87-1029: Berkshire Renegades (formerly the Reading Renegades ) are an American Football team currently competing in the BAFANL SFC 2 West play their home games at the University of Reading in Reading , Berkshire. First formed in 1985, they competed in the United Kingdom American Football Association, the Budweiser League, the Combined Gridiron League and the British National Gridiron League before folding in 1990. They were reformed in 2005 and entered
174-514: A 3–7 regular season record. A second poor season under head coach Dave Barham with the team finishing a lowly 1–8–1 saw Dean Gibson re-instated to the head coach position in 2009 (having previously served as head coach until 2007), returning with him was offensive co-ordinator Brendan Bride. This combination had brought success to the Spartans in previous years, their previous tenure ending with playoff appearances in both 2005 and 2006. Unfortunately
261-463: A 6–6 draw against Essex Spartans . The 2009 season saw Paul Gordon take on the role of Head Coach full-time. The 2009 season was a period of improvement for the Renegades and their final record of 3 wins and 7 losses reflected an improved team. Two wins over Plymouth Admirals and one over league newcomers Gloucester Banshees ended the season for the team. The 2010 season and the dissolution of
348-541: A 9–1 regular season and a playoff run that involved wins against the East Kent Mavericks and Bristol Apache . The Berkshire Renegades also have a U16 & U19 Contact Team, alongside U11, U14 and U17 Flag Teams. Ranging from ages 7–17 BAFANL The BAFANL ( BAFA National Leagues ) is the primary American football domestic league competition in Great Britain . Originally formed in 1983,
435-533: A Baker player had attempted to broker a deal to play with them, with the player reported Leicester had offered to pay a wage of £1,000 per month and a free master's degree. Leicester were forced to cut ties with the Baker athletes prior to the first game of the 2019 season; they were eventually relegated back to Division 1 with a 2–8 record. Famous players to have played in the BAFANL include Efe Obada , who played for
522-600: A Northern Football Conference (NFC) and a Southern Football Conference (SFC). The current individual names of the divisions are the NFC 2 West , the NFC 2 East , the SFC 2 West and the SFC 2 East . Each team plays the others in their division twice during the regular season as well as all teams playing two opponents on three occasions. Previously teams in Central and East divisions played designated inter-divisional games, with these being
609-711: A challenge for the team, who collected only one victory against 9 losses to finish bottom of the table. With the British American Football Association re-aligning the Divisions for the 2013 season, the Spartans were placed in the National League, alongside the Kent Exiles, Colchester Gladiators , Bedfordshire Blue Raiders , Maidstone Pumas , Watford Cheetahs , and Milton Keynes Pathfinders . A second consecutive 1–9 record
696-408: A close 13–7 victory over Hampshire Thrashers before the team hosted Cambridgeshire Cats with a dominating victory 23–7. South Wales Warriors made the journey to Reading and came away with a narrow loss 22–20. The Renegades first loss of the season came at the hands of East Kent Mavericks 35–25. The team bounced back with road wins against Cambridgeshire Cats (18–13) and Kent Exiles (30–13) before
783-453: A complete Division One level. Each team plays the others in their division twice during the regular season as well as all teams playing two opponents on three occasions. There are no inter-division games until the play-offs with the top two teams in each division entering into what is potentially a three-game play-off campaign with the initial games being played regionally. The winner of both the northern and southern playoffs will win promotion to
870-473: A complete culture change at the team both on and off the field and a young Essex side began the 2010 season with a renewed hope of bringing success back to the Essex franchise following a bleak period after their last playoff appearance in 2006. The Spartans finished the 2010 season with a 6 and 4 win–loss record, narrowly losing lost two close games to Bedfordshire and Norwich. This huge turnaround in fortune led to
957-571: A merger with local team the East Essex Sabres under a new committee and coaching structure. Lost 19–33 to Gateshead Senators in semi-final. Relegated to Division Two. Lost 6–14 to Oxford Saints in quarter-final. In addition to the senior squad, the Spartans also operate a youth team which is scheduled to begin league play in 2014 after a successful development season. They are led by Head Coach Steve Mitchell and Assistant Coaches Wes Bourke and Steve Watson. The Spartans Youth team
