News

PREVIEW | Eagles go west for season opener

06 Apr
Michael Dilley All News, Gameday, Previews, Senior Football , ,

The Eagles kick off the 2017 season with a long trip west to take on the South Wales Warriors this Sunday afternoon in SFC1 Central (2.30pm).

It is the first ever meeting between the two sides, and the Warriors’ first game since making the difficult decision to accept a voluntary relegation from the Premiership at the end of last season.

The Eagles meanwhile head into the game on the back of posting a disappointing 4-6 regular season record in 2016, but with a new coaching staff and a strong group of rookies looking to leave their mark.

Head Coach Neale McMaster

“I’m incredibly excited to get this season kicked off and I feel the trip down the Wales is the perfect opportunity for us to start this campaign off the right way.

“Having just came down from the Premiership last season, the Warriors will pose a great test for us to kick off our season. They have the experience of the higher level, both mentally and physically, and will test us in both departments.

“With the league schedule coming out so late we’ll be travelling with a pretty depleted squad to kick off the season, but I firmly believe the guys have it in them to go out and execute to the best of our ability and come away with a win.

“The thing I’m most looking forward to is seeing our Special Teams units be unleashed on an opponent.

“In our two pre-season games we’ve not really been able to rep them due to our opponents, so seeing them live will be exciting. I’m absolutely positive they will make a difference in the game.”

Directions

The Warriors play their home games at Llanharan Rugby Club on Bridgend Road, Llanharan CF72 9RD:

Title picture copyright Rob Dummer 2016.

SENIOR | 2017 Captains Named

20 Mar
Michael Dilley All News, Senior Football , , , , ,

The Eagles captains for the 2017 season have been confirmed following a vote by the players.

Gareth Pullen has been named Team Captain, Danny Cousins is the new Offensive Captain, Ross Hubbard is Defensive Captain and Fabrizio Gargiulo is Special Teams Captain.

Linebacker Gareth “Tish” Pullen is a returning captain, having previously captained the team in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He was named the Eagles’ Defensive MVP in 2015 and 2016, Player’s Player of the Year in 2014, and is a former Bedfordshire Blue Raiders MVP, Players Player and Defensive MVP:

Offensive Lineman Danny Cousins is in his third year with the Club. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, and was named Joint Players Player of the Year in 2016.

Ross Hubbard is also in his third year with the Eagles and is the current Joint Players Player, Most Valuable Player and Offensive MVP, having played Tight End in previous seasons.

Linebacker Fab Gargiulo is a vastly experienced player in his first year with the Club, having joined from the London Blitz.

Commenting on the appointments, Head Coach Neale McMaster said:

“I’m incredibly proud of these guys for being leaders to their team-mates, but also love the team for recognising the hardest working guys on our team as the people they want to follow.

“There’s a number of guys that they could have selected, but the players chose to single them out.

“There isn’t a finer person to have as Team Captain than Gareth, he is the epitome of what we look for as an Eagle.

“Danny as Offensive Captain is a great choice as he really understands football, and works well with Justin, who is our vocal leader on offense to really push the whole unit forward.

“Ross continues to be recognised by his teammates as a leader and having moved from offense to defense, has maintained his high standards and pushes people continuously.

“Having Fab as our Special Teams Captain is a huge statement by the players, as I don’t think you’ll find anyone more passionate about special teams in the UK. He has instilled a real pride in a unit we expect to produce a lot of points this year, and obviously the players are buying into it.”

The first game of the season takes place on Sunday 9th April away to South Wales Warriors. The first home game of the year is against the Solent Thrashers on Sunday 21st May.

FLAG | Blackhawks looking for a Head Coach

13 Mar
Michael Dilley All News, Flag Football , ,

The Bedford Blackhawks Senior Flag Team, who currently play home games in Sandy, are looking to appoint a new Head Coach to lead the team and take them forward.

The Blackhawks were formed ahead of the 2016 season and are aimed at players aged 16 and over. In the 2017 season they will play in the SEC North Division alongside Aylesbury Vale Spartans, Ware Wolves and West Essex Showboats.

