Britball (American Football in the UK)

[AndyCr15]

We seem to have a few on the forum that play or have played, so here's a thread for American Football in the UK.

I rather fit into both the afore mentioned categories, as I played for many years up to around 2010 when I finally had knee surgery. My PCL is a mess, one MCL is far too loose, I don't have much cartilage either. The doc said bar losing crazy amounts of weight (I weighed around 20-21 stone at the time) I shouldn't really even run again.

Well, last year I lost crazy amounts of weight so I'm moving back into the 'play' category this year, with the Herts Cheetahs. As I do still carry old injuries, I'm hoping to play WR and maybe a little DB, so hopefully the risk of re-injury is limited. Mind you, with weather and work I've only really had one practise so far and much to my annoyance, their warm up was almost non existent and I strained my quad almost right away and spent the session at half speed. The other injury I need to test properly is my back. I tore a disc near the end of my previous 'career' and it's been sore and occasionally very stiff ever since. Again, since the weight loss it seems much better, but I've never tested it with anything even remotely like contact football.

I now have a new lid, have had my mum post me down all my other old equipment like pads and inserts and I'm all ready to go this Sunday!

To give some history though, I started back in Leicester with the Panthers at 13 years of ago, playing touch football and played my first kitted football with the Panther Youth in 1990 as their starting QB. I won't lie, I was scared stiff when I had huge 21 year old guys trying to kill me. I generally ran for my life!
I never had much success in Youth and then moved on to Uni football where I played two seasons with the Leicester Lemmings. The first as QB where we went 6-1-1 and lost in the national final to Glasgow, 6-0 in terrible conditions.

After the first season I went to the GB Uni trials, but went as a WR (due to not being a great 'passing' QB!) and made the roster. We went over to Germany and battered the Germans, but I didn't play much of a role.

The second season, where I got to play FS and a RB. Half the season as RB and half as FS, when our star FS went down. Back then you voted for one opposition player and their position, then an 'All Pro' team was decided at the end of the year (or some similar format). With half the season as RB I was voted into the backup AP role and would have got the backup FS role if one team hadn't voted me as a LB! (I was spying their star HB so played up closer to the LOS). It was the 'plate playoffs' after this second season that I messed mt knee up. This season I also did all the special teams, punting, kicking and all returns. I was the leagues Special Teams Player of the Year. Years later I also got voted into the Lemmings Hall of Fame.

In 1995 I moved down to London and after a couple of years off due to my knee, I joined the London Mets in Div 2. We had some great success then and got promoted to Div 1, but as was often the case, the successful teams attracted all the stars and I think I lost my starting position eventually. I forget when, but one year I definitely led Div 1 in Interceptions with 10 (I have the trophy!)



A few years later I joined the Chiltern Cheetahs in Div 2. We went 10-0 but lost in the final to Doncaster I think and got promoted into Div 1 again. I played various positions with Chiltern, QB, RB, FS and often did returns (if I wasn't starting QB that season).

I think it was around here there were 4 Nations competitions. England, Ireland Scotland and Wales. The two years I went to trials I made the England team as WR. One year we played an Airforce base and I was made a Captain. Perhaps my most proud footballing moment.

Later on I left the Cheetahs and went to the PA (Farnham) Knights and again had a 10-0 season and finally won a National final in which I was playing DE and got 4 sacks. I believe I only didn't get MVP because the stat man recorded one of the sacks as someone else!



When I did my knee again, I kind of retired, but at some point went back for a few more games with the Cheetahs... then did my knee again and finally retired, I think around 2010. In 2016 I was voted into the Cheetahs Hall of Fame too.

One of my shorter highlight videos -

So, I've enjoyed my trip down memory lane. What's yours? Or, more simply, are you playing this season?

 

[No1newts]

Some of the tackling when you were running back is atrocious

That's a great career and plenty of variety, I played a couple of years back at uni back in the day at WR and for a bit at safety. I was never that great at hauling in the longer passes so I tended to play slot and run slants/in/out routes had blinking good hands and could take a hit.

I had no intention to start playing ever again but took my lad along to the Senators as he wants to get involved with the kids team and it just sparked my interest again being in and around the frankly awesome environment.

My problem is I'm unpicking 13-15 years of no real exercise beyond walking in the lakes at weekends whenever me and the wife could. Over the course of now 8 weeks though the difference in my fitness and just my general health is insane and I feel so much better than it. The training is insanely intense with this team and I'm struggling to keep up at times but the intensity is really helping me come on and I feel thereabouts game ready from a fitness perspective but I do need to do some more work on my core strength and some more intensity training.

The difference between now and then is I'm two and a half stone heavier than I was so I've decided to play TE. I'm probably on the smaller side for a TE (14 stone) but I make up for it in a combination of primarily rage and determination going up against blokes a lot heavier than me, with years of experience and I'm blocking fairly solidly every time though I do need some work on my blocking technique as it's my first ever time blocking consistently but I love it. Been told my technique is pretty fundamentally solid and it just need a little work alongside the strength to be really top notch.

