The Bulls are one of the longer established American football teams playing in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1983, and are one of the most successful teams in British American Football,[1] winning 4 British titles and 19 conference championships.
The Bulls field a senior team in the BAFA National Leagues with Matthew Sheldon the Head Coach since 2018.
They also field a youth team in the Under 17 system, and in 2019 they announced a partnership with the Black Country Vipers to provide Under 19s football in the Birmingham-Black Country region.
History
Early years
Jerry Hartman, a former US military policeman and security guard for Howard Hughes[2] with some College Football experience formed the team in a local park, and by April 1984, there was enough interest to begin a fully fledged adult team.[3] They are named after the local landmark, The Bull Ring.[4] and were financed by local businessman Dave Gill, who later became the Bulls' first chairman and would go on to become chairman of the British American Football Association.[5]
In 1986, as members of the BAFL, under coach Warren Tate, the Bulls won their first national championship, and represented the UK in the inaugural Eurobowl, finishing third, losing to eventual runners-up, the Bologna Doves. In 1988, the Bulls won their second national championship, and first in the Budweiser League, beating the London Olympians at Loftus Road 30–6, and again qualifying for the Eurobowl. However, they once more lost to the eventual runners up, this time the Amsterdam Crusaders.[7]
In 1989 off-season, the entire Bulls starting secondary was arrested on charges ranging from armed robbery to assault.[8] Now owned by local businessman and Don Ho impersonator Frank Leadon, the team suffered internal strife with American lineman James Thornton regularly threatening to get himself deported,[9] with Leadon himself leaving the club and returning multiple times.[10] Businessman and father of nose tackle Andy Webb, Dave Webb took over ownership of the team part way through the season, with the Bulls' payroll the highest in the league.[11]
the Bulls again made the Budweiser Bowl to challenge for the national championship, but just hours before the game, star quarterback and coach, Russ Jensen, left the team for financial reasons.[12] The Bulls lost to the Manchester Spartans 21–14. In the same year, due to protests against Apartheid from the Bulls' supporters club,[13] the team turned down the offer of a tour of South Africa, estimated at the time to be worth $100,000.[14] It was in 1989 that former sportswriter for the Boston Herald, Michael Globetti, joined the Bulls and authored the book God Save The Quarterback!.[15]
The nineties
Under the banner of the NDMA league, the Bulls took their third national championship in 1991, defeating the London Olympians 39–38 at the Alexander Stadium, with kicker Mark Webb scoring the winning field goal with just 17 seconds remaining.[16] In 1992, the Bulls again faced Eurobowl disappointment, falling to the eventual winners, the Amsterdam Crusaders once more. The result of the loss was challenged by the Bulls due to player registration issues, but the appeal failed. This failed appeal was part of the reasoning given for the withdrawal of BAFA from the European governing body.[17]
In 1995, the Bulls won their most recent national championship, defeating the London Olympians once more, in a 34–30 game.[18] However, the Olympians got their revenge later in the year, knocking the Bulls out of the Eurobowl at the quarter-final stage, before going onto finish as runners-up. After a re-invention, the Bulls began life in Division 2 in 1996.
The Bulls reached the national championship again in 1999, but fell to the London Olympians in a close, defence-heavy 9–6 loss.[19]
New millennium and recent years
The result of the 1999 Britbowl was repeated a year later in 2000, when the London Olympians again defeated the Bulls in the national championship game, 34–26.
There followed a down period in the Bulls history, marked by several play-off appearances, a lone conference championship in 2005, and emerging rivalries with the Coventry Jets and Tamworth Phoenix.
As the Bulls attempted to emerge from the mediocrity of the 2000s, they focused heavily on recruitment within the local area, but they still struggled in the BAFA Premier Division North. In 2013, the Bulls junior team finished an undefeated season by defeating the Woodham Warriors in the junior Britbowl at Keepmoat Stadium, and were crowned national champions.
This would be the last year that the Bulls fielded a junior team, as a new team was formed through links with the BUAFL team, the Birmingham Lions and the newly founded Sandwell Steelers.
