Edinburgh Napier Knights under-19 American Football team will be playing not only for silverware but to put the sport on a stronger footing north of the border when they face London Blitz in the national Britbowl Final at Coventry’s Butts Park Arena on Saturday, 6 September.
The capital outfit booked their place with a commanding 57-14 win over Chorley Buccaneers at Meggetland in mid-August and immediately manager/coach Sam Stoddart-Dunn started to dream … and plan.
“We are not in this final by accident” says Sam, adding: “we’ve beaten every team we have played to become Northern champions and to bring the trophy home would mean putting down a marker for American Football in Scotland. So, our hopes are high.
“But we are so far removed from mainstream that it would be a massive achievement to showcase the talent we have here.”
Now in his ninth season running the team Sam saw them start with just five youngsters until they have reached their current level of 100 players some of whom will be moving on to the full Napier Knights team later this year.
“Ages range from seven years old upwards but the majority of our squad are local lads some of whom attend Napier University.
“They all got the bug from watching NFL and it is noticeable that after their annual London game our numbers increase” adds Sam.
All this comes at a cost.
“To kit out an individual player can be around £500 with helmet, padding, etc and we don’t want anybody missing out.
“So we have established a GoFundMe page to try to assist with travel and overnight accommodation to give ourselves the best chance.
“Our target figure is £5,000 so nobody misses out on travelling but £2,500 would cover our bus travel.
“We need a squad of about 50 players to compete against London who will have similar numbers and there is no doubt they are a well organised opponent” said the 29-year-old former Ayr and Boroughmuir rugby union player who works as a solicitor in Edinburgh.
Sam added:“Our under-16’s reached the semi-final of their competition this year and just missed out on going further; we are determined to go one further and reach out first BritBowl Final at a time when our sport is looking forward to a further boost from debuting in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”
- To assist the team there is a GoFundMe page – Edinburgh Napier Knights under-19 Finals Transport.
Photo credit: N50 Photography