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#17328017575591044-540: A narrow loss to Sussex Thunder (27–22). After the tough game against the Thunder, the team had two back to back shut outs and dominated the Essex Spartans 81–0 and Kent Exiles 25–0 before losing to East Kent Mavericks 28–18. The regular season ended for the Renegades with a 7–3 record, setting the team up to host Nottingham Caesars in the first round of the playoffs. The visitors were firmly beaten 39–7 giving
1131-882: A place in the Britbowl . Since 2014, the Britbowl winners will automatically qualify to play in the IFAF Europe Champions League for the following season. European games run aside the clubs domestic season, prior to 2014 qualification was for the EFAF Cup . Unlike American football competitions in North America such as the NFL, NCAA and CFL , American football in the UK runs a similar promotion and relegation format to that of association football (soccer) in
1218-532: A separate North and South Bowl final. Essex Spartans The Essex Spartans were an American Football team based in Grays , Essex, England. The team played under the Spartans name since 1998 following a merger between two local teams and currently play in the BAFA National Leagues , Southern Football Conference 2 East. Able to trace its history back to 1989, the team has been playing under
1305-525: A small group of American Football enthusiasts. This core group helped to build the team that is currently in place today after many hours work during 2005 and through the club's successful application to join the BAFL at the end of 2005. The team entered the league in the Western Conference of Division Two, a conference which included three of the teams currently competing in the same conference as
1392-557: A small handful of original teams from the early 1980s remaining. A lot of teams trace their heritage back through predecessor teams and a large number of BAFA sides have changed their identity on one or sometimes two occasions. Colchester Gladiators (formed in 1983) of Division Two are the oldest team to be operating in their original identity. Other original sides include the Birmingham Bulls , Chester Romans , Nottingham Caesars , East Kilbride Pirates , Ipswich Cardinals and
1479-809: A spot in the National Division (which was then the second of the league's three tiers). After winning six of their games (including shutouts against the Canada Life Cardinals and the London Mets, the Spartans finished second in their conference and so qualified for the playoffs. They defeated the Southern Sundevils in the quarter-final, but were finally beaten 19–33 away to the Gateshead Senators . The 2000 season started badly with two consecutive defeats to
1566-464: A tie gained against Salford-based team the Huskies helping them to avoid a complete washout. After sitting out the 1988 season, the Renegades returned to senior action in 1989 when they joined the Combined Gridiron League. Placed in the four-team Southern Conference, they had an indifferent season which saw them finish with a 3–3 record, once again missing out on the playoffs. After just one season in
1653-412: Is currently amateur as opposed to pro or semi-professional. Clubs largely operate and turnover financially through sponsorship and player subscriptions. Whereas it is not currently illegal for a team to pay a wage to coaches, they are forbidden from paying a wage to players. Players currently have to pay a yearly fee to BAFA as well as contributing to the club they play for, regardless of stature or whether
1740-650: Is open to all individuals from the age of 14 to 18. There are several former players and coaches from the now defunct Anglia Ruskin Phantoms, who played in the BUAFL , currently in the Spartans organisation. In May 2008, the Spartans began a twinning program with the Billerica Memorial High School football team. This was done with a view to developing the club and squad by exchanging resources, coaching staff and players, and further strengthening
1827-688: The BAFL meant the Berkshire Renegades joined the BAFA Community Leagues in Division 2 South West and saw the addition of two new teams as inter-divisional rivals: Watford Cheetahs and Milton Keynes City Pathfinders . The 2010 season was a break-out season for the team recording 6 wins and 4 losses and appearing for the first time in the playoffs. The team beat rivals Cornish Sharks at home 20–0 and then beat divisional front-runners Watford Cheetahs 40–3. The first loss of
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#17328017575591914-549: The British American Football Association , and at the beginning of 2010 the 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 the umbrella of