In 2014, in the second and final year of former Redditch Arrows head coach Ian Hill's tenure, despite a large rookie contingent, the Bulls came within one game of making the play-offs. 2015 saw a league restructure and the Bulls found themselves placed in the Division One SFC North, with former player, Mark Pagett, taking over the reins.[20]
Following a further restructure, the Bulls played the 2016 season in the Midlands Football Conference 1.[21]
At the end of the 2017 season the Bulls were relegated into Division Two of the BAFA National League system after winning just one of their ten games. They finished with the same record as Coventry Jets but were relegated based on the head-to-head record having each won one of the two games but with the Bulls defeat to the Jets by a greater points margin.
Head Coach Mark Pagett resigned at the end of the 2017 season with long serving player Matthew Sheldon taking over the reins.
The Bulls were placed in the Division 2 NFC South. With an eight-game regular season schedule the Bulls finished with 7 wins and 1 defeat, losing their final league fixture 14–8 at home to Staffordshire Surge which ensure their rivals were crowned division winners. The Bulls entered into the play-offs as the number 4 seed and after a 16–6 win at home to Halton Spartans in the quarter-final they faced a long trip north to Aberdeen to face the Roughnecks for a place in the Northern Conference Final where the Bulls fell in a 16–14 defeat.
In the 2019 season, the Bulls completed a perfect regular season, finishing 8–0 in the NFC2 South moving into the play-offs as the number 1 seed in the Northern Conference. In the quarter-final they faced division rival Staffordshire Surge and won through to the semi-finals with a 43–6 victory. In the semi-final they once again fell to a Scottish team to miss out on promotion to Division 1, Inverclyde Goliaths securing promotion and Bowl place with a 30–12 victory.[22]
In November 2019 the new league structure saw the Bulls moved into the SFC2 Central Division where they will face Ouse Valley Eagles, Worcestershire Black Knights, Northants Knights and Hereford Stampede.
The Birmingham Bulls traditionally play with white helmets, with one thicker black stripe surrounded by two thinner red stripes. Their facemask colour is black. A cut-out of the Bull from the full team logo is positioned on both sides of the helmet. In 2013, the Bulls celebrated their 30th anniversary[24] and reverted to the use of their original "Three Legged Bull" logo for a season.
Their home jerseys are typically black, with white numbers and a red trim, while their away jerseys are reversed, being mainly white, with black numbers and maintaining the red trim. Their game pants for both home and away kits are white, with a black and red stripe running the length of the leg. The Bulls have traditionally worn mostly black socks.
As part of a new look for the club from the 2018 season onwards the Bulls play in all black uniforms with the changes making their debut in the opening league fixture with Knottingley Raiders on Sunday 15 April 2018.
The spring of 2019 also saw a new club logo announced as part of a move to re-brand the club for a new era.
Facilities
The Bulls have played at Kings Norton RFC since 2019.
Rivalries
London Olympians
The Bulls' rivalry with the London Olympians is largely historic, meeting several times in the late 1980s and early 1990s in both the league and playoffs, with the rivalry coming to a head in the 1988, 1991, 1994 and 1995 Britbowls, with the Bulls winning three to the Olympians one.[25]
In recent years, the two have rarely, if at all, played each other due to league realignments and a relative lack of playoff success for both organisations.
Coventry Jets
Aside from being purely a local affair, the rivalry became significant when the Jets returned in their latest guise, initiated by several former Bulls, including quarterback Jamie Kilby and Paul Newey.
Thanks in part to geographical proximity, the Jets and Bulls faced each other often. In 2008, the Jets handed the Bulls their heaviest defeat, in a very one sided 67–0 affair.[26] In 2017, the Bulls were relegated to Division 2 after a final day defeat to the Jets. In 2018, the Coventry Jets folded, and were incorporated into the Etone Jaguars.
Tamworth Phoenix
The Bulls' rivalry with the Tamworth Phoenix is not dissimilar to that of the Jets. Whilst they are geographically close, the rivalry was compounded by the fact that the Phoenix were, like many of the younger Midlands teams, founded by former Birmingham Bulls players.[27]
Notable former players
The following notable players appeared for the Birmingham Bulls during their career:
In 2013, the Bulls youth team finished as national champions.
The Bulls field a youth (13-17) and junior (17-19) teams in conjunction with the Black Country Vipers, with the youth team playing under the Bulls' name, and the junior team under the Vipers'.
The British American Football League (BAFL) was the United Kingdom's primary American football league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League (BSL) until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football League Ltd incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 2353839. The company went into administration on 1 April 2010, and the company ceased to trade as from this date.
