41-733: The Plymouth Admirals were an American Football team who competed in the British American Football League (BAFL) up until 2010. They played their home games at the Parkway Sports Club in Ernesettle , Plymouth . Formed in 1984, the Admirals were one of the longest established American football teams in the United Kingdom. They enjoyed a fair degree of success, spending a number of years in
82-685: A 0–9–1 record and so were relegated. They returned to winning ways in the lower division, recording eight consecutive wins on their way to finishing second in their group before losing 24–34 away to the Scottish champions, the Glasgow Diamonds. 1989 was a year of change for the Cats. After securing a sponsorship deal with the Washington State Apple Commission, a Seattle -based apple export firm, they were renamed
123-632: A 5–4–1 record, barely missing out on the playoffs. In 2007, further success saw them qualify for the playoffs after finishing second in the South East conference with a 7–3 record before losing away to the South Wales Warriors 13–7 in the quarter-final. In 2008, the Cats were moved into the Eastern Conference and recorded their strongest showing since 2003, finishing top with a 9–1 record and achieving an automatic spot in
164-538: A 7–3 record which saw them finish second in their conference, but narrowly missed out on a playoff spot. 1990 was a somewhat mediocre season, losing four out of their first five matches before ending strongly, although their situation off the field was much healthier – they were now playing on a new astroturf pitch at the Plymouth Sports Centre and were attracting an average attendance of between 200 and 300 supporters for each home game. 1991 proved to be
205-703: A Company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 2353839. The company went into administration on 1 April 2010, and the company ceased to trade as from this date. The League had 3 divisions : Premier, 1 and 2, each with a playoff series and championship game to determine a winner. The Championship participants were promoted to the divisions above and the lowest-ranking teams in each division are relegated. Only clubs from England , Scotland and Wales played; clubs in Northern Ireland competed against Republic of Ireland clubs in an all-Ireland Irish American Football League . Teams competed annually to reach
246-521: A large number of their own supporters. They faced off against the Cambridge Cats and, although they lost 13–26, they still earned promotion. Their new tenure at this level did not begin well as, due to new British Senior League rulings, they were forced to leave Plymouth Sports Centre, and so took up residence at the astroturf pitch owned by the College of St Mark and St John . This coupled with
287-658: A more successful season, losing just three of their ten games to finish second in Division Two South. After beating the Cambridgeshire Cats at home in their playoff quarter-final, they faced a long trip up to Norfolk to face the Norwich Devils , who had won the conference with a perfect record. The Devils easily won the semi-final 0–22 in a game remembered for suffering a number of stoppages due to lightning and torrential rain. That proved to be
328-552: A perfect 10–0 record, achieving a shutout in six of their matches including a huge 91–0 win over the Weston Stars. Unfortunately, they were drawn away to Northants Stormbringers in their first playoff match – facing a team who had finished second in the Atlantic Premier Division, they were always the underdogs and they lost 8–35 to the eventual semi-finalists. The following season saw them finish second in
369-715: The Bristol Aztecs . Despite this disappointment, they were awarded promotion to the new Division 1A, where they finished third in their group and earned a wild-card playoff slot only to lose once again to the Aztecs, this time by a single point. 2005 saw them struggle with player moes and two changes at head coach. Winning only one game and scoring just 40 points, they were bottom of the South conference, resulting in them being relegated to Division Two. 2006 saw them surge back to success under Head Coach Rick Bice, finishing with
410-639: The British American Football Association , the governing body throughout 2009 and at the beginning of 2010, BAFL formally, but unconstitutionally, withdrew from BAFA. This led to uproar from the teams within BAFL, ultimately signalling the end for BAFL as an entity. The league ceased operations on 1 April 2010. The league was replaced by the BAFA Community Leagues for the 2010 season. This organisation, run under
451-764: The Cambridge Crunchers . They also left the Budweiser League to join the newly formed Combined Gridiron League where they were admitted into the top division, competing in the Central Conference of the Crown National Division. They finished second in the group behind the Colchester Gladiators , and qualified once again for the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were unable to progress, losing 3–27 at home to
SECTION 10
#1732802436030492-603: The Reading Renegades . The Admirals were once again forced to move grounds prior to the 2007 season due to the Stonehouse Creek ground ruled unsuitable just weeks before their first match, and so they moved to their present home at the Parkway Sports Club in Ernesettle. The team improved slightly on their previous season by winning three games and losing seven, seeing them secure the most wins and score
533-531: The Admirals reach the playoffs, this time as a wildcard, before losing to eventual champions the Bournemouth Buccaneers. 1994 saw the Admirals move into the British American Football Association , where they competed at Division Two level. They finished as runners-up in the Southwest conference in a season which saw them play two inter-conference matches and also draw both their games against
