NEWS | First Open Session this Sunday!

02 Nov

Open to those interested in playing for the Ouse Valley Eagles senior (18+) or Bedford Blackhawks Youth (13+) full contact teams as well as the Blackhawks senior flag (16+) team, the first Open Session of the month takes place this Sunday in Bedford.

The session runs from 10am to midday at the University of Bedfordshire’s Bedford Campus on Polhill Avenue, and registrations open at 9.30am.

If you have always fancied having a go why not try it out and see how you get on? No previous experience is necessary, as our team of qualified coaches will put you through your paces running a series of non-contact passing, catching, running and blocking drills designed to give you a real taste of American Football.

What you’ll need

If you are coming along please mark yourself as attending on the Facebook event, and there are a few things you’ll need to bring with you:

– Water (recommended 2L but the more the better).
– Rugby or football boots as the session will be taking place on grass
– Shorts/Joggers or similar
– Top of some kind: sweatshirt, t-shirt or similar
– Gumshield (optional but recommended)

How to get there

Register your interest

It’s not too late to register your interest in any of our sessions. Just complete the form below, get in touch via Twitter or check out the events on our Facebook page.

As well as Sunday’s session we will be running three additional sessions during November:

– Sunday 12th November | Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes (12pm-2pm)
– Sunday 19th November | Northampton High School, Northampton (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 26th November | Lealands High School, Luton (10am-12pm)

Your privacy is important to us. For more details about how we use your personal data, please read our Privacy Statement. We would like to send you additional information that is relevant to you. By ticking the boxes below you consent to receive information about:

Rookie SessionsTraining SessionsUpcoming Events

We will not pass your details to third parties. You may opt out of receiving these communications at any time by emailing gdpr@oveagles.com or using the opt-out facility on each email.

Rookie Report | Bob Benney

01 Nov

Ahead of this Sunday’s first Open Session in Bedford we caught up with 2017 Rookie of the Year Bob Benney…

Position

Wide Receiver

Height/Weight

5ft 8ins, 156lbs

Hometown

Bedford

Age

19

Favourite NFL team/player:

Seattle Seahawks, Ray Lewis (past), Kam Chancellor

How did you get involved with American football, and the Eagles in particular?

I got involved with American Football by having a few lessons of it in school at the same time the Super Bowl 47 was on but didn’t have a clue what was going on.

A year later I learned more about it and watched Super Bowl 48, saw the Seahawks kill it and I’ve loved the sport since. I started looking about for a team with my mate and came across the newly formed Ouse Valley Eagles, started coming down to a few sessions for the youth team, and when I turned 18 I joined the Eagles and haven’t looked back since.

Did anything particularly take you by surprise during your rookie season?

The thing that surprised me most is how well the team makes people feel at home. You instantly feel part of the team and this means everyone is helping everyone else get better whether it be players, coaches or the committee.

What is your favourite thing about playing for the Eagles?

Getting to play the sport and getting out there to play alongside these guys. We’re always trying to push each other and get better.

Also, being involved with the Eagles, just everything they represent and the passion and dedication from everyone. Everyone’s got a winning mentality and that’s something I’m about.

How did it feel being named Rookie of the Year?

It was a great achievement, coming from the youth team and moving onto the senior team and winning the award was crazy.

We (me and Ryan Bowtell) always talked about moving into the senior team and playing, and for us both to win awards that night was insane!

Just want to thank them for the award and all the coaches from youth to senior who I wouldn’t have got the award without.

If you had one piece of advice for anyone considering playing for the first time, what would it be?

Just come and give it a try to see if it’s for you! No matter how much experience, how much knowledge or how big or small, we will help you and we will definitely find a place for you in the team!

Picture courtesy of Tallboy Images.

2017 Open Sessions

Open to those interested in playing for the Ouse Valley Eagles senior (18+) or Bedford Blackhawks Youth (13+) full contact teams as well as the Blackhawks senior flag (16+) team, we will be running four sessions during November:

– Sunday 5th November | University of Bedfordshire, Bedford (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 12th November | Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes (12pm-2pm)
– Sunday 19th November | Northampton High School, Northampton (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 26th November | Lealands High School, Luton (10am-12pm)

To register your interest please complete the form below, get in touch via Twitter or keep your eye out for the events on our Facebook page.

