Category: Flag Football

Blackhawks to play in NuOla Spring Shield

18 Mar
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football ,

The Bedford Blackhawks Flag team will be playing in the 24-team NuOla Spring Shield 2016 in Sheffield next month.

The tournament takes place at Meadowhead School on Saturday 2nd April, and sees the young Blackhawks playing come up against the Birmingham Lions, Leeds Samurai and USA Mayhem during the group stages:

  • 9.30am – USA Mayhem
  • 11am – Leeds Samurai
  • 12.30pm – Birmingham Lions
Group A

AGOICTIOTAACG
Beeston Bears
Chichester Sharks
Sheffield Vipers

Group B

Coventry Panthers
Coventry Cougar Ladies
Sheffield Predators
Wigan Warhawks

Group C

Coventry Cougars
Coventry Pink Panthers
Mansfield Honey Badgers
Newcastle Blackhawks

Group D

Bedford Blackhawks
Birmingham Lions
Leeds Samurai
USA Mayhem

Group E

Calderdale Knights
Cardiff Hurricanes
Cheshire Cavaliers
Glasgow Hornets

Group F

Hereford Stampede
Leicester Eagles
London Rebels
Hybrid Team (Northern Powerhouse)

Directions

If you would like to go and watch the tournament you can fine directions below:

Blackhawks to play in Outlaw Flag League

Outlaw Flag League
06 Mar
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football , , ,

The Blackhawks will be playing in the Outlaw Flag League (OFL) this autumn and winter.

Newly established in 2016 and based in Northamptonshire, the OFL aims to be one of the largest flag football leagues of its kind in the United Kingdom.

The league’s mission is to provide “free to play, competitive flag football that will continue to attract players, teams and fans from all over the U.K.”

League Members

There are currently nine teams confirmed for the 2016 season, which will run between September and November:

  • Bedford Blackhawks
  • Cheshire Cavalier
  • Chichester Sharks
  • Coventry Panthers
  • Manchester Crows
  • Mansfield Honey Badgers
  • Northants Titans Atlas
  • Northants Titans Oceanus
  • Staffordshire Surge Academy

The teams will be split into two conferences; the Exile Flag Conference (EFC) and Bandit Flag Conference (BFC), the final make up of which will be confirmed once all league members have been announced.

Schedule

The final schedule will be confirmed once all league members have been announced, but regular season games are currently scheduled for the following dates:

  • Sunday 11th September 2016
  • Sunday 25th September 2016
  • Sunday 9th October 2016
  • Sunday 6th November 2016

The Outlaw Bowl Playoffs are currently scheduled for Sunday 20th November 2016.

Outlaw Flag League

Keep up-to-date with the latest news, squad details and events with out new mobile app for iOS and Android:

  • App Store
  • Google Play Store

Blackhawks Uniform Unveiled

01 Mar
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football , , ,

The club are delighted to officially unveil the new Bedford Blackhawks Flag uniform.

Manufactured by NuOla Custom Clothing, the new jerseys are predominantly black with purple numbers and white trim.

Speaking on behalf of the Blackhawks, Jake Cooper said:

We have been working alongside NuOla for the last couple of months to create and perfect a design that our players will be proud to wear this season, and I believe we have achieved just that!

I am over the moon with the final outcome of the jersey and all of the hard work and effort it symbolizes. We as a team are proud to pull this jersey on this season.

You can buy 2016 Bedford Blackhawks merchandise via our Football America Team Store, which is all new for this year and features the Blackhawks logo and club colours of purple, white and silver.

There are a number of t-shirts available starting at £13 each, hoodies starting at £20.50 each and a number of other items available such as hats, shorts, jackets and polo shirts.

All proceeds from sales received by the club go towards funding team equipment.

Keep up-to-date with the latest news, squad details and events with out new mobile app for iOS and Android:

  • App Store
  • Google Play Store

Gallery | 2016 Blackhawk Bowl

28 Feb
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football , , , , , ,

Selection of photos from the 2016 Blackhawk Bowl, Saturday 27th February 2016.

All photos courtesy of JennaLou Photography. To view the full gallery, check out her album on Facebook.

Phantoms win Blackhawk Bowl

26 Feb
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football , , , ,

The Northants Phantoms won the inaugural Blackhawk Bowl at Bedford International Athletics Stadium last weekend.