574-445: The Admirals' last playoff appearance to date. In 2003 they were once again forced to relocate, this time due to the renovation of the pitches at Western Mill Oak Villa, and so they moved to Stonehouse Creek . This disruption coupled with a small squad of just 19, mostly young and university players, saw the Admirals slump to 0–10 season. 2004 saw the squad bolstered by the arrival of several American players, including Montrell Turner, who
615-690: The BNGL National Division, winning their first four games as part of a 21-game winning streak. The defeat suffered at the hands of the Delonghi Knights proved to be the only loss in the regular season as they won the National Southwest Division with a 9–1 record. They were given home advantage in the playoffs, where they narrowly lost to the Kent Cougars by a single point. The following season also saw
656-714: The Chiefs in the playoff quarter-finals, they were drawn at home to the Lancashire Wolverines , who had been responsible for the Cats' only two defeats earlier in the season including 35-point shutout. There was no repeat of that heavy defeat this time as the Cats won 42–23 to set up a final against the Plymouth Admirals . After falling 13 points behind, they eventually won 28–13 to secure their second consecutive divisional championship and promotion. They struggled in their first season at this higher level,
697-526: The Croydon Coyotes in the semi-final. The following year, they switched to the newly formed Budweiser League, where they were elected straight into the top division. They finished with a 6–4 record and qualified for the playoffs where they lost in the first round away to the Wrekin Giants . They were unable to repeat this success the following year—they finished bottom of their group with
738-797: The Derbyshire Braves in the wild-card round, who they beat to set up a tie against the Redditch Arrows. In a high-scoring game, they won by 54 points to 40 before losing their semi-final against the Lincoln Saints. They joined the British American Football Association in 1994, marking the start of the club's most successful spell. They entered the Midlands conference of Division Three and finished top, winning eight of their ten games. As in
779-710: The Division Two South of the BSL, where they qualified for the playoffs at the first attempt by finishing third out of nine teams, before losing to the Plymouth Admirals in the quarter-final. 2003 saw them perform even better, recording a perfect 10–0 regular season record and finishing top of the South East Conference. They were drawn at home to the Southern Sundevils in their quarter-final, and needed two periods of overtime before eventually beating them 9–6. However, they lost their semi-final at home to
820-634: The Heathrow Jets. The following year saw a degree of turmoil for the club, beginning when their sponsors suddenly decided to withdraw their support forcing the club to change its name once again, becoming the Cambridge Wildcats . They moved over to the NCMMA following the demise of the CGL and despite suffering from low team numbers, the team recorded a 6–3–1 season record and so qualified for
861-819: The Southern Seminoles. Their second-place finish was enough to qualify for the playoffs, but just as in the season before they were beaten in the quarter-finals by the eventual playoff winners, this time the Milton Keynes Pioneers. The next season proved to be much better as the Admirals finished top of their conference with an 8–1 record. After beating the London Olympians and the Crawley Raiders , they reached their second playoff final played in Birmingham, again in front of
SECTION 20
#1732802436030902-474: The Southwest conference of the Budweiser League's Premier Division – however, this was not enough to qualify for the playoffs due to the structuring of the league. Despite moving to the Plymouth Sports Club, a certain amount of turmoil was experienced in the build-up to the following season due to the demise of the Budweiser League. Faced with the prospect of a year without any competitive matches,
943-460: The best season in the club's history. After comfortably winning their conference with a perfect 10–0 record, conceding just 30 points in the process, they were drawn away to against wildcard qualifiers Gwent Mustangs in their first playoff match. This proved to be a very tight matchup until the last quarter when the Admirals pulled away to win 27–7. After defeating the LA (London Area) Panthers (who finished
984-608: The championship game ( BritBowl ) and win the Boston Trophy . The game was traditionally hosted at Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium , however the venue for the finals was switched in 2008 because of a schedule conflict with Rotherham United FC , the stadium's temporary tenants, with the match instead being played at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster . Tensions grew between the directors of BAFL and those of
1025-600: The club took the decision to step down a level and play in the South West American Football League where they faced more local teams. Despite scoring a number of heavy wins, they finished third in the league with a 7–3 record. The Admirals joined the British National Gridiron League in 1989, entering at Premier Division level (the second of the league's three tiers). Just as the previous season, they finished with
1066-491: The club was reformed as the Cambridge Cats with a squad of over 40 players, half of whom came from the 1990 Wildcats team. They joined the British National Gridiron League in 1993, where they played in the East Midlands conference of Division One. They reached the playoffs at the first attempt after finishing second in a campaign which saw them score more than 40 points in six of their ten games. They were drawn away to
1107-536: The five teams which made up the North Conference. They once again finished second from bottom the following year, (ahead of the Northants Storm who folded after just three games), and once again in 1998. The Cats finally folded prior to the start of the 1999 season. Three years later, the club was reformed under their present name of the Cambridgeshire Cats by Chris Wallis, and they entered
