is everything and being able to play for his county team, he says, is something he cherishes: “Playing for Staffordshire is a big thing for me, being local to Stoke,” he says, “It fills me with pride to be able to play for them. We don’t get paid for it, I go because I voluntarily want to play, in fact, I pay to play, I don’t mind paying to do the thing I love with the team I love.” However, Ryan wants big things from his clear talent in the sport and hopes to be trying out for his country very soon: “Of course, I want to progress with my career.” Ryan says, “I hope to try out for Great Britain, but maybe even more. I think I am good enough to get there. Sometimes the things you want most can seem out of reach, I say just stretch a little further and you’ll make it. “I’m looking to try out for Great Britain as early as next year.” Ryan says, “But I’m just going to see how this year pans out. If I don’t get in, it’s a learning curve. I think have enough potential to try out and who knows maybe even get a spot, I’ll keep trying and trying until I do. To think how my life has gone, to play for Great Britain would be one of the best achievements I can imagine at the moment. I can’t think of anything better than representing your country doing the thing you love most.” “I would also love to play in America and it is

Faces of the Game

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Train to be the very best version of me that I can beâ&#x20AC;?

Faces of the Game

something I will strive towards even it means sitting on the sidelines for a few seasons until they let me play, I wouldn’t mind, because it’s the game I love and I’d be there, I would be fulfilling my dreams. I have everything I want and need in life, and I am blessed, but American Football is always going to be there, and will be the thing I will always want most, it is going to be my stepping-stone and I am always improving, every single day.” But even with big plans in the pipeline, Ryan says he will always remain loyal to the team that started his journey: “I’d never leave my team unless I knew I was fulfilling more of my dream.” Ryan says, “If I had the opportunity in the US, of course I would consider it, but even if I got my slot in the GB team I’d still play, support and be there as much as I could for my team. They are like my family.” In terms of his real family, Ryan lives with his dad in Hanley: “My biggest role model is my dad.” Ryan says, “He’s always there for me, through everything in my life he always looks

Faces of the Game

out for me. He’s always given me the right advice, never wants me to be down, or working dead end jobs, he knows what is best for me and he

always helps me to be better. Living with my dad is perfect; even though

I’m 20 years old, I still need looking after; I’m like a little pup, and I’m still like a kid to him. “I also really looked up to my granddad too, who is no longer with us, but he loved watching me play American football and I still know he looks down and watches me when I play. “As far as sports go, there are so many role models but, Deion Sanders, Le’Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy, they’ve all gone through various problems and different challenges in their life and I can relate to that as a young player, it is like your own life. They’ve all achieved big things, and I know I can too. It is only ever yourself that stops you; nobody else, nobody can stop you achieving your goals.” Ryan is enjoying a football life full of ups and downs and his talent continues to shine through. After playing for a while Ryan managed to secure a position as first string RB, which means he is the automatic first choice for starting games: “Being a first string RB was way out for me the first season I played,” he says, “I was coming back from an injury and

I would have been more like third or fourth string. I had to wait my turn. I am big on waiting your turn in life. I was getting annoyed and frustrated as anyone would, but I knew I could prove myself. “I wasn’t really very confident in myself at that time, but after around the fifth game I’d played my confidence soared; everything clicked. I was playing on Special Teams, but as soon as ran downfield and hit someone, that was it, I knew I’d prove myself and get that starting position. That was the highlight of the start of my career, ask anybody and they’ll say ‘That Special Teams play changed Ryan’, I know for a fact it changed me, as the player I am today was born in that moment. “Since then I’ve been a first string running back and I never want to slip and give up that spot. We have lots of running backs vying for the starting position but I’ll fight for it. I don’t plan to go down. To be the best I can, I’ll always strive for the top, it’s my job and I will train hard for it. If I take my foot off the gas and lost that, I would hate it.” The beauty of an American football team in the UK is that they are very accepting of anyone from any background or ability to play the sport or join a team: “I play with people who have been on the team for over ten years and they still treat me like I’ve been there the whole time,” Ryan says, “American football

“I pray before a game. My Granddad is my lucky Charm” is one big family. I am truly blessed for everyday I get to play this sport; I have a dream and I will chase after it and I know that God is with me on game day. “What a lot of people don’t know about me is that I pray before a game. I am quite spiritual in that I definitely believe in God; more so since my granddad passed away. When I score touchdowns I do like a cross across my chest and things like that because I know I have people watching down on me. My granddad will be watching me from up there and pushing me along to that score. He’s like my lucky charm. Believing in God is a big thing in my eyes, he gives us what we have in life, and I believe he’s the reason I am as good as I am, not to sound too big headed there, but I believe he blessed me with my skills, something inside me knows that I will one day be at a higher level. “I was wasting my talents at the start of my life but all of a sudden something clicked in me, and I think that was God giving me my calling and I turned my life around. I’ve got a great job, I work really good hours that don’t interfere with football, I have a good family and I have everything I need and I have people who will look after me If I was ever to get into any trouble. What more could you want?” “I put out quite a lot of inspirational material on social media, and I’ve got people who follow me just for that reason, for motivational purposes, it comes

Faces of the Game

“I am Truly blessed by God; he is with me on game day” from me; If I can inspire one person a day that will make me happier than anything.” In terms of my own achievements, I’d say pretty much the whole of last season; I led the team in touchdowns and I rushed for a lot of yards, and I won plenty of awards, which makes you feel amazing. But I’d trade all of that in to get a championship under our belts as a team. Individual success is great but at the end of the day we are a team and a championship would mean the world to us. I am a winner, but then I also know that sometimes we don’t win for a reason. As long as I’ve tried my best and as long as I know that my boys have tried their best, I’ve still got respect for everybody. “I focus on the win straight from the off, on game day. In the morning I’ll get up and eat some fruit and lie

Faces of the Game

Di d yo u know?

Ryan has also play ed baseball and soccer fo otball thro ug ho ut his life.

on my bed with my headphones in and listen to motivational speeches, or watch American football videos. Or even just imagining myself running for a touchdown, as I believe that if you can envision it you’ll achieve it. “I make sure all my kit is ready I have to be certain I’ve got everything and spares for the game. I always clean my boots; you have to walk on to that field with clean boots no matter how muddy they may get. And of course there’s also always the fresh cut before the game too, you always have to get a fresh cut before game day, you cant fit your helmet on your head if you’ve got a big bush growing if you know what I mean. And then it’s time to play. And after you’ve had the winning taste in your mouth you never want it to go away. I’ll play until I am old and grey, I’ll probably die on the field, but I’ll die doing something I loved, and that is the biggest achievement I can imagine.”