2001-738: The Crewe Railroaders . Although the London Olympians are the most successful British side, the London Warriors hold the title following on from the BAFANL's official formation in 2010. Having missed the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic , BAFA announced that for the 2021 season the BAFANL would be not using the three tier league system and operating from localised Divisions to minimize travel. This means that clubs will not return to their respective divisions until
2088-528: The London Blitz , followed by a heavy defeat away to the London O's two matchdays later. In a season which saw the team lose 13 players through injury, the Spartans finished third from bottom of their group with a 2–6 record. However, some consolation was found in some individual player performances, with Steve Berlingo ending the season as the league's leader in interceptions, and Shulba Hunt finishing as
2175-919: The London Warriors in 2014 and later played in the NFL . Aden Durde and Jermaine Allen of the London Olympians played in both the NFL Europe and the NFL, with Durde later staying in the NFL as a positional coach. Marvin Allen of the London Warriors also later moved to play in the NFL. Players to have come from the NFL to the BAFANL include Denver Broncos quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt and San Diego Chargers linebacker Jason Brisbane . England's Rugby Union World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson and GB Olympics sprinter Dwain Chambers also played
2262-477: The NFL , with teams beginning pre-season training in January to compete in the regular season that takes place between April and August. The play-off games usually running into September, with the finals taking place towards the middle of the month. Following the climax of the regular season, the eventual winners and runners-up from both Premier Divisions make up the semi-final round in which they will compete to win
2349-811: The National Speedway Stadium . Notable stadiums that have been used in the past includes Doncaster Mustangs use of the Keepmoat Stadium , London Olympians former home at the Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium , the AJ Bell Stadium by the Manchester Titans and De Montfort Park by Leicester Falcons . There are currently 60 teams in the BAFANL who have full membership status. Over the years many teams have formed and folded with only
2436-539: The Plymouth Admirals , with the winning touchdown scored with only 15 seconds remaining to secure a 25–21 win. This was followed up with a narrow 13–12 victory over the Chiltern Cheetahs . Unfortunately after the promising 2–3 start to the season, the team finished a disappointing 2–8. The 2008 season saw a new Head Coach Phil de Monte take the reins from outgoing Head Coach Russ Seymour. Although
2523-546: The SFC 1 Central . The Scottish division was introduced in 2023, in part due to East Kilbride's promotion to the Premier Division in 2022, coupled with Highland Stags' promotion to Division One. Initially this would have led to Highland and Glasgow's alignment with English teams as far south as the Midlands. To counteract this, BAFA automatically promoted the four remaining Scottish Division Two teams in order to make
2610-806: The Sixways Stadium in Worcester , while Division 1 and 2 finals are often hosted at the South Leeds Stadium . At present the Halton Spartans ground share of the Select Security Stadium with rugby league team Widnes Vikings constitutes as the highest capacity stadium within the BAFANL with 13,350 seats. Other prominent stadiums that are currently in use in Britball include Manchester Titans home field at
2697-424: The "associate process". Instead of playing to win promotion to the league these teams must gain entry by application to the British American Football Association and must meet a number of different criteria from playing a number of assessed exhibition games, sustainability, facilities and good coaching practice. BAFA have the ability to relegate any BAFANL team back to associate status if that club are failing to make
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2784-414: The 2010 season and beyond were Kieron Goymer as offensive line coach, ex-Tiptree Titan and Chelmsford Cherokee speedster Wes Bourke as defensive backs coach, longtime Essex Spartan Craig Brittney as wide receivers coach and Anglia Ruskin Phantoms offensive co-ordinator Chris Hunt as offensive analyst. 2010 also saw general manager Tony Palmer celebrate 25 years running the club, and for his tireless work for
2871-584: The 2022 season. The BAFANL Premiership for the 2024 season comprises twelve teams, split into the North and South Divisions. The BAFA Premiership North and the BAFA Premiership South . Within each division each team plays each other twice. There will be two rounds of playoff football with the top ranked team in the North hosting the second ranked team in the South, whilst the top ranked team in