Flag football is a 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.

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

The Role

As Head Coach of the Blackhawks Flag Team, you will be responsible for the development and implementation of training sessions specifically suited to Flag Football.

You will maintain and develop a team playbook as well as a player depth chart, and be responsible for the in-game play calling and substitutions.

Player retention, recruitment and development is central to the role. As such you will be expected to work alongside our Senior and Youth Team coaches in order to facilitate the transition of youth players into the adult program, and from contact to flag football (and vice versa) as appropriate, demonstrating and promoting the values of the Club at all levels.

The Head Coach will collaborate with the Club Committee on all matters impacting on-field activities related to Flag Football.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will hold a Level 1 BAFCA Coaching Qualification in American Football and have previous coaching experience.

They will be available for practice sessions and games, be highly organised, able to communicate effectively, have a forward-thinking approach to Flag Football, a positive attitude and a passion for developing talent.

Application Process

Shortlisted candidates will be requested to interview for the role by the current Committee. To apply for this voluntary position or enquire further, complete the form below before 5pm on Friday 31st March 2017.

All correspondence will be treated in confidence.

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YOUTH | League Alignment and 2017 opponents updated

Blackhawks
08 Mar
Michael Dilley All News, Youth Football , , , , ,

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

SENIOR | Eagles 2017 Schedule Released

07 Mar
Michael Dilley All News, Senior Football , , , , ,

The Eagles’ 2017 regular season schedule has been confirmed, and sees the team kicking off away to South Wales Warriors in SFC1 Central on Sunday 9th April.

It is the first ever meeting between the two sides and is followed three weeks later by a trip to Solent Thrashers on 30th April, and the first of two visits to Oxford Saints on Sunday 7th May.

The first home game of the season takes place on Sunday 21st May when we welcome the Thrashers to BIAS, and the return game against the Warriors on 11th June is the first of three games in successive weeks (away to Sussex Thunder on 18th June and home to the Thrashers again on 25th June).

The Saints come to town on 9th July, and the season is rounded off against Sussex Thunder at home on 23rd July and away to Oxford on 30th July.

Ouse Valley Eagles 2017 Regular Season Schedule

Sunday 9th April @ South Wales Warriors
Sunday 30th April @ Solent Thrashers
Sunday 7th May @ Oxford Saints
Sunday 21st May vs Solent Thrashers
Sunday 11th June vs South Wales Warriors
Sunday 18th June @ Sussex Thunder
Sunday 25th June vs Solent Thrashers
Sunday 9th July vs Oxford Saints
Sunday 23rd July vs Sussex Thunder
Sunday 30th July @ Oxford Saints

Kick-off times to be confirmed.

Play-Off Structure

For the 2017 season the top eight teams in Division 1 will progress to the play-offs, which will consist of the top two teams in each of the four conferences (NFC1 North, NFC1 South, SFC1 Central and SFC1 East).

The first round of the play-offs will see the #1 seed in the SFC/NFC face and #4 seed, and the #2 seed meet the #3 ranked team.

The Division 1 Championship will be decided between the NFC1 and SFC1 winners.

YOUTH | League Alignment and 2017 Opponents Confirmed

06 Feb
Michael Dilley All News, Youth Football , , , , , , , , , ,

The British American Football Association (BAFA) have confirmed that the Blackhawks Youth Team will play in U17 Conference E in the 2017 season.

They are joined in the Conference by Buckinghamshire Wolves, Cobham Cougars, Cobham Cougars Varsity and Farnham Knights.

The Young Hawks will face their divisional opponents in a number of mini tournaments that make up the season, and will also come up against Kent Exiles Rebels, Essex Spartans, Sussex Thunder and Cornish Sharks during the regular season.

The full schedule is expected to be confirmed by BAFA in the next couple of weeks.

FLAG | Blackhawks Preseason Schedule confirmed

Blackhawks
27 Jan
Michael Dilley All News, Come and Try, Flag Football , ,

The Blackhawk’s 2017 preseason schedule has been confirmed, and includes come and try sessions, training camps and warm-up games.