Faces of the Game

There is no Daunting

Sarah Jauncey from Wrexham, coach, an American Football for Rebecca Adlingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Swim schools, teaching children with physical disabilities. At present, Ordinator and Running Backs American Football team, of Chester AFT, and for Great Britain Football. She sport and how reaching her one small Sarah is one

Faces of the Game

North Wales is a full time sports coach, a swimming Instructor Stars, and for local councils and Special Education Needs and/or Sarah is Special Teams CoCoach of the Staffordshire Surge Head Coach of the University Assistant Offensive Coach (GB) Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tackle talks about womens she is taking to coaching goals step at a time. girl that can.

Di d y o u kn ow

arah Jauncey is busy bee by all accounts; she lives with her husband, Paul, an ex-basketball player and martial artist, and her daughter Caitlin who studies at Somerville college, Oxford: “My family is small,” says Sarah, “But I have 3 cats, who are my babies too!” Never one to take a minute to rest, Sarah also spreads herself thinly between hobbies; “I front a rock band called Black Sunrise who do covers of classic rock tracks from AC/DC to Led Zeppelin and Dio. I am also a member of a motorcycle club, The Phoenix Knights,” she adds. So how does Sarah manage to fit it all in? “I love being busy!” Sarah says, “I get bored very quickly, and like having plenty to fill my day. But at present I am having one day off in a fortnight so I would like to get a holiday at some point!” Sarah’s active lifestyle can be traced back to her early interest in sports: “I was a swimmer from an early age and started competing at the age of 10,” she says, “I was a Butterfly swimmer, and specialised in 200m which meant I made the national team at 13 and started teaching and coaching soon after. I was also pretty good at javelin, but I was banned by my swim coach in case I got injured! As a coach, fitness is very important, however, I have always hated running but I do force myself to go the gym.”

But American football is a far cry from swimming, so how did Sarah’s coaching career take the unusual direction into Gridiron football? “My husband has been a fan of the Washington Redskins for a long time.” Sarah says, “He used to watch the game on TV, and I would sit there asking what was going on and why they kept stopping. Then after I started my degree in sports coaching in 2011, I went on the lookout for something a bit different to the other sports I was coaching. I contacted the nearest club, the Chester Romans, was invited by defensive coordinator, Jason Smith (now the HC of Surge) and he offered me a coaching role

? Sarah i s o n 5’1’’ b ut tha ly t has not s to coach ppe d her ing p laye tw ice her si rs ze

within the club and the rest is history. I was learning the game from a coaches point of view, taking warm-ups and conditioning sessions, and I loved every minute of it. The tactical and technical skills were something very different for me and I fell in love with the game. “During my three years at the Romans, I was made special teams coach and then co-ordinator, and we reached a semifinal Bowl game. Whilst at the Romans, I also took on the role of strength and conditioning coach for the Ladies squad, and then I became Head Coach

Faces of the Game

“I have never feared that I wouldn’t be taken seriously. I do however have to accept the short jokes and multitasking comments”

of the university team. With the changes in coaching staff within the Romans becoming imminent, I started looking for my next role so I applied for my current position with the Surge in October 2014, and was accepted as ST and Running Backs Coach.” But even around all this, Sarah was also offered the position for a once in a lifetime opportunity to coach for the Great Britain Ladies team: “It is a huge learning curve,” says Sarah, “I was very undecided about applying for a position that I saw as the pinnacle of any coaches career. But I did, and managed to get the ‘dream role’. It is an amazing opportunity, and getting to work with some of the best talent in British Women’s American Football is an absolute joy. The ladies are all an inspiration to me, their dedication and hard work is unbelievable, their talent is high, but most of all they are so eager to learn and progress, and this makes coaching them easy. It is a great environment to be in.” Sarah is living proof that women can do anything they like, and with women’s sport having an insurgence in the past few years through the Olympics in London and more media coverage, women have started to hold their own in such a male dominated industry, and American Football is no different: “I think at league level, American Football is still very male dominated,” Sarah says, “But this is definitely changing with the Sapphire and Diamond Leagues for the ladies game becoming bigger and bigger.” “I have never really looked at my role as being gender specific.” Sarah says, “It still shocks people when I tell them that I coach adults and not children! Especially when they find out that I coach two allmale teams. I don’t feel that my gender has affected my progress, I have fought hard and learned so much to get to where I am. Even though I have been coaching for over 20 years, I still enjoy the learning process. As for a difference, of course there are things that make my role ‘different’ and there are things that I can’t do that my male counterparts can. I can’t give locker room talks for obvious reasons, and teaching some skills can be tough as I am only 5’1”; other skills like snaps are out of the question, but none of these are negative. “I think sport is still very male orientated.” Sarah adds, “You only have to look at the British FA, Snooker, NFL, MLB, Rugby to see that, and even where there is a female equivalent, the prize money and venue is

far less than the male game. But they are only as successful as their audience, and females in these fields are growing. We have female referees in the FA, a female referee and player in snooker, the first female referee in the NFL and the female soccer and rugby teams tend to be more successful than their male counterparts. It is getting there, and I firmly believe that the changes that are happening are just the start. “There are so many more female athletes and role models now than there was, it is growing and will continue to do so. The opportunities are there it just needs us girls to grab them and move forward. “But even when you look at the best coaches in the world, these are still mainly men. I feel it is more difficult for women to break into these areas. You only have to read comments made on social media when women are mentioned in these roles to see that the discrimination is still very apparent. The only way this would change is for more women to enter these roles. The #thisgirlcan movement is working hard to change the stereotypes; I don’t think we are there yet, but it will happen. Sport is now more accessible to women, but from experience in working in high schools, it is the retaining of this talent that is more difficult!” An inspiration to many, Sarah works hard to ensure people get the most out of sport at all levels, but who inspired her through her life? “That would have to be my mum.” She says, “She had polio at 18months old and it affected her left leg, leaving it 1.5” shorter than the other and leaving the muscle mass at about 50%. She never complained, never let anything stop her, and if she was told that she couldn’t do it she would do it twice just to prove everyone wrong. “Also my first coaching mentor, Mary Bainbridge, she taught me never to give up on my dream and taught me how to coach. And lastly Alan Winters, my HC at Chester Romans, he has never stopped believing in me then and now.” With her 5’1” frame, Sarah holds her own against players twice her size, and the banter is always flowing, but she has commanded an absolute element of respect which exudes from her as she coaches: “I had a good teacher in my mum!” She says, “I think because I have always been competitive it breeds a kind of internal strength. And being an only child makes you be headstrong, and

very self-sufficient. But all-in-all I think it is just my nature; ask my husband and parents, I don’t think I have ever been any different.” “In my career, of course, there have been the odd isolated comment or gesture, but in the main it has never been an issue. To begin with I had the fear that because I had never played, that I would find it difficult to coach but this was never the case; I am a coach, this is what I do, changing the skills is the only change we make. “As far as the banter and respect element of the game goes, I believe that respect is earned and should never be expected. I treat my athletes as equals, I adjust to their existing talent, knowledge and skill set and work from there. I understand my role is a coach, not an expert, none of us are experts! We as coaches exist to guide our athletes into becoming the best that they can be, not moulding them in cases that do not fit who they are, and what they can or cannot do. I believe I have the respect that I have earned from my athletes in all my sports, and have gained it thus far for my ability to coach