1148-487: The higher level of competition saw the Admirals register their first losing season, finishing second-from-bottom of Division One South with a 4–6 record. The following year saw them finish 5–5, before they endured their most disappointing league campaign. After relocating again, this time to the Western Mill Oak Villa, the squad was hit badly by a number of established players retiring. After playing most of
1189-594: The most points since 2002, concede the fewest points since 2004, and win their first game against a non-expansion team for five years. British American Football League The British American Football League ( BAFL ) was the United Kingdom 's primary American football league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League (BSL) until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football League Ltd incorporated as
1230-853: The playoff final. The club was first formed in December 1984 as the Cambridge County Cats following trials conducted in the city by the RAF Wyton Eagles, one of the first American football teams to be founded in the UK. They joined the British American Football Federation for the 1985 season, where they competed in the A1 Division and finished top with a perfect 8–0 regular season record in front of crowds often in excess of 600, before losing to
1271-576: The playoff quarter-finals by virtue of one of South Wales Warriors nine wins coming by way of forfeit. They met the Warriors at home and beat them 21–12 to set up an away semi-final at the London Cobras , a team who had won their group with a perfect 10–0 record and conceded just nine points all season. The strength of their London opponents proved too much, with the Cobras winning 32–0. 2009 saw
Plymouth Admirals - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-481: The playoffs. However, it was revealed that they hadn't paid the required league fees and so they were excluded from the post-season. During the close season, they entered into merger negotiations with another local team, the Newmarket Hornets. However, it emerged that it was actually a take-over attempt by Newmarket, and the club chose to fold rather than lose its identity. After two years of inactivity,
1353-575: The previous season, they faced the Redditch Arrows, who they shut out whilst scoring 42 points. The semi-final saw them win away to the Chester Romans to set up their first play-off final. They secured their first divisional title by defeating the Crawley Raiders 25–14. As a result of their playoff win, the Cats were promoted to Division Two, where they competed in the North / Midlands conference and finished second with an 8–2 record. After beating
1394-690: The season as champions of the Midlands conference), they earned a trip to the Saffron Lane Stadium in Leicester to face the Sutton Coldfield Royals in their first ever playoff final. Cheered on by a large travelling contingent, the Admirals beat their opponents 26–16 to claim the UK Premier Bowl Trophy and gain promotion to the top flight. The Admirals carried this good fortune into their first season in
1435-530: The season with a largely rookie squad, they lost all ten of their games and so were relegated for the first time. The first season back in Division Two saw the Admirals' coach Steve Howard adopt a new offensive and defensive system to help develop his young players. They finished the season in fourth place with a 4–4, but were beaten in their first playoff match by the Tiger Bay Warriors . 2000
1476-714: The top division, figuring in post-season playoffs on eight occasions, and winning the BNGL Premier Division playoffs in 1991. The Plymouth Admirals were formed in October 1984 by Adrian Patrick, they played two matches in their first year of competition, scoring victories over the Weston Stars and the Bristol Bombers. They entered the Budweiser League Channel Division Two in 1986 and proceeded to win their division with
1517-411: The top flight of the newly renamed British Senior League (BSL), after many the top players decided to retire before the season started. To make matters worse, the head coach and several players walked out after only a couple of games. Cambridge's dismal season ended abruptly when they could not afford to play their final two home games. After winning just two of their ten games, they finished fourth out of
1558-641: The umbrella of the governing body, rebranded in 2011 to become the BAFA National Leagues . Cambridgeshire Cats The Cambridgeshire Cats are an American football team based in Cambridge , Cambridgeshire , England who compete in BAFA National Leagues Premier Division South, the top level of British American football. They play their home games at Coldham's Common in Cambridge . The club
1599-400: Was a frustrating year in which the team failed to pick up a single win, a record which was improved upon the following year when they earned a playoff spot after finishing the season 3–4–1, before losing away to conference champions the Oxford Saints . After playing a season at the home of Plymouth Albion R.F.C. for a year, the Admirals returned to Oak Villa for the 2002 season. They enjoyed
1640-424: Was first formed in 1984, entered senior competition in 1985 and won two divisional titles in the 1990s as well appearing in the playoffs a further six times before folding in 1998. They reformed once again in 2002 and re-entered senior competition, gaining promotion in 2003 only to be relegated two seasons later. Most recently, they won the South East Conference of Division One before losing to the Solent Thrashers in
1681-447: Was named Top Tackler in BSL Division Two. Performances were improved, although the Admirals only won two of their ten games, losing six and drawing the other two. 2005 also saw the Admirals record just two victories, both of them over the league's newcomers the Andover Thrashers , although a number of these losses were by small margins. This was again equalled the following year with both victories coming against an expansion team, this time