For some people, sport is something that they watch and that is where their involvement with it comes to a close. For others, they feel inspired by what they’re watching and decide to join up with a team or head along to a club or society in order to get involved.
If that is where you have found yourself when it comes to the world of American football, you might want to take part in a game but have no real sense of how on earth you go about doing so. That isn’t exactly outrageous, especially when you consider the fact that it is still a relatively young sport in the United Kingdom.
The British American Football Association
The British American Football Association was formed in 1985 and is the national governing body for American football, as well as non-contact Flag football, for those based in the United Kingdom. Whilst it is obviously primarily interested in the game in the UK, it is also affiliated with the International Federation of American Football, so getting involved with them not only gives you a step on the ladder to American football in this country, it also provides the opportunity to do so on a global scale. For those looking to play American football in the United Kingdom, it is the best place to start.
BAFA prides itself on being an inclusive organisation, with the sheer range of both disciplines and teams on offer providing as many people as possible with the chance to play the sport in at least some form. If you want to play American football without having enjoyed any experience playing before, the first thing that you need to do is to decide whether you think you would be better suited to playing the Contact or the Flag variation of the sport. From there, you can then look towards the relevant league that is offered through BAFA, which gives you the chance to find out more.
Here is a look at the various leagues that the British American Football Association controls:
- Adult Flag
- Women’s Flag
- Children’s Flag
- Adult Contact
- Women’s Contact
- Children’s Contact
- University Football
Once you know which of those leagues best suits what you’re looking for, you can then get more information on how to get involved.
A Welcoming Sport
One of the most important things to draw attention to for those without much experience or knowledge of American football in the United Kingdom is that it is an extremely welcoming sport. Irrespective of how much you’ve played, what you know about the sport and what your ability level is, those involved with the clubs up and down the country will welcome you with open arms. This is, at least in part, to do with the overall ethos of the sport in general. On top of that, there remains a desire to grow the sport as much as possible in the UK, which is only possible if those coming from the outside are welcome.
You might well have thought that there isn’t an American football team near you, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Whether you’re based in Liverpool or Birmingham, Manchester or London, there is a very real chance that there is a team waiting to welcome you along to play in games on a regular basis. There are numerous teams in Scotland, for example, as well as a few in Wales. There are even some on the south coast and down in Kent. Obviously, the bigger cities tend to be the more likely place to boast a team or two, but there are countless all around the UK.
What to Expect
Although the stereotype of an American football player is of a big, beefy type, there are numerous different roles within a team that need to be fulfilled. Yes, there are numerous different heavy-built blockers required in a team, but there are also places for those that are swift of foot and able to catch a pass. It means that you will almost certainly have a place in a team, which is why they are considered to be such good places to meet new friends and find ways to socialise. It is also not a particularly expensive sport to get involved with, whilst clubs can help you with equipment initially.
Given the fact that the sport is played across all genders and age ranges, knowing which version of the game is the right one for you can point you in the right direction to get started. It will allow you to develop your skills, such as endurance and physical technique, as well as finding new ones, like analytical skills, that you didn’t necessarily know that you had. Communication is a key part of American football, which is why you will find ways to develop your communication skills once you join a team. How far you then take things will be entirely up to you.
The Path to Turning Professional
If you’ve watched an American football game, whether it’s one in your local park or the Super Bowl, you might well have found yourself dreaming about the possibility of turning professional. The good news is that there is definitely a path open to you to do just that, especially if you’re younger. The NFL Academy is based in the United Kingdom and is open to those aged 16 to 18, having first welcomed people in in 2019. It was initially launched in North London before moving to Loughborough and gives you the chance to train under full-time professional coaches whilst completing your education.
Then there is the International Player Pathway, which is a programme run by the NFL itself. The aim of the Pathway is to increase the number of players taking part in the game from outside the United States of America and Canada, having been formed as part of an overall strategy aimed at growing the game globally. NFL Undiscovered was created by two British-born former players in the National Football League, Aden Durde and Osi Umenyiora, who felt that there wasn’t a clear pathway to join the NFL unless you had gone to either high school or college in the US.
Their fear was that the organisation was missing out on exceptional players because of this, so they used their contacts in the sport in order to create a training programme, as well as offering meetings and tryouts with NFL teams, for a number of specially selected players. That initial group of players all played American football as amateurs in Europe at the time, whilst a documentary series entitled NFL Undiscovered was commissioned in order to follow the players on their journeys. In 2017, this was officially named the International Player Pathway, with the following eligibility criteria put in place:
- Must be aged 24 or younger
- Have to have been out of high school or an equivalent for four years or more
- Can’t have played football at an American college
- Have to be able to speak English
- Can’t be a US or Canadian citizen
- Need to be able to travel to the US for two months, starting in the first week of March