“American Football is one big family” them as an individual, but this can always be improved upon, we are all constantly learning.” “I have never feared that I would not be taken seriously, I do however have to accept the short jokes and the multitasking comments...Though this is always taken in fun.” To anyone looking to take up a sport, Sarah says: “Just do it! None of us know what we are capable of until we try. In my view life is not a dress rehearsal, we don’t get two chances at being who we are, we get one. Never get to a stage of ‘I wish I had’; it is never too late to try something new or different. If that is what is in your heart, go for it! “American Football is one big family, the circle is quite small, and everyone is willing to help. It is friendly, and a good laugh. The friends I have made through this sport are some of my closest now. Sport though is a lifestyle choice, rather than a job. The hours are long and unsociable, but if you love what you do, standing in a muddy field in 2degrees, in the pouring rain is just something you do every Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday etc etc. But it’s so damned rewarding!”

Faces of the Game

FACING MY DEMONS:

Why I believe my

Concussion affected my

Depression

Mark Walter opens up about the condition that affects him every day of his life.

Mark Walter has played American Football for a large part of his adult life. He works hard, plays hard and coaches a number of teams within the football league. However, his day-to-day life is plagued with a debilitating condition that he says takes any enjoyment out of the sport he once lived for. A six year spell of depression has made Mark’s world an unhappy place, and one of the factors he believes could have contributed to it is the incidences of concussion that he has acquired over his American football career. Here, Mark reflects back on his football life and the big “C” which all players dread. In a beautiful town house in Madeley, Mark, 26, sits at his desk and puts the finishing touches to the playbook for the 2015 season. With summer approaching, the play installations and strategies all need to be on point to give the teams the best chance of gaining the all important “W” on the scoresheets. Surrounded by superhero memorabilia and merchandise from films, Anime shows and American Football, it is almost like a mini museum to all the things he loves. With his digital tablet in one hand and the computer mouse in the other he draws up, at lightning speed, a new play which he’d thought up just moments before. In a series of noughts, crosses and lines, he shows his advanced knowledge of the game and the strategies he will get his team to employ this season. Mark is the Head Coach of the Keele

Faces of the Game

Crusaders American Football team, and his role includes drawing up the playbook, ensuring that training sessions and game day runs as smoothly as possible and organising events, all while driving the team to be the very best they can be. But even with all his responsibilities, over the past few years, Mark has faced an agonising battle with depression meaning that he no longer takes the joy in the leading of his team quite as much as he used to. A condition that means that his day job as a teaching assistant, his relationships and his football life are all affected in some way or another. “It’s swings and roundabouts,” says Mark, “We all have good days and bad days, but at the moment I have mostly bad days. For the past six or so years, I’ve not been happy and my friends would say that I have not been myself, and they are right.”

Mark pinpoints aspects through his life which could have led him to where he is now and settles on the fact that if it were not for the sport that he once loved, lived and breathed for, he may be a lot worse off. Mark grew up in Madeley, Cheshire and never wanted for anything. “My childhood was great,” he says, “It was full of everything I wanted or asked for within reason. Sometimes I had to work damned hard, but it was always there in the end.” “I was, and still am, a massive geek; give me comics over a football any day. I was never really into sports as a youngster; I’d have a kick-around on the fields behind my house with a group of friends, which I still do now, but it wasn’t even until late in my high school years that I’d even go to watch football games with my dad.” Then Mark stumbled into the camaraderie of American Football,

completely by chance at the age of 19, as he started at the University of Lincoln. American Football is played at most universities nowadays, with the insurgence in popularity in the British game, universities have taken to competing in the British University American Football Association (BUAFA) and it was at an Athletic Union fair that Mark first found the sport. “I was grabbed by a six-foot-five hairy monster known as Thor.” Mark muses, “He was massive. I thought I was in trouble. “He told me to come and play, as I was exactly what they were looking for in American Football. I didn’t need much persuading as curiosity killed the

cat, and I was placed on the Offensive Line which is the position I still play and coach to this day.” With that, Mark began a football career playing all over the country as the university league travelled and competed in games. “My first season was in 2008,” says Mark, “We got to watch a rookie session and see the returning players go off in a scrimmage, I liked the aggression and the tactical side of the game and knew it was for me.” After university Mark found a team local to him and began playing in the senior league. The offensive line built his strength and confidence and his overall knowledge of the game and after a few years he took to coaching in order to offset that knowledge onto new players. It was through these

coaching skills that Mark was then approached by the Keele Crusaders American Football team who were looking for a Head Coach to get the team started and off the ground. With all local teams having coaching staff already in place, Mark took on the role. “Being the Head Coach of Keele has probably been one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced.” Mark says, “Getting them to a state where they could even compete in games has been so difficult. We started with nothing, they were a university team who were just starting off and I was running training sessions, writing playbooks, I was stealing supplies from other teams just to make sure they had kit to play in and was coaching every position on my own.”

Faces of the Game

“Do I think that football Will get me out of the pit I find myself In everyday? I don’t know, it certainly helps. One day that Spark may come back.”

“But slowly and surely, we built up the resources; we got the committee to get things rolling and we acquired enough money to get tackling shields and blocking boxes, everything we needed. Forget running them on gameday or anything like that for the past two years; it was the first two years where we literally had nothing that was the hardest part.” The pressure on Mark was building to get Keele up to a standard in the University league where they could be taken seriously. After putting in hours of research, training time and coaching sessions Mark finally brought the Crusaders into the league. “Our motto is hit hard, hit fast, win games.” Mark says, “And we live and play by the ethos of: Commitment, respect, understanding, solidarity, achievements, discipline and effort to set the tone of the team and the philosophy I want to install in the players and staff. “I am very proud of Keele as it stands at the moment, we’ve come from nothing. We have had no help from the Athletic Union or anybody this past four years We are now firmly in the league competing. We haven’t