2958-405: The BAFANL at some stage. ~ Denotes B/reserve team affiliated to another BAFANL team * Denotes team that took voluntary demotion from the league back to the associate process ** Denotes team demoted from the league back to associate status by BAFA Former teams who competed in the BAFANL and have now ceased operating or have merged with other sides to form a current operating side within
3045-626: The BAFANL decided to re-align the league once again and the Renegades were put in the Premier South division. After their formation, the Renegades were admitted into the United Kingdom American Football Association in 1985 where they competed in the Eastern Conference. They finished with a 3–5 record, narrowly missing out on a playoff spot to the Dunstable Cowboys. The following year, the Renegades transferred over to
3132-496: The BAFL the following year. At the conclusion of the 2009 season, the BAFL ceased to operate and the Berkshire Renegades joined the BAFA Community Leagues . At the conclusion of the 2011 Season the Berkshire Renegades were invited to compete in the BAFA National Leagues Division 1 for the 2012 Season. The team accepted and were placed in Division 1 Central & South. At the conclusion of the 2012 season,
3219-687: The Berkshire Renegades returned to the BAFANL in the SFC-2, with a successful season back in the league resulting in a 9–2 record. The team went to the playoffs but were knocked out after losing to the Cambridgeshire Cats . In 2017 the Berkshire Renegades took home their first ever silverware, winning the SFC-2 Championship after beating Wembley Stallions 20–17 in the Britbowl XXXI Division 2 Southern Final after
3306-464: The Budweiser League, where they competed in the Central conference of Division One. They soon got into their stride, recording a hard-fought win away to the Farnham Knights in their second game, and went on to have a consistent season which saw them win six out of their ten matches. They ultimately finished fourth out of eleven teams – however, due to the format of the league at that time, only
3393-701: The CGL, the Reading Renegades transferred over to the British National Gridiron League where they competed in the First Division Southern Conference. Unfortunately, this new competition brought no joy and the Renegades finished bottom of the table, recording just one win at home to the Wight Rhinos. The club folded shortly after the season ended. In 2004 the Renegades were restarted by former general manager Oliver Raffle and
3480-621: The Division above, attempting to reach one of the Divisional bowl finals. The current champions are the Manchester Titans who won the 2023 Britbowl as well as the Premier Division North, after defeating the London Warriors for the second successive time in the 2023 Britbowl final. American football was introduced to the United Kingdom during the early part of the 20th century by American servicemen stationed in
3567-730: The Essex Spartans name since the close of the 1998 season when two local rival teams, the Essex Chiefs and the Redbridge Fire, decided to merge. After initial training sessions, the team's numbers were boosted by the demise of the Cambridge Cats (who later reformed). As both the former teams had been competing at the same level in the British Senior League, the newly formed Spartans were granted
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3654-411: The Exiles relegation from Division One, an 18–18 tie at home and a narrow 24–20 loss away, with the game decided on the final play. The Spartans only other defeat came at the hands of the Watford Cheetahs, and as such, the team finished in second place in the division and qualified for the post-season for the second successive season. The team travelled to Lancashire to face the Lancashire Wolverines in
3741-746: The NFL's 53 man roster. The minimum age of BAFANL contact player is 18 years old, however players are allowed to play to youth football until the age of 19. Female players are currently permitted to participate in the league as well as the BAFA ran Women's National Football League. Premier League and some Division One sides tend to operate a try-out basis to recruit potential players over several training sessions, where as other sides tend to operate an inclusive grassroots approach with any player wishing to compete taken on board as long as they are fit enough to do so. A lot of football recruitment tends to come from other sports largely former rugby union players. In 2019 BAFA announced all non-British players who play within
3828-452: The Premier League and then face each other for the Division One bowl game in order to take home the trophy. The team who finishes bottom of each division is relegated to Division Two. ~ Denotes B/reserve team affiliated to another BAFANL team ~ Denotes B/reserve team affiliated to another BAFANL team The BAFA Division Two is the third tier of British American football with 2024 holding 18 teams across 4 divisions. The Division has
