Just as with the rest of the United Kingdom, Wales is as susceptible to an American football team as anywhere else. In this case, it is the South Wales Warriors that represent the southern part of the country, playing out of Llanharan in Mid Glamorgan.
Having been formed in 2001, the Warriors have pushed for success over the years and done their best to encourage locals to get behind a team that they might not ordinarily consider supporting. After all, the association football teams of Cardiff and Swansea are both based in the area, so gridiron is a hard sell to some.
The History of the South Wales Warriors
That’s a WRAP on the 2022 season.
The Warriors finish the year with a 3-6-1 standings in the division table and 4th place overall.Stay tuned in to all our social media pages to find out how you can get involved with us for the 2023 pic.twitter.com/9ZPTrgRLOE
— South Wales Warriors (@swwarriors) August 3, 2022
In 1987, a team called the Tiger Bay Warriors was formed in the Welsh city of Cardiff. A junior American flag football team, they also became the first junior full-contact team anywhere in the United Kingdom. After having enjoyed some success by winning regional and national trophies, a decision was taken to rise to senior level, but when key players departed the team ended up folding in 2000. There had been shown to be an interest in American football in the city, however, so the following year saw South Wales Warriors formed by the staff and players that remained.
Initially, the economic situation was such that the equipment, shirts and resources of the Tiger Bay Warriors were all used. The team was admitted into the British Senior League Division Two South, but the first season was something of a grind and they ended up with a record of 2-5-1. The same pattern was in place for the two campaigns that followed, although there was at least some improvement as they ended 2002 with a record of 3-6 and 2003 with one of 5-5. In 2004, though, there was a vast improvement and they ended up with a record of 7-2-1 before being knocked out in the playoffs.
Steady Improvement
In 2005, the Warriors once again finished in second place, thanks to a 27-21 win over the Andover Thrashers on the final day, before losing in the quarter-finals of the playoffs. In 2006, they repeated their second-place conclusion to the season and then defeated the Essex Spartans in their Wildcard playoff game, but the Spartans complained that the pitch was too short and didn’t meet regulations, resulting in a replay before the BAFL decided that the Warriors would have to forfeit the tie. In 2007, the playoff disappointment of the previous season was shaken off as they won the Conference for the second time.
Having defeated the Cambridgeshire Cats 13-7 in the quarter-final of the playoffs, the Warriors had to take on the Norwich Devils in the semi-final and lost 43-28. What followed was a reforming of the BAFA National Leagues, which resulted in the Warriors opening their season in 2011 with a 46-0 win over the Gloucester Banshees. That was the first of four shutout games that the Warriors enjoyed across the season, setting the tone. Two losses to the Berkshire Renegades saw them end up as runners-up in the Division 2 West, making it into the playoffs as a Wildcard.
Titles & Playoff Disappointment
Having beaten the Kent Exiles 33-13 in the playoff quarter-finals, the Warriors then defeated the Lancashire Wolverines 32-17 in the semi-finals to set up a final against the West Coast Trojans in the Division 2 Britbowl, which the Warriors won 48-20 to seal a victory in the Britbowl XXV and be crowned British American Football Association National League Division 2 champions. That allowed them to be promoted into the Division 1 South and Central Division, where mixed results saw them end up with a season record of 6-4. They finished fourth thanks to a 100% home record.
When the BAFA ran an expansion programme, it was decided that the South Wales Warriors would be promoted into the Premiership South Division, where they finished ninth at the first time of asking. A year later and four home games and four away games resulted in a record of 3-5 and a sixth-place finish. That kept them in the same league for the following season, where a 5-5 record also saw them stay in the Premiership South. They were demoted to the BAFANL SFC 1 Central as part of a mutual agreement at the end of the 2016 season when the league was restructured.
At the end of the 2017 season, the Warriors were demoted to the BAFANL SFC 2 West, which they won in 2018 before losing to the Portsmouth Dreadnoughts in the semi-final of the playoffs. In 2019, the team defeated the Bristol Apache 28-3 in the quarter-finals of the playoffs after ending the season with a 1-6 record, winning 16-6 against the London Blitz B team in the semi-final. They also defeated the Bournemouth Bobcats 13-0 in the final to win Britbowl XXXIII BAFANL SFC 2, being promoted to Division 1 after becoming the SFC 2 West Conference champions.