Edinburgh Wolves were founded in 2002, while the associated women’s team were formed in 2015 and based at Peffermill Playing Fields. The team is now looking for new players and will hold a rookie day on 5 February. .
American Football has been played in the UK since as early as 1910, but gained significant popularity in the 1980s when Gavin Hastings had a place on the Scottish team. The game is now played all over the UK from the Highland Stags in Inverness, to the Cornwall Monarchs in the southwest of England, with BAFA managing the overall the league structure.
While the sport has a predominantly male player base, the GB Women’s National team achieved significant success in 2022, finishing second in the World Championships in Finland, with two Edinburgh Wolves players (Rachael Moody and Emily Mullen) among the star performers.
Last year was also big for Wolves Women who competed in the NWFL Division 1 North, and were undefeated. This success led the team to the playoff finals weekend in Chester which was streamed online by Onside TV. Wolves competed against Leicester Falcons and Peterborough Royals, winning both games and claiming the divisional championship win.
Building on this achievement, BAFA have appointed the team’s defensive coach Lynsey Llewellyn to the position of Super Elevens Competition Manager, a new role which will take responsibility for an annual nationwide competition promoting the development of the women’s game.
A spokesperson for Wolves said: “As we move into 2023 and look ahead to the new season, several exciting and significant changes are happening. Firstly, the women’s game in the UK began as a 5-aside format, moving to 7-aside several years ago, while the fully fledged format of the game includes 11 players on the field from each side at any one time.
“The overall vision of BAFA is to have an 11-aside women’s league, however building to that point will take time. As such, five teams are making the jump this year (Birmingham Lions, Leeds Chargers, London Warriors, Peterborough Royals and Edinburgh Wolves) to a 9-aside format and will be competing against each other throughout the 2023 season (April-September).
“As you can expect, this an extremely exciting prospect, however, it also brings new significant challenges, namely funding and player numbers. While we have a strong core group of players, recruiting “rookies” for the 2023 season is a top priority for us.”
The club provides kit in the form of helmets and pads to fit players of all shapes and sizes. The spokesperson continued: “One of the key aspects of the game is that there is a position for everyone no matter your weight or height. While individuals who compete in similar contact sports such as rugby can bring transferable skills, it is by no means a necessity. Through the support of our coaches and players, everyone is able to find a spot where they feel comfortable.”
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