I'm up against a pretty well embedded four year veteran TE so I expect to start on the bench this year but I'm fine with that. It's a joy just getting stuck in and smashing the hell out of one another

One thing I have noticed is I am extremely injury prone now compared to when I was young. I'm picking up an injury a week so I do wonder about my staying power for a season, but giving it a go irrespective.

I believe our first game is 12/04 at home, already got about 20 plus people coming along just to see me as they all expect me to get mauled by some twenty stone terror and having a laugh as they carry my broken body off the field makes me even more determined to smash it

 

[AndyCr15]

Some of the tackling when you were running back is atrocious

I get those comments a lot, like from the sacks in the final -

Now, I don't disagree some looked pretty poor blocks, but also... to blow my own trumpet, I was a strong 260-280lb end (or 240-250lb RB as above) that could run a 4.7. You don't get that a lot over here and it can make some opposition look a little silly. People tend to bounce off, or slide down you having little effect

Over the course of now 8 weeks though the difference in my fitness and just my general health is insane and I feel so much better than it. The training is insanely intense with this team and I'm struggling to keep up at times but the intensity is really helping me come on

That's great I was rather hoping for this myself, as it's how I remember training. Tbh, I never enjoyed it when I was younger and less fit, but now would lap it up. This is why I was rather surprised and disappointed with practise a couple of weeks ago.

Been told my technique is pretty fundamentally solid and it just need a little work alongside the strength to be really top notch.

You hear it a lot, but I honestly think it's true, technique is SO important. A bit like in the gym I guess, slow things down if you need to to get them right. Like a cut when running a route, some guys are so kean to get out or in or wherever, they end up running a really sloppy route which is a) hard to throw to as a QB and b) easy to read as a DB.

I have noticed is I am extremely injury prone now compared to when I was young.

I hear you with this one. It's what I'm kean to find out myself. Having not really had a proper, full practise yet (due to picking up a minor injury right away!) I'm hoping my body can still cope!

I believe our first game is 12/04 at home, already got about 20 plus people coming along

Awesome. Same here, we're away to Cambridge which is where my Bro (who used to play with me, 4 years older though so fully retired now) half lives with his new Gf so I think they'll come down. I wont lie, I always loved having people come and watch. I think it helped spur me on. Good luck!

 

[No1newts]

I get those comments a lot, like from the sacks in the final -

Now, I don't disagree some looked pretty poor blocks, but also... to blow my own trumpet, I was a strong 260-280lb end (or 240-250lb RB as above) that could run a 4.7. You don't get that a lot over here and it can make some opposition look a little silly. People tend to bounce off, or slide down you having little effect

Aye our RB is pretty beastly and people bounce off him at times as well so fair point.

great I was rather hoping for this myself, as it's how I remember training. Tbh, I never enjoyed it when I was younger and less fit, but now would lap it up. This is why I was rather surprised and disappointed with practise a couple of weeks ago.

They are really good with the training, standard impressed me but when a team has been going for 33 years they get pretty slick

i You hear it a lot, but I honestly think it's true, technique is SO important. A bit like in the gym I guess, slow things down if you need to to get them right. Like a cut when running a route, some guys are so kean to get out or in or wherever, they end up running a really sloppy route which is a) hard to throw to as a QB and b) easy to read as a DB.

Yeah I had an extra one on one session with the QB on a Saturday as I was struggling a little hauling in his passes (he has a gun for an arm) and he really helped me break it down and it was essentially my route running, he is expecting a real sharp cut and when you lazy roll round it throws his timing or he throws where you should he instead of where you are.

I'm not perfect and have to really concentrate or I go back to lazy but at it's been a huge help and already noticed the difference.

I hear you with this one. It's what I'm kean to find out myself. Having not really had a proper, full practise yet (due to picking up a minor injury right away!) I'm hoping my body can still cope!

It's a load of irritating relatively minor ones that aren't stopping me from playing but it makes it tougher with the niggles. Hoping better general fitness will make me more resilient to that stuff.

Awesome. Same here, we're away to Cambridge which is where my Bro (who used to play with me, 4 years older though so fully retired now) half lives with his new Gf so I think they'll come down. I wont lie, I always loved having people come and watch. I think it helped spur me on. Good luck!

Cheers

As I said expecting to be backup at first but TE take a load of hits and constant blocking I'm hopeful to pick up some game time and ease myself in!

 

[#Chri5#]

To give some history though, I started back in Leicester with the Panthers at 13 years of ago, playing touch football and played my first kitted football with the Panther Youth in 1990 as their starting QB. I won't lie, I was scared stiff when I had huge 21 year old guys trying to kill me. I generally ran for my life!
I never had much success in Youth and then moved on to Uni football where I played two seasons with the Leicester Lemmings. The first as QB where we went 6-1-1 and lost in the national final to Glasgow, 6-0 in terrible conditions.

After the first season I went to the GB Uni trials, but went as a WR (due to not being a great 'passing' QB!) and made the roster. We went over to Germany and battered the Germans, but I didn't play much of a role.