Faces of the Game

actually won anything yet but we are well on the way to improvement and potential.” But behind all Mark’s hard work, his personal life is still overshadowed; whilst coaching and playing at the same time Mark’s disregard for his own body has taken it’s toll on his body and mind. “I think American football

is dangerous, of course I do,” says Mark, “Why do you think we wear the padding and the helmets; because it is violent. But a contact game is a contact game, you don’t get into it if you’re scared of getting hurt. “It is considered to be like two trains hitting each other head-on, on the offensive line especially. When you tackle someone there’s not much you can’t do, alright rules are rules, and they are there to reduce injuries but you can pretty much hit as hard as you want. “I don’t mind the injuries, it is what the sport is for.” However, the most severe of injuries can often be resulted from head and neck trauma and can result in the big “C” word that footballers never talk about; concussion. Mark played in a game where he had one of the worst head injuries of his football career four years back; “We were playing Sheffield Predators away,” he says, “I was on kick return, I dropped back 5 yards then charged towards the man I was going to hit. But he got just that little bit lower than me and hit the side of my head close enough to my temple, and I was

down.” “In retrospect I was probably unconscious for a moment, I had a throbbing headache and the world was spinning so I took myself to the side line where the medics told me I had concussion. “I tried to watch the game from the sideline, cheer, everybody on but I couldn’t stand up. “Halfway through the third quarter there was no one to go on the offensive line and the spare players we had, weren’t available, so the only option was to go against the doctors advice and I went into the game. “I went straight to the line of scrimmage and not the huddle; I can’t remember anything from the game from that point forward. After watching game footage later, I’d made every memory up. Everything was a cloudy fuzzy mess, it lasted for days.” “Would I say that head injuries have affected me directly?” Asks Mark, “Well, not specifically but they’ve not helped. “For the last at six years I’ve not been happy. I don’t think the concussions have helped, I think they may have scrambled some things In my head that

maybe shouldn’t be scrambled. “I definitely think there is a relation between the amount of times I’ve been knocked on the head and the rate in which I have fallen into my depression. “It’s easily been in the past three or four years that I’ve had the most head injuries and easily for that time that I’ve been the most down in the dumps and I’ve just thought I’ve had enough of living. There have been studies in the NFL to link the amount of concussion a player receives to depression in recent years; “It is hard to say whether the head injuries are the direct cause but I can clearly see why I professionals and scientists have linked concussion in the NFL to signs of depression.” He says. “I am definitely suffering from it first hand even if I refuse to accept myself a little bit.” “People often look to simple answers, for something to blame, an excuse; you can’t help but notice the correlation between head trauma and a psychological condition and contact sports are going to attract a lot of attention. “But I think it comes down to who you are and what you’ve been dealt

in life; sometimes it possibly is the concussions and helmet-to-helmet contact, but some people aren’t wired right. Not everyone who has depression plays football so it’s hard to tell. It hasn’t helped.” “Each morning is a chore to get out of bed. American football doesn’t help really but it does help in some ways I guess. “Last year I got to the stage where I couldn’t stand American football; I quit half way through the season. I was just standing there on the sidelines feeling nothing. I decided to come clean to the team. I owed them the truth since I was abandoning them mid-season. I had already told the coaches a week in advance and I had always planned on telling the O-line the full truth, so I just decided it was the fair thing to do to tell the whole squad. “In a way I do feel it is more beneficial to be out doing something than being home and doing nothing at all but do I think that football will help get me out of the pit I find myself in everyday? I don’t know, it certainly helps, one day I may get that spark back.” Mark has also linked the severity of the head injuries he has acquired to

Faces of the Game

What is concussion?

the quality of kit that he’d purchased: “In retrospect I foolishly decided to buy slightly cheaper helmets, everything has been rigorously tested in the USA for safety and everything that we use has been tested to be able to make sure it’s safe, but I bought an old helmet and that is why, as the game has progressed and got more rough, I should have updated my kit. We don’t mention he “C” word; we don’t say it in games, you don’t say it in American football and you never say it to coaches if you don’t want to be taken out of the game told you can’t play. “As for now I will carry on doing what I am doing and hope things will look up. I am still a huge geek and my collection of “geekdom” makes me happy. If I could pick one of my pieces to be my favourite it would be like choosing your favourite child, but I’d say my fully working Ghost Busters Proton pack or my MMPR Green Ranger Morpher… or my Wolverine origins comic... See what I mean it’s really impossible to choose.” “With things like the Batman franchises re-launching,

“Geeks have always been cool”

Studies:

Guskiewicz, who heads the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes at the University of North Carolina, studied 1,742 former NFL players. The rate of depression for players who'd had five or more concussions was three times higher than for players without a history of concussion. Source: American Association of Neurological Surgeons

Marvel’s amazing movies, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, the Walking Dead and so many more coming out and having a resurgence, much like American Football; it has helped with the peoples acceptance of ‘geekiness’. But people have always had a little geek in them; the adult who never really grew out of Transformers from the 80s, the Dad who’d buys his kids Lego so he can play with it, the Mum who still remembers watching my little pony as it’s her guilty little pleasure. And that helps me a lot. It makes me happy. Being a Geek has always been cool really. “But in all seriousness, if I could give any advice to anyone looking to play the sport, yes hit hard, yes be aggressive, and come into it thinking you might get hurt, it’s all part and parcel of the sport, but buy properly up-to-date kit and look after yourself. It is a fun game and I wish I had every ounce of enjoyment that I once did for it, I’m sure it’ll come back, as once you get the bug, it’s hard to shake it off. “If anything the aptly conned ‘Hashtag Banter’ phrase that seems to be circulating at the moment, is the best part about the sport, the banter, the ripping and the goading is hilarious. In fact we often go to watch our rival teams just to take the piss. It’s things like that, which I enjoy most.”

The links between concussion and depression in Football: Dr John Hart Jr; Medical Director at the Centre for Brain Health Institute for Athletes, USA. “Many former American football players who took part in our study, even those with extensive concussion histories, are healthy and cognitively normal. In 60 percent of our participants, most of whom had sustained prior concussions, we found no cognitive problems, no mood problems and no structural brain abnormalities. Many former football players think that because they played football or had concussions, they are certain to face severe neurological consequences, but that is not always the case. However, there a correlation between cognitive impairment and cerebral

Faces of the Game

white-matter abnormalities on the brain. Among the players who were found to have cognitive deficits or depression, researchers found disrupted integrity in their brains’ white matter, which is connective tissue that allows information to travel from one brain cell to another. There were also associated brain blood flow changes in those who developed cognitive impairments, providing clues to the active brain changes resulting in deficits in “good” moods or endorphins.” “About 24 percent of the players tested were diagnosed with depression. The rate of depression in an age-matched general

population would be about 10 percent to 15 percent”, said neuropsychologist Dr. Munro Cullum, the study s senior author and a professor of psychiatry and neurology at UT Southwestern, Texas. “There is still so much we don’t know about concussions and later-life function, nor do we know who is vulnerable to cognitive problems later in life but there are things you can do to improve your condition. The brain is regenerative for life, and we can restore faculties that just a few years ago were thought to be lost forever.” Study taken from UT Dallas Center for Brain Health