Your privacy is important to us. For more details about how we use your personal data, please read our Privacy Statement. We would like to send you additional information that is relevant to you. By ticking the boxes below you consent to receive information about:

Rookie SessionsTraining SessionsUpcoming Events

We will not pass your details to third parties. You may opt out of receiving these communications at any time by emailing gdpr@oveagles.com or using the opt-out facility on each email.

BLACKHAWKS | 2017 Highlights

29 Oct

Ahead of next month’s Open Sessions, you can check out the Bedford Blackhawks highlights from the 2017 season here:

Open to those interested in playing for the Ouse Valley Eagles senior (18+) or Bedford Blackhawks Youth (13+) full contact teams as well as the Blackhawks senior flag (16+) team, we will be running four Open Sessions during November:

– Sunday 5th November | University of Bedfordshire, Bedford (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 12th November | Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes (12pm-2pm)
– Sunday 19th November | Northampton High School, Northampton (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 26th November | Lealands High School, Luton (10am-12pm)

Register your Interest

To register your interest in our Open Sessions please complete the form below, get in touch via Twitter or keep your eye out for the events on our Facebook page.

Your privacy is important to us. For more details about how we use your personal data, please read our Privacy Statement. We would like to send you additional information that is relevant to you. By ticking the boxes below you consent to receive information about:

Rookie SessionsTraining SessionsUpcoming Events

We will not pass your details to third parties. You may opt out of receiving these communications at any time by emailing gdpr@oveagles.com or using the opt-out facility on each email.

Ouse Valley Launch Player Development Programme

05 Oct

The Ouse Valley Eagles are delighted to announce the launch of our Player Development Programme.

Aligned with the club’s focus on performance, the coaches at Ouse Valley Football have built a programme designed to provide all players at the club a pathway to becoming the best players they can be.

The programme will focus on four key areas; strength & conditioning, diet & nutrition, football education and skills measurement. Players will be provided with training programmes as well as nutritional advice to help them achieve their goals. It will also focus on assessing each player’s skills, providing them with specific feedback as well as access to a video library so they can learn more about the game to help them make the right decisions on the field.

Ouse Valley Coach Jon Chilton explained:

“We’ve partnered with some great companies to help build the best programme possible. Fab Gargiulo, who is a qualified S&C coach with an MSc in Sports Science, will be administering the S&C programme whilst Ben Coomber from Body Type Nutrition will be speaking at the launch event, providing players with nutritional guidance on how to prepare and eat like an athlete.”

The programme will kick off with a launch event on Wednesday 18th of October at Bedfordshire University. All Ouse Valley Football members are able to join as well as players interested in joining the club for the 2018 season.

To find out more and register your interest you can visit the programme information page at ovfootball.com/pdp.

NEWS | 2017 Award winners revealed

30 Sep

The Ouse Valley Eagles and Bedford Blackhawks 2017 Player of the Year Awards took place last night at Revolution Milton Keynes.

For the Bedford Blackhawks Youth team Fin Jones was named MVP, Oliver Chester Lewis the Coaches Player of the Year and Sam Butterwick the Players Player.

Harrison Reed and Connor Perrett won the Offensive and Defensive MVP awards respectively, Alex Gedny picked up the award for Offensive Rookie of the Year and Rom Dougla was named Defensive Rookie of the year.

Oliver Crampton won the Most Improved Player award, and the first recipient of the Dhesi Award – presented to the player who best promoted the spirit of the sport and named in memory of former MK Pathfinders, Peterborough Saxons and Northampton Nemesis player Jay Dhesi – went to Harrison Smith.

For the Blackhawks Flag team Matthew Couldridge was named MVP, Jake Cooper Offensive MVP, Jed Parisi the Defensive MVP and Zech Smith picked up an award for Exceptional Contribution.

Kase Chibwe and Stu Holland were the big winners for the Eagles. Chibwe was named Team MVP and Players Player of the Year, and Holland won the Offensive and Special Teams MVP awards as well as Lineman of the Year.

Mike Turner is the Defensive MVP, Ryan Bowtell the Most Improved Player and Stuart Cooper won the inaugural Coaches Award.