I did have to look it up but was your BCAFL final the 1993-94 season? I was a rookie in 1995 and played for Loughborough Aces, so Leicester was one of our derby matches. I liked playing at Saffron Lane as the astro wasn't sand based like one of the training pitches we used (so it acted like sandpaper when tackling - ow!) - not to mention we won the College Bowl (94-95 season) there. I don't think I made lectures on the Monday morning after that...

 

[AndyCr15]

Leicester was one of our derby matches.

I enjoyed our games against the Aces, I knew a few of them from the GB Uni team, like Ollie, Cowboy, Fitz, Neil Dignan and Chris Giwa.

So, did you play in these two games?

I was playing #15 and RB with a little D thrown in, in both games. I don't remember the game at Loughborough, but I remember the one in Leicester. You guys went 14-0 up and I returned the following KO for a score. I think we got another score and made it 14-12 I think, then I 'dropped' what would have given us the win (I still think the DB tipped it, which was how I didn't hang on to it )

I liked playing at Saffron Lane

I think it's quite a big part of the reason I have bad knees now... such a hard and unforgiving surface.

Had my first proper practice yesterday, full kit and full speed etc. All went well, generally catching anything thrown near me, but dropped the one ball sent my way when we scrimmaged with the D. I say dropped, the DM hit me as the ball hit my hands and I didn't hang on to it Still, I'm happy enough I'll be fine playing this season, I just need to learn the damn playbook! It's now on 'Huddle' which we didn't have in my day

 

[#Chri5#]

I enjoyed our games against the Aces, I knew a few of them from the GB Uni team, like Ollie, Cowboy, Fitz, Neil Dignan and Chris Giwa.

So, did you play in these two games?

<snip>

I was playing #15 and RB with a little D thrown in, in both games. I don't remember the game at Loughborough, but I remember the one in Leicester. You guys went 14-0 up and I returned the following KO for a score. I think we got another score and made it 14-12 I think, then I 'dropped' what would have given us the win (I still think the DB tipped it, which was how I didn't hang on to it )

I think it's quite a big part of the reason I have bad knees now... such a hard and unforgiving surface.

Had my first proper practice yesterday, full kit and full speed etc. All went well, generally catching anything thrown near me, but dropped the one ball sent my way when we scrimmaged with the D. I say dropped, the DM hit me as the ball hit my hands and I didn't hang on to it Still, I'm happy enough I'll be fine playing this season, I just need to learn the damn playbook! It's now on 'Huddle' which we didn't have in my day

I never knew any videos existed - thanks! A quick scan through shows me bench warming at Saffron Lane I can still hear Andy Sweeney going nuts on our sideline when somebody mucked up. Cowboy and Ollie Jay would come round to our student house in my second year and eat all our bread.

I got stuck at DB for my early rookie days but TBH, I was horribly unfit and was sooooo slow. Silly amounts of cheap beer every week probably didn't help though... I got moved up to DT which I enjoyed much more and was a starter until I broke my wrist when I went over the bars of my bike cycling to a lecture one morning

 

[AndyCr15]

I never knew any videos existed

My Dad was very much into gadgets and videos (I have family footage going back to the very early 80's!) and my mum and dad came to most games I played and filmed them. The Senior league later employed them to film the finals for a few years running. I've uploaded pretty much all of them to YouTube now.

 

[No1newts]

Getting a brand new £180 pair of pads for £120 as the lad bought the wrong size, he offered me them for £80 but didn't want to take a lend.

Had to miss a session as I'm loaded with cold and flu, probably Corona knowing my luck turned up to try pads and just watch for a bit and got loads of stick for not playing "because of a sniffle"

Also the team captain is after a new helmet and offered to sell me his old one for £180 which is decent, got to try it on but that could be a nice saving too.

 

[AndyCr15]

I worked today and will be working next Sunday, so missing I think a scrimmage with another team today. I have the playbook in Hudl now at least, so I can get learning the plays!

 

[No1newts]

Aye I received the playbook few days ago, going to take a while for it to stick

 

[No1newts]

BAFA has put everything on ice indefinitely

 

[AndyCr15]

Oh balls...

 

[No1newts]

Coaches even got informed if they breach this even by just training it can result in personal and team bans, all this work and now on hold

On the plus side more time to learn the playbook.

 

[AndyCr15]

The annoyance for me, I worked the last two Sunday's and was looking forward to the next 4 or 5 off and being able to train, having only really had one training session so far... that's out the window now.

 

[AndyCr15]

I just found out, training started back last Sunday. I'm a little confused as to how players from the Cheetahs were supposed to know this? Nothing mentioned on their Facebook page, nothing on their Twitter... Apparently there will be an 8 game season this year, which is good news... until we go back into lockdown!

I'm a little torn now though, Sunday morning is cycling 'club ride' morning, which I really enjoy, but will likely clash with training at 1pm or 2pm. I'll perhaps cycle early this Sunday, then head over and see how training goes.