Britball Does Movember

Last month saw a number of players from Britball take part in Movember. Below are the photos that were sent to us by all involved. Well done to everyone who took part and raised money for the cause!

Michael Gill was the first person to send in a picture of his Mo, and we give him top marks for the handlebar look.

Inside The Academy: Lancashire’s success continues into the offseason

The Lancashire Wolverines have had a fairly meteoric rise. Just over a year ago the seniors were in Division 2 with a much smaller squad than the current one, now they’re preparing for the big time in the Premiership.

And this rise is in no small part thanks to the Lancashire Academy of American Football setup.

With a structure that includes players from as young as 7, the Academy boasts teams across the county from the cadets all the way up to the seniors and the offseason has seen all the clubs progress further.

First, the Academy welcomed two university sides into the fold. The Lancaster Bombers and the rookie UCLan Rams now sees the Lancashire Academy playing football all year round.

Sam Bloomfield (#21), the UCLan Rams President and member of the Lancashire Academy since his Chorley Buccaneers days, said of the inclusion, “When the academy reached out and offered us official affiliation, I was quick to snap up the opportunity. With great support from the Academy we can encourage players from our own team to get involved in Summer football, whilst also encouraging the younger members of the Academy to get involved with Universities and their football teams.”

And the Academy continues to improve.

David Gleave has been appointed as a strength and conditioning coach, helping players to cope with the rigors of Premiership life. Gleave’s qualifications include L2 Fitness Instructor and L3 Personal Fitness and his experience as Sports Area Manager for Blackburn College should come in great stead for the Academy.

Offseason workouts have already begun, with a few informal sessions putting players through fundamentals before the official start of preseason training.

But the Academy improves off the field too with 14 new coaches being trained to level one at the recent BAFA coaching qualification sessions.

Senior Wolverines’ Head Coach, Daniel Bowles said, “the progress the Academy has made the last few seasons has been nothing short of outstanding. With more and more players and coaches eager to work out and learn the team can only benefit on the field. I think everyone associated with the club is looking forward to the challenges of the Premiership.”

But with the seniors improving the continuing feed from the juniors improve too. The insanely successful Lancashire Wolverine Colts are coming off the back of another National Final appearance and are currently recruiting. Coach Geoff Leigh and his staff have been widely regarded as some of the best in the UK after repeatedly leading the 16-18 year olds to success.

Indoor training sessions are being held on Sundays from 1pm-3pm at St. Joseph’s High School in Horwich, Bolton before Christmas before they head back to their native Blackburn after the holidays. Any prospective players or coaches are more than welcome to drop by.

Coach Leigh says, “we had a fantastic season and rewarded with a national championship appearance. We had a very young team last season so I'm looking forward to see what they can do with a years experience under their belt.”

Perhaps most impressive about the Lancashire Academy is the infrastructure at Youth level. With teams based in Chorley, Burnley, Standish and Preston from the ages of 7-16, including flag and kitted disciplines, the future of the Lancashire Academy is not only secure but bright.

They recently held the inaugural Rose Bowl, a tournament between their youth kitted teams to celebrate the performances of the teams throughout the year.

With the Burnley Tornados reaching the National Finals in the youth kitted and the Chorley Buccaneers reaching the National Finals in the youth kitted, youth flag and cadet flag disciplines (as well as being nominated for several local awards recently), it is plain to see that the future is going to be special for the Lancashire Academy of American Football. 

Lincoln Coaching Staff Steps Down.

Alex Robson - 

"It is official that as of yesterday (01/12/2012) I have resigned my position as Lincoln Colonials HC/OC. This was handed in two weeks ago and I offered to take the team into the Christmas Break. I coached two additional games following the had in date as I did not want to leave the team in a complete mess and have some time to manoeuvre (2 months until their next game)

"I have given 9.5 years to the Colonials and coached every position as well as played a few. 

"The team has no active HC and the DC Warwick Grosvenor has also walked away with me. The moving forward of the team lies with Team President Michael Hansford and his committee.

"I wanted to thank everyone who I have met along my time with the Colonials and shared highs and lows with. Were all part of a brotherhood that has left a small mark on us no matter if were involved for one year or three. I will still be coaching senior ball this summer and concentrating on setting up a Lincoln youth team."

Game Of The Week - Coach Wake Interview

First up, it’s an interview with Carnegie's head coach Paul Wake:

What can you tell us about your opponent?
Hull university are a good solid team with some excellent players on both sides of the ball. I'm sure head coach Martin Gardham will have his guys well prepared for this game.

What will be the deciding factor in the game in your opinion?
We can only focus on our own performance. Not giving away so many penalties will be a big factor for us. Hull are too good a side to help them with easy yards from penalties.

Any players on your team to watch out for?
Rather not single out any particular squad members as we promote a strong team ethos. We have a very high percentage of first year students with a fair number starting for us. Although they're on a steep learning curve they've adjusted really well.

Any players on the other team to watch out for?
We'll see who performs on the day. I'm sure Hull university will have their fair share of key players.

Do you consider this a rivalry game?

Not really. They've edged us in the last couple of meetings since we beat them in our first encounter. We try not to buy too much into inter-collegiate rivalry as it can be a double-edged sword and can be as distracting as it is motivating. Our rivalry is with whoever we meet on gameday.

How has the team improved from last year’s game?
The foundations of the last couple of years are starting to bear fruit on recruitment. We've taken on some good raw talent to add to an experienced skeleton. There's a lot of enthusiasm in the squad that sometimes manifests itself in too many penalties, but I love to see the guys enjoying their football.

Any any other quote you'd like to give?
We’re looking forward to an enjoyable encounter with both sides giving a good account of themselves.

Game of the Week- QB Seb Gogerly

What can you tell us about your opponent?
They're a tough opposition who are well disciplined and play physical football. Its a close game everytime we play them and we'll be looking to keep their offense off the scoreboard for as much of the game as possible.

What will be the deciding factor in the game in your opinion?
Big plays on offense. We are two defensively stingy teams and it'll take a few big plays on offense or special teams to get points on the board I think.

Any players on your team to watch out for?
We have a variety of players in plenty of positions on the field that can heavily impact the outcome of a game. We will execute well as a unit and let the experiences players make plays.

Any players on the other team to watch out for?
As I've mentioned they have a stout defence so they're entire unit of LBs will need to be considered when we bring out our game plan offensively.

Do you consider this a rivalry game?
Not necessarily a rivalry game but this match will probably be our hardest of the season and could decide who will go on to win the division. We are treating it like a playoff game due to its importance and we'll be playing hard.

How has the team improved from last year’s game?
We lost alot of seniors but we held depth in key positions. Offensively we improved alot in working as a unit and as a team we are more committed this year. We'll be playing a physical game on defence and flowing to the ball like we have all year. It should be a great game