Action began with the Blackhawks facing up against the Phantoms. The young ‘Hawks managed to get two scores in the first half and lead at the halfway point, but after a couple of mistakes and some brilliantly constructed Phantoms drives saw Phantoms take the lead and the game 32-12.

The Blackhawks then faced-up against Northants Titans who demonstrated their experience with a confident victory. An excellent performance from the Spartans saw them see off the Titans, but it was the Phantoms who managed to maintain performance levels to beat the Spartans and tie with the Titans to clinch the trophy.

The final match of the day saw the Spartans overcome the Blackhawks to secure second place.

Speaking after the tournament, Jake Cooper said:

In terms of organisation I am delighted with how the day unfolded. It was a major milestone to play our first competitive football and I’d like to thank all who attended what we hope will become an annual event – I hope the day was enjoyable for all teams involved.

I am extremely happy with how the guys played and how they conducted themselves throughout. Obviously the tournament has exposed a number of areas in which we as a team need to develop and strengthen, but that is to be expected and we look forwarded to trying to address those issues and developing ahead of the Phantoms Charity Bowl on Saturday 27th.

Blackhawk Bowl Scores

Blackhawks 13-32 Phantoms
Blackhawks 0-37 Titans
Titans 13-21 Spartans
Spartans 20-24 Phantoms
Blackhawks 0-32 Spartans
Phantoms 19-19 Titans

Keep up-to-date with the latest news, squad details and events with out new mobile app for iOS and Android:

  • App Store
  • Google Play Store

Blackhawks to play in SEC North

Blackhawks
20 Feb
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football , , , , , , , , ,

BAFA have confirmed that the Blackhawks will be playing in the South Eastern Conference (SEC) North Division for the 2016 season.

The newly-formed ‘Hawks will go up against Aylesbury Vale Spartans, Bishop’s Stortford HighFlyers, Victoria Park Panthers, Ware Wolves, West Essex Showboats and Westcliff Storm.

The season kicks off week commencing Monday 4th April, and the schedule will be released by BAFA this Tuesday, 23rd February.

The regional championships will be on 13th August for the south and 14th August for the north, and the date of the final itself is yet to be confirmed.

SEC North

Aylesbury Vale Spartans
Bedford Blackhawks
Bishop’s Stortford HighFlyers
Victoria Park Panthers
Ware Wolves
West Essex Showboats
Westcliff Storm

For further details on the 2016 alignment, including details of the play-off structure and tie-breakers, check out the full article on Pulling the Flag.

The Blackhawk Bowl Flag Tournament takes place this tomorrow (Sunday 21st February) at Bedford International Athletics Stadium, sponsored by Bul-1 Civil Engineering.

The tournament is the Blackhawks’ first taste of competitive action and sees them up against three other teams who are confirmed as attending:

– Aylesbury Vale Spartans
– Northants Phantoms
– Northants Titans

The first game is scheduled to kick-off at 9.30am, the tournament will run until around 2pm and there is free admission for all.

A trophy and medals will be up for grabs for the winning team, and a trophy will also be presented to the runners up.

Blackhawk Bowl

16 Feb
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football , , , , ,

The Blackhawk Bowl Flag Tournament takes place this Sunday at Bedford International Athletics Stadium, sponsored by Bul-1 Civil Engineering.

The tournament is the Blackhawks’ first taste of competitive action and sees them up against three other teams who are confirmed as attending:

– Aylesbury Vale Spartans
– Northants Phantoms
– Northants Titans

Flag football is the fastest growing format of the game in Great Britain encompassing schools, colleges, universities and community football.

Flag is non-contact version of American Football where tackles are made by pulling a flag off an opposing player. The game retains the same principles as the contact form but in a 5v5 non-contact arena, and is a tremendous way to increase passing and catching fundamentals.

The first game is scheduled to kick-off at 9.30am, the tournament will run until around 2pm and there is free admission for all.

A trophy and medals will be up for grabs for the winning team, and a trophy will also be presented to the runners up.

JennaLou Photography will also be in attendance on the day.

 

Blackhawks Merchandise

01 Feb
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football , , ,

The club are very excited to reveal the new 2016 Bedford Blackhawks merchandise via our Football America Team Store.