2017 Winners

Bedford Blackhawks Youth

MVP – Fin Jones
Coaches Player – Oliver Chester Lewis
Players Player – Sam Butterwick
Offensive MVP – Harrison Reed
Defensive MVP – Connor Perrett
Offensive Rookie of the Year – Alex Gedny
Defensive Rookie of the Year – Rom Dougla
Most Improved Player – Oliver Crampton
Dhesi Award – Harrison Smith

Bedford Blackhawks Flag

MVP – Matthew Couldridge
Offensive MVP – Jake Cooper
Defensive MVP – Jed Parisi
Exceptional Contribution – Zech Smith

Ouse Valley Eagles Senior

MVP – Kase Chibwe
Players Player – Kase Chibwe
Coaches Award – Stuart Cooper
Offensive MVP – Stuart Holland
Defensive MVP – Mike Turner
Special Teams MVP – Stuart Holland
Lineman of the Year – Stuart Holland
Rookie of the Year – Bobby Benney
Most Improved Player – Ryan Bowtell

The Eagles and Blackhawks are running a series of Open Sessions throughout November in Bedford, Milton Keynes, Luton and Northampton, aimed at anyone interested in playing for the club during the 2018 season. Click here for more information.

NEWS | 2017 Awards Night

29 Sep

The Ouse Valley Eagles 2017 Player of the Year Awards take place tonight at Revolution Milton Keynes.

It is the first time the awards have covered all three teams associated with the club: the Eagles (senior), Blackhawks (Flag) and Blackhawks (Youth). We’ll announce the results with a detailed report here over the weekend, but in the meantime here’s a reminder of the previous winners:

2016 Winners

Players Player of the Year – Ross Hubbard and Danny Cousins
Most Valuable Player – Ross Hubbard
Defensive MVP – Gareth Pullen
Offensive MVP – Ross Hubbard
Lineman of the Year – John Rudgard
Rookie of the Year – Nathan Spencer
Most Improved Player – Rhian Shirley

2015 Winners

Players Player of the Year – Justin LaRoda
Most Valuable Player – Justin LaRoda
Defensive MVP – Gareth Pullen
Offensive MVP – Justin LaRoda
Lineman of the Year – John Rudgard
Rookie of the Year – Danny Cousins
Most Improved Player – Martin Day

2014 Winners

Players Player of the Year – Gareth Pullen and Darren Gregory.
Most Valuable Player – Chris Parr
Defensive MVP – Darren Gregory
Offensive MVP – Dale Hawes
Lineman of the Year – Andy Larwill
Rookie of the Year – John Rudgard
Most Improved Player – Vasco Dias

NEWS | 2017 Open Sessions confirmed

25 Sep

The club are very pleased to be able to confirm the details of this autumn’s Open Sessions ahead of the 2018 season.

Open to those interested in playing for the Ouse Valley Eagles senior (18+) or Bedford Blackhawks Youth (13+) full contact teams as well as the Blackhawks senior flag (16+) team, we will be running four sessions during November:

– Sunday 5th November | University of Bedfordshire, Bedford (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 12th November | Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes (12pm-2pm)
– Sunday 19th November | Northampton High School, Northampton (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 26th November | Lealands High School, Luton (10am-12pm)

American Football is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and with the success of the NFL International Series interest in the game has never been higher.

If you have always fancied having a go why not try it out and see how you get on? No previous experience is necessary, as our team of qualified coaches will put you through your paces running a series of passing, catching, running and blocking drills designed to give you a real taste of American Football.

The Eagles were formed in 2013 with the aim of becoming one of the leading lights for American Football in the UK. We are the only senior full contact team playing in the BAFA National League in Beds, Bucks and Northants, recently announced a partnership with the Bedfordshire Bulls, and with plans to grow the club further in the coming months there really has never been a better time to join!

Register your Interest

To register your interest in our Open Sessions please complete the form below, get in touch via Twitter or keep your eye out for the events on our Facebook page.

Your privacy is important to us. For more details about how we use your personal data, please read our Privacy Statement. We would like to send you additional information that is relevant to you. By ticking the boxes below you consent to receive information about:

Rookie SessionsTraining SessionsUpcoming Events

We will not pass your details to third parties. You may opt out of receiving these communications at any time by emailing gdpr@oveagles.com or using the opt-out facility on each email.