Faces of the Game

Daily Grind The

For some people involved in the UK game, American football is simply a hobby; something that provides a pass time for the weekends and gives them a reason to keep fit and have fun. For others American Football is their life, and it is the primary driving force for their day-today life. But at whatever level, the players and coaches are made up of numerous personalities from many backgrounds. The diversity of people that are involved in British American Football really does show that anyone of any age size and gender can get involved. But what happens outside of football? Where do these people come from? What do they do? What makes a team interesting is the individuals that form the football family in the first place and the fact that no two people are the same. From turning up early on game day to putting in all the extra hours to train; American football is like a job all of its own. The dedication, the

Faces of the Game

A Photographic insight into the working life of American Footballers.

commitment, the investment, all shows that people take the sport just as seriously as their day job. In fact, it has been said that the ethos of American Football can be likened to everyday life. The discipline and team work can all attribute to life in the non-footballing world. As Vince Lombardi once said; “Football is like life; it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority,” which could not be more true. So what do footballers do in ‘normal life’? From an American Football playing vet to a pads and helmet clad barber; the weekdays have to be filled with something to pay the bills. It is one thing to know your team mates and their personality within American football, but what happens when the burly, intimidating American footballers are placed back in their place of work where they spend the majority of their time? It is certainly

interesting to see the sort of backgrounds that make up the sport and what they do to make a living; from policemen to paramedics. “So I’m an American Football playing paramedic? And what?” Throughout this series of photographs, players have kitted up in their place of work, whether that be by their van that they use to travel every day, or in the shop where they sell their goods so that they can all stand proudly side by side to show that no matter what you do, there is a place for you in American Football. From top left clockwise per spread: (Page right); Ashley Phillips; Barber. (Over the page); Matt McCree, Farm Vet, Will Farrow, Chef. Ben Malbon, Waiter/bar staff. Jason Lee Pearce, Youth club worker, recording studio. Duncan Higgins, Sales Advisor, Freeport Furniture. Nick Ansell, Chef, The Orange Tree. Macauley Spurling, Waiter, Frankie and Benny’s. Joffie Houlton, Nightclub bar staff and bouncer. Paul Breeze, Hollinshead Coach driver. Ged Grimshaw, Odeon Cinema, Laura Moore, Depot Manager, Mabey Hire. Joe Walters, Shop Owner, Macclesfield Bearings. Neil Tillett, British Gas Engineer. Mark Finney, Software Engineer, Rolls Royce. Matt Turvey, NHS Paramedic. Jim Moore, Project engineer, Viridor Waste management. Joe Hickey, Officer, Cheshire Police. Jon Wyse, Sports Teacher, England Institute of Sport, Phoebe Schecter, Personal Trainer. Chris Gargini-Hill, Information Lead, Inclusion Drug & Alcohol Services, St George’s Hospital. Joe Hickey, Pub Owner. Carl Martin, FuseMail, Keele University. Kyle Fairgreive, bar staff, Ember Lounge. Dean Hickin, British Gas Engineer.

Faces of the Game

THE

WYSEST

Man In Football Jon Wyse

As a player-coach in the British American Football Association's National League, Jon Wyse is an all round asset to the sport. Often fondly referred to as ‘The Football God’ by the players on his team, it is fair to say that, although forever pushing to learn more, there isn’t too much ground in American Football that Jon hasn’t covered. After playing and coaching for many teams in over 25 years of his football career, Jon is the man in the know for players and coaches alike when they need advice or guidance. As a long-standing member of the board of directors of the British American Football Coaches Association (BAFCA), Jon offers a great deal in the way of experience and knowledge to try and motivate and inspire the people around him. All in all, Jon Wyse could actually be the Wysest man in football. Jon, 44, originally from Southampton, lives in Biddulph, Stoke On Trent, with his new wife, Gemma, and his three and a half year old daughter, Felicity. In his day-to-day life Jon spends his time traveling the country for his job working as a teacher and coach within the sporting industry: “My job is based in a college in Bristol but it is quite a unique job.” Jon says, “I work everywhere from Plymouth

in the South-West to Canterbury in the South-East, to Gateshead in the North-East to Kendal in the NorthWest. “My job is to quality assure a Sporting Excellence course. I work with about 30 to 40 different partners; clubs, schools and colleges, who deliver a level 3 qualification (which is the same as A levels and BTECs) in Sporting Excellence which is delivered in basketball, boxing, fencing, golf, judo, men’s and women’s rugby union, table tennis, and wheelchair basketball too. I work in the sports industry with a variety of different governing bodies of sport in great venues like the England Institute of Sport, in Sheffield, where Olympic athletes train.” It is quite apt that Jon’s day job links hand in hand with his football career. As a sports teacher, Jon has also not only coached and played on various American Football teams in his life, but has also led an extremely active lifestyle. After playing a myriad of other sports growing up, like hockey, rugby, basketball and (soccer) football; Jon first started playing American Football in 1984, at the start of the initial burst of coverage of the NFL in the UK: “On a late Sunday evening there would be a weekly highlights show.” Jon says, “I started watching that and

thought it was an exciting game and it really took off in this country. At its peak in the UK in the mid '80s, there were about 200 teams formed. “I guess I kind of gravitated towards playing American Football, in a bit of a negative way, because of my dad. He was a really good sportsman and he played everything from soccer football to cricket to virtually every other sport, as did I. I played soccer football on the weekends with my friends, but my teams were coached by my dad, he was assistant manager, and I always felt that wherever I was playing, and however I was playing, my dad tried to be fair to the other kids which meant that he tried not to show me any favouritism. At the time, to me, it felt like every opportunity he had, he’d take me off, whether I was the best player, the worst player, or whether it was my turn or not. “I guess, because I’m quite evenly balanced; I have a chip on both shoulders, I just said, well okay, I want to play a sport where I succeed or fail based on how good I am and see how I do. One of my friends played for a local flag football team and we used to throw a rugby ball around in the school behind our house to mimic it. I went along to his team, I really enjoyed it, and was pretty good at it with all of my sporting background,

