BAFA have confirmed the 2022 league alignment. We will continue to compete in the Southern Football Conference East in Division 1, or SFC 1 East. Winning the conference in 2019 but not reaching the Division 1 Final guaranteed that. But it’s not always easy to predict who we would be facing. Let’s meet our opponents.
Starting with 2 familiar faces, Wembley Stallions and the London Hornets.
The Stallions always give us a good challenge to meet. We didn’t get to play them last year. But the 2019 season gave us 2 small wins. 2018 was another close contest on the road. But the home fixture was a walkover for us. In fact, we haven’t lost to the Stallions since 2016. I’m sure they will be doing everything possible to make that change.
The Hornets are a tough team. For the most part, we are quite evenly matched. The Hornets like to play a very aggressive Defensive game, which has at times proven too much for our old style of Offensive play. 2018 and 2019 seasons saw a trade off of wins and losses. Both of us managing one win or one loss per season. We’re excited to see how we will fare against the Hornets this year.
Now the new faces to the SFC 1 East:
The Essex Spartans
We don’t know much about the Spartans. Our usual Essex fixture was against the Colchester Gladiators, until they got a thumbs down and ended up back in Division 2. Having a perfect season 2 years ago has earned the new kids on the block a place in Division 1. Let’s see how that works out for them.
The London Blitz (B)
Let’s face it, the London Blitz is a team synonymous with success in British American Football. Their A team has been in the Premiership since time began. They are always in the BritBowl, facing off against the London Warriors. They have even had former players make it to NFL practice squads. But, just like any other team, they can be beat. We have a solid core of dedicated and talented players. We have faith in our coaches and their knowledge of the game. Bring the action!
The Sussex Thunder
This is the fixture to watch. Not because our combined team names is the same as one of the best cartoon shows of the 1980’s. We played the Thunder at home in the 2019 SFC 1 playoffs quarter final. We won 27-15. But this was a very tough game. The weather caused an unexpected delay, which meant both teams lost momentum, adding to the difficulty of the match. There was even an explosive end to the game with allegations made by the Thunder of inappropriate language resulting in one Thunder player refusing to shake hands at the end of the match. Controversy to one side, the Thunder are no doubt going to be seeking scalps and we have a strong feeling that this will be two very exciting games in the summer.
The fixture dates are expected imminently, so keep an eye out for those. But typically, American Football in the UK runs from April to September.
If you want to be part of the action, get in touch with us. Or come along to our games and cheer us on!