3915-424: The Renegades their first playoff victory and a long road trip to West Coast Trojans . The Trojans proved to be a much more dominant opposition and beat the Renegades 43–6. The Berkshire Renegades pulled out of BAFANL competition in 2015. following a 3–5 season. The team look to re-join in 2016 and begin by playing an associate friendly match at home against King's Lynn Patriots on Sunday 20 September 2015 In 2016
4002-403: The Renegades. As an expansion team re-entering the league after 15 years away, they always found the going difficult and lost all ten of their matches, failing to score in four of them and conceding one game to the South Wales Warriors . The 2007 season started off positively for the Renegades, including a narrow 6–12 loss to a very strong South Wales Warriors side. The first victory came against
4089-410: The South will host the second ranked team in the North. The winners will then compete for the BritBowl . The teams who finish bottom of each division are relegated to Division 1 for the following season and are replaced by both of the Division 1 winners. Teams can be swapped between the North and South Divisions for a following season depending on the geographical location of teams that may be promoted to
4176-437: The United Kingdom . Teams from the Division One and Division Two aim to win promotion to the Division above by attempting to reach their respective play-off final. The team that finishes bottom of their division (excluding Division Two) are relegated to their relevant regional division in the level below. Although there is no active on-the-field promotion process to Division Two, there are a number of non-league sides who operate in
4263-415: The beginning of the season. In the past when Division One has been loaded with teams from the middle of England there has been a designated Midlands Football Conference (MFC), although this is currently defunct. The current format consists of a ten-game season for Premier Division teams and Division One teams, with Division Two now playing eight games. The league is a summer sport in the UK and runs opposite to
4350-435: The country. The first recorded match took place on 23 November 1910 at Crystal Palace, London , where a team made up of the crew from USS Idaho defeated their counterparts from USS Vermont 19–0. During the Second World War , matches were played by American and Canadian servicemen stationed in the UK at venues throughout the country. This included the 'Tea Bowl' game played at the White City Stadium in 1944, and this
4437-449: The day-to-day operations of the BAFANL. The league operates a summer season and begins in April and plays through until August, with play-off games running into September. There are currently 60 teams who compete in 12 regional divisions across three levels of football. The 12 teams who contest both the two BAFA Premier Divisions compete to reach the annual Britbowl final, whereas teams in the second and third level aim to earn promotion to
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#17328017575594524-415: The division. The BAFANL Division One is the second tier of British American football, for the 2024 season it holds 30 teams, now divided into 6 divisions, up from 5. The Division has a Northern Football Conference (NFC) and a Southern Football Conference (SFC). The current individual names of the divisions are the NFC 1 Scotland , the NFC 1 North , the NFC 1 South , the SFC 1 West , the SFC 1 East and
4611-419: The first round of the playoffs. In an unseasonably cold August day, the Spartans were unlucky to see a punt-return for a touchdown called back by a penalty and lost the game 7–0. As a reward for their vast improvements in both 2010 and 2011, the British American Football Association National League announced the Spartans would be promoted to Division One for the 2012 campaign. The step up proved to be too much of
4698-399: The following year in the form of a series of one-off games. The match results were compiled into a 'Merit Table', with teams playing more than three games eligible for the championship—the first champions were the London Ravens, who won all ten of their matches. Tensions grew throughout 2009 between the directors of the British American Football League and those of the governing body
4785-537: The governing body, rebranded in 2011 to become the BAFA National Leagues. Hundreds of clubs have since been formed, playing both full contact football and flag football at senior, university and youth level. Many of these clubs have since folded, renamed or merged with other local teams, but a few of the older clubs survive today. The BAFANL is contested by teams from England, Scotland, and Wales. Teams from Northern Ireland compete under competition from American Football Ireland and therefore do not compete with teams from