Faces of the Game

and I knew that it was what I wanted to play, I’ve stuck with it ever since, and haven’t really looked back.” Jon still played soccer football throughout his growing up, even being Vice Captain on his college team who went on to win the English Colleges National Cup. However, it wasn’t until he went to university that he had to make the choice between which of the two sports he’d play. As a student of sports and exercise science, “Or Sports and recreation studies, as they hadn’t invented sports sciences in those days,” Jon muses, “I never liked to take things the easy way.” After being one of the first people to be assessed in A-Level PE in college, it was a natural progression to study sports at a higher level. “I never really knew what I wanted to do,” Jon says, “Like many young people, I gravitated towards university as my grades were good. I took the hard options too, Sports Psychology, Exercise Physiology, and I also did a Physiology based dissertation; I liked the challenge. As I graduated Staffs, they had some money to fund some research scholars so I became a

Faces of the Game

research scholar looking at health and exercise, which is when the American Football team was forming.” That was when Jon made the decision to help out the American Football team as he felt that he could offer them the most help. At that point Jon made American Football his main sport; “I class myself as an American football player first now”, he says. As a player Jon has played for a colossal number of teams, over the

“I’m quite evenly balanced; I have a Chip on both shoulders” past 20 or so years, he has moved up and down the country due to his work and family commitments. “I started playing in Southampton, where I’m from,” Jon says, “I played for a couple of the local sides there and in most cases I chose to go with my friends. I made the move to the Bournemouth Bobcats, when I was 18, partly because a couple of guys that I played with went there, and I was

actively recruited by the team. They had a good set-up so I decided to go where there was a thriving adult team. I played junior football for them for a year and got to the national semi final, we had a really good team. However, we were one Jon Wyse catch short in the end zone of winning the semi final, that I’ve not beaten myself up over since then... at all.” The next season, Jon played for the adult kitted team, and the following year he moved to the Stoke on Trent area: “It made sense to join the local Stoke team then, the Stoke Spitfires” Jon says, “They folded at the end of my degree as it was a time when teams came and went. So along with the university ball, I played over in Leicester where a few friends travelled to play.” “I then returned to Stoke in 1996 where I joined a newly formed Staffordshire Surge team, my first of three times with them.” “After a bit of a rest from football for a while, I returned to the Surge for another two years in 1999 to play and coach for them” Then Jon’s team moving truly

started as he changed jobs; “I started lecturing at a university in Plymouth, so I played for the Plymouth team for a couple of years. Then I moved to the University of East London which meant that I then played for the PA Knights who were based in Gilford, I knew some of the coaches there so I travelled around the M25 to play for them.” Jon won the national championship, the Brit Bowl, in 2004 with that team and got some of his most memorable career highlights. “It was quite a stressful year though,” Jon says, “So the following season I played for Colchester who were reestablishing themselves.” Jon carried on moving from team to team: “I played for the Southern Sundevils, and the Farnham Knights after that,” Jon says, “But then I was at a point where everything in my life was collapsing, both personally and at work, so I re-gathered myself.” Jon then got another job in Bristol, and played for the Bristol Aztecs where he helped with the set-up, forming and running an academy team (the SGS/Filton Pride) and a second team (Bristol Apache) to run alongside the

first team. It was at that time that Jon and Gemma had their daughter, Felicity meaning that a return to Stoke was imminent. “I discovered that I still wanted to play,” Jon says, “So I got roped back in with the Surge where I am presently, as both a coach and a player, as I could help the team just as much by being both.” With so many transitions between teams, Jon has remained true to the player and coach that he is and has slotted in where he could: “In terms of playing, it’s all the same regardless of where you are or what system they play.” Jon says, “I would consider myself as a football player rather than an offensive or defensive player, so slotting into a teams playbook is pretty straightforward, and having enough football IQ to understand what they are trying to do makes it quite an easy thing.” “For me, moving from team to team has been quite an easy transition,” Jon says, “Although I don’t think if you spoke to all the teams I’ve gone to, they may necessarily totally agree, I think as welcoming as American

football teams are, sometimes they can be a bit cliquey; you need to have the right face or do the right things, or be of the right attitude to fit in, and that’s not unexpected. Teams just have their way of doing things. I’ve certainly seen that second hand when I’ve seen people joining teams. “When I’ve joined teams, partly

“I class myself as an American Football Player first now” because of having a reputation and people understanding that I know the sport quite well, what I have attempted to do is to improve what the team is doing, and in some cases I don’t think that has come across very well. That is partly down to how I’ve done it, or, from experience, that is the way teams want to do it as it is how they’ve always done it. What I am keen to note however, is that coaches or players in teams have often, not necessarily ended up agreeing with what I’ve said, but more ended up seeing the logic in what I was trying to communicate, and they have all certainly made some

Faces of the Game

Jon and one of his ex-students, Jack Bateson, who studied on the boxing course in Bradford and who is now on the GB Podium Squad training for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

improvements through the years I’ve played or coached with them. All teams are willing to learn, but we are all set in our ways a little bit.” Jon has had a great run in football thus far; his career highlights include multiple MVP awards, including a ten year streak, and being the very first University League MVP: “While I have been motivated by awards and medals and wins and championships,” Jon says, “That’s never been the thing

Faces of the Game

that’s driven me; I always said if I'd never won a title or never make a final, I have had a great football career.” “Playing the best that I can is something I consider being most proud of as opposed to winning championships. I am quite pleased that I could play on every side of the ball and still excel. “However, Playing for the Knights was a big deal in 2004, when we won the Brit Bowl. That’s one of the things that

defines who I am as a football player.” Says Jon, “We ended up qualifying for the European finals in Austria and

“I’ve had a great football career”

then got to the national final and won. I was Brit Bowl MVP, after scoring a 50-yard interception return, a massive play which is probably the highlight of my career. “A few months before, I was also approached by some Great Britain coaches who asked if I’d like to come along, but as the season came off the back of me almost giving up the team, I declined. I was actually rejected from the GB team in 1991 and I used to pin the rejection letter up on my bedroom wall so I could see it everyday to motivate me. But after all that, I actually made the GB team in 1997, and then again 11 years later in 2008. When I played for the GB team in 1997, the coach afterwards said to a whole load of us that we were no longer the future of the GB team, the future was the younger guys, and then seven years later I was MVP in the Brit

“It’s all about having a goal and working on that but also having a process and trusting it.”

