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.
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