‘Come and Try’ sessions for new players will take place at Sunderland Road, Sandy this Sunday (29th January) and Sunday 12th February, either side of friendly games against Aylesbury Vale Spartans and Northampton Phantoms in Aylesbury.

Three training camps (location to be confirmed) will take place on 19th February, 12th March and 2nd April.

SENIOR | 2017 League Alignment announced

16 Jan
Michael Dilley All News, Senior Football , , , ,

The British American Football Association (BAFA) have announced a further expansion of Division 1 of the National League from 18 to 20 teams, and placed the Eagles in the SFC1 Central Conference.

Joining the Eagles in SFC1 are the South Wales Warriors, who have taken a voluntary relegation from the Premier Division South, Solent Thrashers, Sussex Thunder and Oxford Saints.

Of our 2016 opponents Doncaster Mustangs are in the NFC1 North Conference, and Birmingham Bulls, Nottingham Caesars and Sandwell Steelers are all in NFC1 South.

Details of the regular season schedule are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

2017 Play-Off Structure

For the 2017 season the top eight teams in Division 1 will progress to the play-offs, which will consist of the top two teams in each of the four conferences (NFC1 North, NFC1 South, SFC1 Central and SFC1 East).

The first round of the play-offs will see the #1 seed in the SFC/NFC face and #4 seed, and the #2 seed meet the #3 ranked team.

The Division 1 Championship will be decided between the NFC1 and SFC1 winners.

2017 Divisional 1 Alignments

NFC1 North

– Doncaster Mustangs
– Manchester Titans
– Newcastle Vikings (promoted)
– West Coast Trojans
– Yorkshire Rams

NFC1 South

– Birmingham Bulls
– Coventry Jets (relegated)
– Leicester Falcons (promoted)
– Nottingham Caesars
– Sandwell Steelers

SFC1 Central

– Oxford Saints (promoted)
– Ouse Valley Eagles
– Solent Thrashers
– South Wales Warriors (relegated)
– Sussex Thunder

SFC1 East

– Cambridgeshire Cats (promoted)
– Colchester Gladiators
– Kent Exiles
– London Hornets (promoted)
– London Olympians (relegated)

Blackhawks 2017 Flag Schedule Released

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

The Blackhawks 2017 flag schedule has been confirmed, and sees them kicking off against Aylesbury Vale Spartans, West Essex Showboats and Ware Wolves on Saturday 15th April in a round of matches hosted by the Showboats.

They are followed up a set of matches hosted by the Blackhawks on Saturday 6th and a trip to the London Rebels on Sunday 21st May.

Three games at the Wolves on Saturday 24th June come next, before the regular season is rounded off with games against Hackney Cougars, Chichester Sharks and Victoria Park Panthers on Sunday 16th July.

The Blackhawks are training this Sunday between 12pm and 3pm in Sandy on Sunderland Road. If you are interested in attending please get in touch either via Facebook, Twitter or the Contact Us page.

Second rookie session this Sunday

11 Jan
Michael Dilley All News, Come and Try, Senior Football , , ,

Open to those wanting to play for the Senior Team (18+), the second of two dedicated rookie sessions takes place this Sunday (15th January) from 11am to 1.10pm at Bedford International Athletics Stadium, Barkers Lane, Bedford.

American Football has never been more popular in the UK and is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. If you’ve always fancied having a go why not come down and see how you get on?

If you are coming this weekend there are a few things you’ll need to bring with you:

  • Water (recommended 2L but the more the better). We know it’s quite stop start, but practices are tough going!
  • Rugby or football boots as we train on grass
  • Shorts/Joggers or similar
  • Top of some kind: sweatshirt, t-shirt or similar
  • Gumshield
  • You may want to bring a towel and shower things

A full training session will take place next Sunday (22nd January) followed by the first of four mini-camps a week later. Click here for further details on the preseason schedule.

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