Designed by the club with assistance from our friends at Football America, the gear is all new for this year and features the Blackhawks logo and updated club colours of purple, white and silver.

There are a number of t-shirts available starting at £13 each, hoodies starting at £20.50 each and a number of other items available such as hats, shorts, jackets and polo shirts including the designs below:

You can check out the full range by clicking here and visiting the Team Store. All profits made from the sales of merchandise go towards funding team equipment.

New Year’s Resolutions

29 Jan
Michael Dilley All News, Come and Try, Flag Football, Senior Football , , ,

It is never too late for some New Year’s Resolutions, and if one of yours is to start playing more sport then you could do a lot worse than join the Eagles!

The club was formed in 2013 following a merger between the Milton Keynes Pathfinders and Bedfordshire Blue Raiders, and now consists of three teams:

Ouse Valley Eagles – Adult Kitted – Age 18+
Bedford Blackhawks – Adult Flag – Age 16+
Bedford Blackhawks – Youth Kitted – Age 14-16 (U17)

We asked some of our senior players for theirs 2016 New Year’s Resolutions, the best of which are here:

Jack Judge
1. Enter a strongman competition
2. Reach the playoffs with OVE
3. Deadlift 260kg
4. Start the season at 120kg
5. 10 TD season

Khrys Speed
1. Play first game for OVE
2. Weigh 94kg
3. Snatch 140 and clean 170.
4. Catch up big JJ on deads.

Chris Parr
Be more like Christian McCaffrey.

James Drake
Find ways every week to make Gareth Pullen shout *insert accent* “Yes Drakey”.

Zach Wodaege
Transform myself from the dominant Julio Jones into Cam Newton and get JJ 10 TDs.

Nathaniel Ashby
Make my 21st consecutive and probably final season one I can be proud of!

Gareth Pullen
Drop weight to 100kg, deadlift 230kg, squat 180kg, lead team with an average of 12 tackles a game.

Andy Larwill
Beat my 6.5 sacks in a game record! And have less concussions.

Rhian Shirley
Squat properly, run faster, hit harder. And a few sacks this year!

We are always on the lookout for new players, coaches and commercial partners. If you would be interested in joining one of our teams in any capacity please do not hesitate to get in touch.

As well as on ovfootball.com, you can stay up-to-date with all the latest news and events on our Facebook page or via Twitter.

Flag football coming to Bedford

08 Jan
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football , , , , ,

The Eagles are delighted to announce the addition of a flag team to the Eagles family, following a merger with the recently-formed Bedfordshire Broncos.

The flag team will be known as the Bedford Blackhawks, and is one of hopefully many partnerships that will help continue to grow football in the Beds, Bucks and Northants area.

Flag football is the fastest growing format of the game in Great Britain, encompassing schools, colleges, universities and community football.

Flag is non-contact version of American Football where tackles are made by pulling a flag off an opposing player. The game retains the same principles as the contact form, but in a 5v5 non-contact arena with a maximum of 12 players per squad, and is a tremendous way to increase passing and catching fundamentals.

Speaking on behalf of the Blackhawks, Jake Cooper commented:

I am delighted that we have been able to complete this merger. Ouse Valley Football set their standards high which is an ethos we look to apply to ourselves. I’m sure with the guidance of the Eagles we will prosper from this movement, and I am looking forward to working with the club to build something we can all be proud of.

Eagles Chairman Neale McMaster added:

When the club was founded we had some big goals on an initial five-year plan, and today we complete a major one by adding an adult flag football team to the club. The Blackhawks will be competing in the league in 2016 thanks in large part to the hard work of Jake as well as Jed Parisi, and will be run from the existing committee structure with the addition of Jake as the Flag Football Representative.

The Ouse Valley Eagles were formed in 2013 following a merger between the Milton Keynes Pathfinders and Bedfordshire Blue Raiders, and now consist of three teams:

Ouse Valley Eagles – Adult Kitted – Age 18+
Bedford Blackhawks – Adult Flag – Age 16+
Bedford Blackhawks – Youth Kitted – Age 14-16 (U17)

The club is always on the lookout for new players, coaches and sponsors. If you would be interested in joining the club in any capacity please do not hesitate to get in touch.

As well as on ovfootball.com, you can stay up-to-date with all the latest news and events on our Facebook page (facebook.com/ovfootball) or via Twitter (@ovfootball).