4872-467: The league have to have a permanent residence address in the UK and had to have been residing in the country for six months and suspended all players who did not meet these criteria, this was largely brought in due to Leicester Falcons partnership with US College side Baker Wildcats who in turned signed a significant number of U.S. athletes to their side following promotion to the BAFA Premier North. Tamworth Phoenix flagged an incident with BAFA in which
4959-418: The league is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate contact football within England, Scotland and Wales . The top level is the Premier Division and the BritBowl is the annual final championship game. The league was reformed in 2010 following the collapse of the British American Football League , which had run in a number of different guises since the early 1980s. Previous names of
5046-465: The league were the UKAFL (UK American Football League) , the Budweiser League and the BNGL (British National Gridiron League) . From 1998 until 2005 the league was known as the BSL (British Senior League) . Tensions grew throughout 2009 between the directors of BAFL and those of the governing body the British American Football Association, and at the beginning of 2010 the BAFL formally, but unconstitutionally, withdrew from BAFA. This led to uproar from
5133-401: The league's current status have to pay a subscription fee to both the league and their respective clubs. British league teams in earlier years were allowed to pay players and most teams had paid US import professionals . Clubs are currently not permitted to pay a wage to any player, but coaches and other staff members are able to receive a wage. There are currently no limits on roster size unlike
5220-405: The league. The Renegades built on the previous season's progress and finished the regular season by winning the Conference Title with a record of 9–1. Hosting Shropshire Revolution in the first round of the playoffs saw the Berkshire team lose 2–14. The 2012 season saw new competition and new opponents for the team as they were promoted at the conclusion of the 2011 season. The season started with
5307-662: The livestream of the U19 Junior National Championship and BritBowl XXXIII for BBC Sport . Other popular media platforms include the podcast Exs and O's and Britballin, the latter have also begun streaming games. The use of Stadiums in the BAFANL is sporadic due to most clubs running on a budget that relies heavily on sponsorship and subscriptions. Most BAFANL clubs operate from Rugby Union clubs, University or High Schools sports fields or local athletics parks, however some teams do play inside larger sports stadiums which have seating capacities for spectators. The Britbowl itself has recently been played at Allianz Park in London and
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#17328017575595394-455: The national finals as well as Great Britain national American football team games Double Coverage (DblCoverage.com) was the largest British American football-focused media outlet and community hub, it featured news, league results and standings for all formats of the contact game, as well as opinion articles and editorials, their social media pages represented the largest online community of British American Football players and fans. However
5481-416: The national leagues. A number of criteria must be met, involving successfully completing a number of games, recruiting a number of new players, proof of required finances and the creation of a club committee. Associate teams spend their seasons playing each other and League teams in what are essentially friendly fixtures. Some of the current Associate teams are also previous League teams that have dropped out of
5568-478: The next season. 2002 was a transitional year for the Spartans. The team moved back to the Chiefs' old home ground in Basildon, but their long-time star offensive player Shulba Hunt was forced to retire through injury. They finished eighth out of nine teams with a 3–6 record. In the 2003 preseason, the then head coach Dean Gibson and his new offensive coordinator Dave Thomas developed a new offensive playbook featuring an emphasis on short passing. This seemed to suit
5655-477: The only cross-division games until the playoffs. The top two teams in each division enter into what is potentially a three-game play-off campaign with the initial games being played regionally. The winner of both the northern and southern play-offs will win promotion to Division One and then face each other for the Division Two bowl game in order to take home the trophy. New teams must undergo an indefinite associate period before they are granted full member status of
