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?

 

[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!

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[AndyCr15]

Oh balls...

 

[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.