A crisp Sunday morning sees the usual suspects. A pitch: cold as ice and as hard as concrete greets the clatter of studs walking from the car park. Muddy knees and Thermos flasks. Of course it’s football.
However, for this weekend at least, ‘The English Game’ isn’t here.
This is the Lincolnshire Bombers American football team.
Research suggests people are picking up the pigskin in unprecedented numbers in the UK. The sport is so popular, The British American Football Association (BAFA) now recognises more than 150 different clubs taking part in the Great American Game.
Chad Ehlertsen, CEO of BAFA, said: “Fuelled by the incredibly successful NFL London games and the emergence of Flag Football as an Olympic sport at LA28, we are seeing a significant opportunity to inspire the next generation of players, coaches, officials and volunteers to grow the sport.”
Lincolnshire is no exception to this growth.
Re-established in 2005, the Bomber’s trace their roots back to the 1980’s. John Milford is part of the club’s management team. Living in Boston, he commutes to the teams home ground in Hykeham.
He said: “I’ve been here for almost three years and the growth we’ve seen has been amazing. When I started there was probably about 30 players max, now we’ve got around 60.”
The 26-year-old said: “Obviously I was first into the NFL and when I was younger, there wasn’t really a community for it.
“You either did football, rugby or cricket at school but American Football was something I wanted to give a try so when I heard about the club, I did.”
John was also aware of the stigma against American sports in the UK. “Some people think its a novelty or just a passing trend and obviously the traditional UK sports are still more popular,” he said. “But I think it’s our inclusivity that really helps grow the sport.
“The game is really open to everyone. The amount of positions in the game means that you can be any shape or size.
“We’ve had guys come in from a background of playing rugby, who would traditionally swear against the sport, didn’t think they’d enjoy it, but have loved the different pace and the community surrounding the game.
“Because its a large group of people trying something new, we’ve become a real close knit group. It’s just great to watch people improve week in week out, we’re just all encouraging each other to improve and enjoy the experience.”
Lincolnshire is not the only area developing American football at a grassroots level.
Rising interest has bought rising talents to the sport. Now the attention of NFL scouts has been peaked in the UK.
Jason Scott is the head coach of the BAFA, he believes the next generation of NFL stars may be in British schools.
He said: “Recruiting student-athletes to university – from 2020 to now – is night and day.
“In our first year of recruiting British Athletes, we only had 10-12 players on our recruiting tracker, this year we’ve spoken with over 50 youth and junior players.
“This shows that there are more and more athletes wanting to take their game to the next level.”
Jason also explained how the game is now appealing to a younger audience. He said: ” It’s clear that more and more players are getting into the sport from an earlier age.
“The average age of our players is just over 24 years, with a number of players coming right into the squad from youth and junior football.”
With a new season approaching and interest at an all-time high, the sport seems to have finally found it’s footing across the pond.