5742-448: The player has been a professional elsewhere. The transfer window for players being allowed to move teams usually opens in October and closes midway through the season in July. Transfers are all handled through an online portal registration system in which the player requests the move and has to wait for both teams to accept the deal before finalisation is sent to BAFA. Players in the BAFANL are largely made up of British nationals who due to
5829-434: The playoffs once again after finishing second with a 5–4–1 regular season record. They were originally drawn to face the South Wales Warriors in a wild-card playoff, and turned up at the Warriors' home field to play the match. However, they complained to BAFL ( British American Football League ) that the Warriors' pitch at Bedwas RFC was too short, and therefore did not comply with competition rules. After consultations between
5916-455: The present league structure. The following is a list of notable players and coaches who have featured either in the BAFA National Leagues or any of its predecessor leagues that have at any time represented the domestic game of American football in the United Kingdom. Winners of the Britbowl since the BAFA National Leagues 2010 formation For some seasons there has been a separate North and South Bowl final. For some seasons there has been
6003-399: The rest of the United Kingdom. The regular season format consists of two Conferences, the Northern Football Conference (NFC) and Southern Football Conference (SFC), within each Conference there are three levels of competition starting at Premier Division and filtering down to Divisions One and Two. Teams can be switched between the NFC and SFC depending on the geographic location of each team at
6090-436: The season came against Hampshire Thrashers in a very close 13–16 loss. 2 more wins followed before a break of almost a month. The break hurt the team and momentum was lost as the team lost the next three matches against Milton Keynes City Pathfinders , Cornish Sharks and Hampshire Thrashers . The final game of the season was a 28–13 win over Gloucester Banshees and other results from the league meant that Berkshire retained
6177-440: The season started out well with a win, the team soon collapsed back to losing ways. Part way through the season Head Coach de Monte tendered his resignation and Offensive Coordinator Paul Gordon stepped up to carry out the Head Coach duties until the end of the season. The team forfeited a fixture to Cornish Sharks on grounds of safety as they lacked a sufficient number of uninjured players to compete effectively. The season ended on
6264-467: The site was taken down at the end of the 2019 season and the social media platform is now dormant. Sportank (previously Gridiron Hub) is now the UK's main American football outlet and covers all of the topics that were previously featured on Double Coverage. Sportank also offers weekly Livestreams of British American Football games, making them the first media outlet to do such. In 2019, Onside provided
6351-399: The sixth highest rusher in the league. The Spartans continued to struggle the following season. After five straight defeats (including a forfeited match) coupled with a number of injuries, a few players transferring to other teams and some US armed forces players from a nearby base unable to play, they were forced to withdraw halfway through the season and were realigned into Division Two for
6438-467: The sport briefly, as well as television presenters Dermot O'Leary and Vernon Kay and actors Ricky Whittle and Chris Fountain . The Britbowl as well as the divisional play-off finals have been on YouTube via DblCoverage.com and Onside Productions. The programmes feature in-game commentary and interviews. Onside began operating by streaming Nottingham Caesars games coined as "Caesars TV" in 2016 before being brought on by DblCoverage.com to broadcast
6525-524: The squad and results improved, but fell short of expectations as the Spartans finished 5–4–1 and just missed out on the playoffs. 2004 saw the squad depleted by a number of retirements, and the Spartan's young players could only manage a 3–6–1 finish to the season. However, 2005 saw the club's best season since they first entered the league. The coaching staff put an emphasis on developing the young squad into one full of multi-skilled positional players, and
6612-431: The standard expected of them. If a team withdraws from the season but indicate their wish to continue operating then they will spend the following season at associate level. The game itself is run following the latest NCAA rules, this has been in practice since the 2005 season. There is currently no limit on roster size, unlike the NFL's 53 man setup. Unlike the majority of top European leagues, British American football