NEWS | Eagles announce partnership with Bedfordshire Bulls

18 Sep

The club are delighted to announce a partnership with the Bedfordshire Bulls.

With a number of campuses across the area and more than 24,000 enrolled students, the University of Bedfordshire is a modern, innovative university with a heritage of top quality education.

The Ouse Valley Eagles were formed in 2013 with the aim of becoming one of the leading lights for American Football in the UK. Members of our club come from a wide range of backgrounds and over a large geographical area to be part of one of our three teams:

– Ouse Valley Eagles (Adult Kitted, age 18+)
– Bedford Blackhawks (Adult Flag, age 16+)
– Bedford Blackhawks (Youth Contact, age 13-16)

As part of the agreement our teams will enjoy use of the University’s grass and artificial pitches at the Bedford campus as well as classroom facilities, and Eagles coaches will work with the Bulls as they embark on their first BUCS Division 2 Midlands Conference campaign.

Eagles Chairman Michael Dilley said:

“We are incredibly excited to be teaming up with the Bulls and hope it is the start of a long-term partnership between the programmes.

“With campuses in Luton, Milton Keynes and Aylesbury as well as Bedford, working with the Bulls offers us a fantastic opportunity to help grow the sport in our area, and hopefully inspire future generations of players and coaches”

Beds SU Vice President of Sport, Kieran Nixon added:

“I will be trying a sport for the first time, like so many of the University of Bedfordshire students. It’s a proud moment to be facilitating the opportunity to try something new, as that’s what its all about.

“I hope that this model of partnership between student groups, local organisations and passionate individuals can be replicated to other areas of the sporting landscape within the Bedfordshire Bulls, as we look to develop our sporting programme in an organic and sustainable way.

“The future of sport looks extremely positive, both in the local area and particularly here at Beds.”

Open Sessions for players interested in joining the Eagles for the 2018 season will be taking place during November. Further details will be announced shortly, but to register your interest in the meantime please get in touch via Facebook.com/ovfootball or Twitter.com/ovfootball.

Taster Sessions for University of Bedfordshire students interested in joining the Bulls will be taking place over Freshers Week at the end of September. Further details can be found via BedsSU.co.uk/sport or Twitter.com/BedsBullsAmFoot.

YOUTH | Blackhawks schedule confirmed

16 Apr

The Bedford Blackhawks Youth schedule has been confirmed, and sees the young Hawks kicking off the season next week hosting Berkshire Renegades, Buckinghamshire Wolves and Solent Seahawks.

A fortnight later they travel to Farnham to meet the Knights, Cobham Cougars Blue and the Wolves, before mini-tournaments hosted by Cobham Cougars Blue on 10th June and Buckingham Wolves on 22nd July.

Bedford Blackhawks Youth (U17) 2017 South Conference Regular Season Schedule

Saturday 22nd April (hosted by Bedford Blackhawks)
vs Berkshire Renegades
vs Buckinghamshire Wolves
vs Solent Seahawks

Saturday 6th May (hosted by Farnham Knights)
vs Cobham Cougars Blue
vs Buckinghamshire Wolves
vs Farnham Knights

Saturday 10th June (hosted by Cobham Cougars Blue)
vs Cobham Cougars Blue
vs Farnham Knights
vs Solent Seahawks

Saturday 22nd July (hosted by Buckinghamshire Wolves)
vs Buckinghamshire Wolves
vs Sussex Thunder
vs Swindon Storm

YOUTH | League Alignment and 2017 opponents updated

Blackhawks
08 Mar

Following a review by the British American Football Association (BAFA) the Blackhawks will now play in the BAFA Regional U17 Outer London Conference.

They are joined in the updated Conference by Berkshire Renegades, Buckinghamshire Wolves, Cobham Cougars Blue and Farnham Knights.

After receiving feedback from a number of teams concerned about large travel distances and associated costs, BAFA have removed all inter-conference games from the schedule. As a result of that change, the Young Hawks will just face their divisional opponents in a number of mini tournaments that make up the regular season.

The full schedule will be published here once confirmed by BAFA.

BAFA Regional U17 Outer London Conference

Bedford Blackhawks
Berkshire Renegades
Buckinghamshire Wolves
Cobham Cougars Blue
Farnham Knights