Faces of the Game

Bowl, and made the GB team again; I needed to prove to myself that I could do that.” Jon says that he owes the way he plays to various events throughout his life: “Because of my lack of size, people have often told me I’m too small, or more recently, too old.” He says, “Playing alongside players who are significantly younger than me now makes me want to prove myself, it’s a case of not showing them how to play the game but showing myself that I can still play with these 21-22 year olds, and still run around and contribute as much as they can. “Things in my life have impacted the way I play and coach too, being a teacher there is a natural transfer of skills to both, but more significantly becoming a dad. My approach to things is not only being more child focused but becoming more athlete focused too, but with the knowledge that I can’t do everything for them, and I have to let them fail. With my daughter, the eureka moment was her stumbling down the drive as she was learning to walk; I was really keen to jump in and catch her but I caught myself and just stood back and watched. If she was to fall over I’d go and pick her up, she didn’t, but it was a case of just letting her learn it for herself. I can’t control her like a robot, and I think that is sometimes a mistake approach in American football; thinking you’re the coach that controls everything, all

the plays and decisions, but you can’t control everything all the time, you just have to be in control of yourself and your processes for the people that rely on you.” With such a successful football career, how has Jon managed to stay grounded? “I owe my success to the fact that I’ve trusted my process and I’ve worked hard.” He says, “My teammates and coaches have acknowledged that and it’s just what I want to do. It’s all about trusting your process. Having played sports for a long time and having studied it at many levels, along with aspects of leadership and being part of a team, I draw upon

that whenever I can. A sort of way of doing things, a philosophy of how I want to pursue things, or how I want to work with people, and how I want other people to work with me. I take that throughout life. It’s all about having a goal and working on that, but having a process and trusting it, rather than focusing on the outcome. Some people forget that; the secret to success is having a vision but following it through. It’s all about working smartly, not necessarily hard, but hard work is part of it, and having clear

targets and milestones along the way as to what you want to achieve. The overcoming of obstacles in that journey are more important than whether you got to the final outcome or not.” Alongside his playing career, Jon also holds a significant position on the BAFCA committee where he was voted to the position as Director of Education in 2008. He has worked on the Level 1 & 2 qualifications in coaching as well as a flag leaders award and is currently Interim President of the board. “I see my role as somebody that can help coaches grow,” says Jon, “I facilitate things rather than physically doing a lot of it, which is not passing the buck its actually empowering other people. Because of my experience people appreciate what I’m trying to add. I’ve got great networks in other sports, and have worked with coaches who have coached athletes to Olympic medals, not everyone can say that. I see myself "abusing" my experience to help people to develop and I even sometimes steal great ideas from them as I’m always learning.” Part of the motivation for constantly wanting to

better himself, Jon says, again, comes from his dad: “Partly because he was picking on me,” says Jon, “And he realises that now, because I’ve told him several times, but It’s mostly about proving myself to myself. I’ve realised that football is like life; whatever I do in football, I can take elements of that and draw upon them in life. It’s a cliché but it is all about getting knocked down and getting back up again, and certainly in my life that has happened from time to time, in my job that’s happened, and in American football it happens far more times than Id like it to happen when I’ve got the ball in my hands, but its just part and parcel of the sport. For me there’s a great lesson to be learned from the game in terms of discipline; it does knock you down but its how you get back up and respond to it, that is important. The tenacity and relentlessness of the sport, when its played properly and when its played well, teaches valuable lessons which I think people can take with them through life. At some point I’m not going to be an American footballer, I can still be myself, but I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from the sport.” Having played

nearly every position in the game on the field in a competitive game, Jon also talks about the numbers he’s played in through his career. For a player, their number often is quite significant and sometimes even lucky: “Although I’ve played in multiple numbers,” Jon Says, “I don’t really have a lucky one, but if you’re given the choice and your number is there you take it.” “I started playing in 27 and 32, as 32 was worn by Marcus Allen who was my first football role model. I then gravitated towards 27, partly as my coach wore 27 for the team he played for and he kind of bestowed his number upon me, which I saw as quite an honour, and partly because Marcus Allen’s running back partner for the Raiders, Frank Hawkins, wore 27. Although I’ve worn many other numbers, 27 has recurred throughout my career and definitely is the number I see myself in, having played in it for so many teams. In a really perverse way, my birthday is the 21st of the 6th, which added together is 27, and if three is the magic number then three to the power of three, which is 27, has got to be better than magic. In terms of preparing for gameday nowadays, from experience, Jon is ready for anything: “On the day, whatever happens, happens,” says Jon, “I used to do everything you’d want from a player in terms of pre-game prep, I’d eat the right foods, review the playbook, watch motivational videos and prepare my

Jon and 3-year-old daughter, Felicity

“Becoming a dad has changed my approach to things”

kit days in advance. Now, partly through experience and partly due to family commitments, I could turn up moments before kick off and be ready. I’ve played games more recently, where I’d driven 180 miles from Southampton to Stoke, dropped my wife and daughter off, walked across the field half in kit, and as I got to the sideline my name was being called as I went through the tunnel and everyone was like where have you come from? I made some good plays; a big play at the start of the game and one that sealed our win at the end. It was simply a case of buttoning up my chinstrap, putting my gumshield in, and I’m ready. I preach to players that you should always be ready to go and have the mechanisms in place to be prepared mentally and physically for anything.” To be part of an American Football team in the UK is a great experience, as everybody who volunteers their time is doing so

Faces of the Game

The Teams Of Jon Wyse Adult Football Teams 2014-Present: Staffordshire Surge 2009-2011: Bristol Aztecs 2008: Southern Sundevils 2007-2008: Farnham Knights 2006: Southern Sundevils 2005: Colchester Gladiators 2003-2004: P.A. Knights 2001-2002: Plymouth Admirals 2000: A.P. Surge 1996-98: Staffordshire Surge 1993-94: Leicester Panthers 1992-95: Staffordshire University Stallions (College Football) 1990-92: Stoke Spitfires 1989: Bournemouth Bobcats

National Representative Teams because of a sheer love for the sport: “If I could take away anything from American football, as cliché as it is, the sport is one big family,” says Jon, “We all do tend to look out for each other. No one pays you to get up on a Sunday morning to stand in a wet and windy practice field to play or coach, and if you’re an off-the-field person as a member of the team staff, to stand by and hand out water bottles or take photos, or take stats or publicise what the team is doing, is admirable. People do a really good job of helping the teams the best they can, and are supportive of one another. Of course there are times when the toys are thrown out of the pram when people lose sight of what a team is trying to achieve, but generally it’s a positive experience. I’ve made lots and lots of friends, because of American football, and there are people that I don’t think I'd even consider socialising with away from football, if I hadn’t met them through the sport. It’s quite nice that I can go to almost every part

of the country and know somebody who I’ve either played or coached with. The sport breeds camaraderie between opponents too, so even If I haven’t played alongside a player, it certainly adds to the family aspect of the sport that you’d know them in that way too.” Along with all his successes in American Football in playing and coaching over the past 25 years, Jon Wyse certainly deserves every recognition for his commitment to the sport. As the go-to source for advice and information, with an admirable career behind him, and plenty more in front, Jon is somebody who can truly be classed as a legend in British American Football. And threeyear-old Felicity is fast following in his footsteps; following her dad to training sessions and forever looking to join in as she kicks and throws the ball like a pro, we may be looking at the next member of Wyse football legacy... and what a legacy to follow!