6699-693: The team finishing second in the division behind eventual league champions the London Olympians rewarding them with a trip to the Hampshire Thrashers in the BAFACL Quarter finals. An extremely entertaining and hard-fought game eventually finished 29–15 to Hampshire, with the deciding score coming in the final few minutes. Coach Cyrill Weems returned to the United States in July 2010, offensive co-ordinator Brendan Bride having departed
6786-462: The team in June 2010 due to personal circumstances. As such, a new coaching structure which would continue with the development of the programme was required and on 11 July 2010 the team were pleased to announce ex-Farnham Knight, ex-Coventry Jet and current Essex Spartan Marc Saunders as head coach, with Spartan stalwart Seán Benton taking over as offensive co-ordinator. Also joining the coaching staff for
6873-430: The team over this period he was honoured with a special presentation of a squad signed helmet at the 2010 team awards evening. 2011 saw the Spartans continue to progress. Under the guidance of Saunders and his experienced and talented coaching staff, the Spartans improved on their 2010 record by ending the season with 7 wins, 2 losses and one tie. The team faced old rivals Kent Exiles in two closely fought contests following
6960-466: The team was bolstered by the arrival of a number of players from the recently folded Southend Sabres. After a winning regular season which included two comfortable wins over league newcomers Maidstone Pumas , they finished second in their group with a 5–2–1 record, enough to qualify for the playoffs. They were drawn away to the Oxford Saints , where they beaten 0–20. 2006 saw the Spartans reach
7047-510: The team was unable to improve on the previous season's mark and ended the 2009 season with an identical 1–8–1 record. 2010 proved to be a break-out season for the Essex Spartans. The close season 2009–2010 saw ex Wisconsin Badgers and Detroit Lions star Cyrill Weems join the team firstly in an advisory capacity before taking over as head coach prior to the start of the 2010 season. Weems' professional influence and high work ethic brought about
7134-412: The teams within BAFL, ultimately signalling the end for BAFL as an entity. The league ceased operations on 1 April 2010 and was replaced by the BAFA Community Leagues for the 2010 season, rebranding in 2011 to become the BAFANL. Notable players to have come from the BAFANL who have gone on to play in the NFL are Efe Obada , Aden Durde , Jermaine Allen and Marvin Allen . Pete Ackerley currently heads
7221-483: The tie breakers over their divisional rivals and went into the playoffs for the first time. The first round of the playoffs saw a disappointing performance against a very strong London Olympians team with the team losing 48–0. The 2011 season saw new additions to Division 2 South West with the South Wales Warriors being added from Division 1 and Bristol Apache and Bournemouth Bobcats being new into
7308-523: The top placed team from each group in Division One qualified for the playoffs (which also included the top four teams from the Premier Division conferences along with the Plymouth Admirals , who finished as the top-performing team in Division Two) and so the Renegades were denied any post-season action. 1987 was to prove a much worse season, with the team failing to register a single win and only
7395-470: The two teams, the game was played as normal but BAFL decided afterwards that the Warriors would forfeit the game, and therefore the game was awarded to the Spartans as a 1–0 victory. In the quarter-finals, they were once again drawn away to the Oxford Saints and were again defeated by the eventual divisional champions. They unable to repeat their playoff run in 2007, finishing fourth out of six teams with
7482-539: Was followed by the creation of the United States Armed Forces Europe (USAFE) league in 1946. This league consisted of teams from American military bases throughout Europe, with one of the league's three conferences made up of teams based in the UK – teams from this conference won the league championship thirteen times until the competition ceased in 1993. The first teams open to British players were established in 1983, and competition began
7569-594: Was the result in a tough division, the team's only win coming against the Maidstone Pumas. At the end of the 2013 season, Head Coach Marc Saunders stepped down and was replaced by former assistant head coach and Spartan Hall of Fame member Seán Benton. In late 2023, following relegation from the SFC1 East, the Essex Spartans identity was sunsetted and the club was reborn as the Essex Tridents following
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