2008: Great Britain Lions - WR, PR, KR 2000: England - DB , K, P, PR, KR 1998: England - (Captain) DB, WR, PR, KR 1997: Great Britain Lions - K, DB - Participated in 1997 European Championships (Bolzano, Italy) 1995: Great Britain Student Bulldogs - QB, K, P 1994: Great Britain Student Bulldogs - (Captain) QB, K, P

Scan the code below to see Jon’s amazing 2004 Brit Bowl 50 yard Interception Return

Faces of the Game

The

a500 BOWL

We’ve heard of the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl, and the Rose Bowl but the A500 Bowl is one of the most highly anticipated events in Staffordshire and Cheshire for American Football. The A500 Bowl dates back to 2012, when a newly re-formed Crewe Railroaders team re-entered into playing competitive games in the BAFA league. The way in which BAFA league structures work is that each North and South conference hosts a number of divisions where each team plays each other home and away, and since rejoining, Crewe have been in the NFC2 West division, with local rivals, the Staffordshire Surge. Of course a local rivalry cries out for some sort of game to commemorate it, and being just a few dozen miles apart at either end of the ‘D-Road’; the A500 connecting Stoke and Crewe seemed the natural choice for the match-up. And so the A500 Bowl was born. 2015 marks the fifth season for the match up and after wins for the Staffordshire side over the past few meetings, the resilient Railroaders seek revenge. A series of photographs from the anticipated meeting display the ups and downs of a British American Football game charged with passion, determination and tenacity. The players, coaches and supporters prepare for the game weeks in advance to ensure that whoever wins or loses, the game is the epitome of a Derby Day match-up for all to enjoy.

Faces of the Game

After the hand-shakes and coin toss the game is underway. The matchup between Staffordshire and Crewe is never a peaceful occasion; bone crunching tackles are made, flags are thrown, balls are frantically thrown out of the way to avoid the sack as both sides are desperate to prove who is the dominant force in the area. The nail biting touchdowns, the fight for every yard; both sides march into a full-force battle whenever they meet, serving to make this meeting one of the most exciting in the division.

Faces of the Game

The

STATSHEEt The Surge/Crewe rivalry is now 4 wins to 3 to Surge as of May 2015. Crewe won the first two games of the matchup in 2012. Creweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Offensive Guard, Ian Hollinshead once played for Great Britain and even had interest from NFL teams back in the 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. A few original Surge players once played for Crewe and vise versa. Some of the players who founded both teams still play today, over 20 years after their formation.

Faces of the Game

BUT

SIR!

Q&A with the decision maker of the game; Football official, Jon Ikins. Q: Jon, what has been the most difficult call you’ve made in the past few years? A: There is no such thing as a hard call, but there are calls that can win or lose games. An example is that two unbeaten teams were playing, the away team were within one point and went for the two point score. The official on the far side had gone under the goal post thinking it would be a kick and the play was a run to the far side with a pile up of bodies, leaving me to rule from over 30 yards away whether it’d gone over the line or not. It didn’t thankfully. Q: What made you take up the zebra stripes? A: After 20 years of on/off playing I still wanted to be involved in football. My working life means I can’t dedicate my time to coaching, but as an official I can be flexible. Once you’ve been involved in football, it’s hard to break away from. You never lose the itch for playing though. Q: Do you get a lot of stick for your calls and decisions? A: The only real stick we get is if we let players and coaches dictate what is happening. It’s our job to apply the rules of the game as they apply and not to suit the teams. Once we point this out, a lot of the stick stops. Compared to other sports, the rules of American Football are quite

Faces of the Game

complicated so a lot of the callouts are from ignorance or lack of knowledge of the rules. Q: Do you think there is a certain degree of respect for American Football referees? Being called ‘Sir’ for example? A: You see soccer refs being surrounded by players all the time, appealing for fouls or cards. In my career that has only happened once. We put a lot of time into officiating, in travelling and exams etc. so I’d like to think players and coaches appreciate that and show us a level of respect. It works both ways though, I try to treat all players as fairly as possible and always have a smile ready. Q: Is there much trouble? A: For such a violent sport, fighting is pretty rare, I’ve only ever ejected one person. We read the players the riot act if they are trading a fine line. If there is fighting, abuse, racism or anything like that we eject the player and

give them a 15-yard penalty. Q: What is the most common call? A: The most common flag offense is for a false start which is a dead ball foul so we move the offence back 5 yards. Q: How many officials are usually at an American Football game? A: From 3 to 7. There is a referee in a white hat, a line judge, head linesman and an umpire, and sometimes a back judge who is the deepest official. Q: What is the funniest hand signal you use? A: A funny one is fourth down fumble rules apply. We roll our arms like the Hokey Cokey and then do the X-Factor cross. It must look rubbish from the sidelines. Q: What is your funniest moment? A: With 25 seconds left, a player asked me if it was too late for a comeback. They were losing 85-0.

My football family: The Staffordshire Surge American Football Team.

www.footballamerica.co.uk Hill Lane Industrial Estate, Markfield LE67 9PN 0800 917 4245

Thank you..

I was always going to do my thank-you’s by name as without each and every one of these people, this magazine would not have been possible. Thank you to Ryan Reid, for letting me follow him and annoy him for months. Thank you to Jon Wyse, who’s patience and knowledge never fails to amaze me. Thank you to Sarah Jauncey, who is an inspiration to me and so many others. Thank you to Mark Walter who has been a good friend and a boost of confidence when I’ve needed it. Thank you to my working footballers: Matt McCree, Macauley Spurling, Ash Phillips, Joe Walters, Joe Hickey, Will Farrow, Kyle Fairgrieve, Joffie Houlton, Neil Tillett, Dean Hicken, Mark Finney, Matt Turvey, Jim Moore, Duncan Higgins, Nick Ansell, Ged “Big Red” Grimshaw, Ben Malbon, Carl Martin, Jack Garnsey, Paul Breeze, Jason Lee Pearce, Phoebe Schecter, Laura Moore and Chris Gargini-Hill .. who work damn hard and constantly prove that American Football is one of the most diverse sports around. Thank you to my favourite official, Jon Ikins, who helped me get my photo on the official rulebook. Thank you to the Crewe Railroaders who have helped me so much despite the rivalry between our teams. Thank you to Head Coach Smith, who has supported me and our team one hundred per cent and continues to give me the opportunity to be involved in the sport that I adore. And most of all, thank you to all of the players, coaches and staff of the Staffordshire Surge, as without their continued hard work and dedication I would not have this opportunity. My team has been my rock and my family for five solid years and I will always keep them close to my heart. Whatever the future has in store, you will always be my brothers. Thank you.

Faces of the Game