The London Olympians are an American football team based in Greenwich, London, England, who compete in Division 1, the 2nd tier of British American Football. Formed in 1983 and originally from Streatham the team were known as the Streatham Olympians until 1988 when they were renamed London Olympians, by the then owner Peter Erotokritos. In 1995 the club changed its name once more to the London O's before becoming the Olympians again in 2009.
The SGS Bristol Aztecs are an American football team based in Filton, South Gloucestershire, England, who operate in the BAFA National Leagues Premier South, the highest level of British American football. They are the south-west's only Premiership team. They operate from the South Gloucestershire and Stroud College in Filton, and they represent the City of Bristol which is where the team was formed.
The London Blitz are an American football team based in Finsbury Park, North London, England, who compete BAFA National Leagues Premier Division South, the highest level of British American football. They were formed in 1995 and operate from Finsbury Park Athletics Stadium. They are one of the Britain's most successful teams and are five-time BritBowl winners as well as European Champions following their EFAF Cup triumph in 2011. They have also seven divisional titles to their name.
The Britbowl is the championship game of the British American Football National League, and formerly the British American Football League (BAFL) in the United Kingdom. It is the most prestigious of the league's three bowl games that constitute Britbowl Weekend. Only teams in the Premier Division of BAFL are eligible to compete in Britbowl. To progress to a Britbowl the winner of the seasonal BAFA Premier Division South will play the Runner up of the Premier North and vice versa in a semi-finals with the two winners eventually meeting in a final. Teams who play in the second and third levels compete for promotion in their own Championship Bowl games
The Coventry Jets were an American football team based in Coventry, England.The club ceased to exist in 2018 and dropped out of the BAFA National Leagues with all club assets and teams being moved over to the Etone Jaguars based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
The South Wales Warriors are a British American Football team based in Llanharan, Mid Glamorgan, Wales. They play in SFC 1 West for the 2022 season. The team was formed in 2001 after the Tiger Bay Warriors had disbanded due to the departure of head coach Rob Mota, along with key staff and players, by the remaining players and staff; the staff used equipment, resources and shirts from the folded Tiger Bay Warriors for economical purposes.
The East Kilbride Pirates are an American Football team based in Glasgow, Scotland, who compete in the BAFA National Leagues Premier North, the highest level of British American football. The club although formed in East Kilbride currently operate in Glasgow and play their home games at Braidholm. They are both the most successful and the oldest surviving American Football team in Scotland having been formed in 1985. The club has won Division 1 National titles in 2011 and 2022 and are eleven-time Divisional champions.
The Leicester Panthers are an American football team based in Leicester, England, that competes in the BAFA National Leagues Premier Division North, the top level of British American football. Their current home ground is at Aylestone Park F.C., having previously played at De Montfort Park and Leicester Forest RFC.
Stephen John Pisarkiewicz is a former professional American football quarterback. Pisarkiewicz played in the NFL, CFL, USFL, BAFA National Leagues Britain and in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano in Spain during his career. He was a first round draft pick by the St Louis Cardinals — the 19th pick overall — in the 1977 NFL Draft.
The London Warriors are an American football club based in Thornton Heath, London, England, they compete in the BAFA National Leagues Premier Division South, the highest level of British American football. They operate from Selhurst Sports Arena and were formed in 2007 as the London Cobras, but changed their name to Warriors a couple of years later.
The Sussex Thunder are an American football team from England based in Brighton, Sussex. The club entered the league for the first time in 1997 when the Crawley Raiders merged with local rivals the Brighton B52s to form a new club – Sussex Thunder under inaugural Head Coach Jim Jasicki. The Thunder reached the BritBowl Final in their second year led by current Head Coach Ian Ellis, narrowly losing to the London Olympians. Success continued to allude the club afterwards, but on 20 September 2008, led by Head Coach Len Scott, the Thunder won the Division 1 national championship in an overtime win against the Redditch Arrows.
The Tamworth Phoenix are an American football team based in Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, who compete in the BAFA National Leagues Premier Division North, the highest level of British American football. They operate from Pack Meadow in Coleshill, but represent the Town of Tamworth. Formed in 2004, The Phoenix are one of the most successful American Football teams in the UK and have won four back-to-back Premier Division North titles from 2016 to 2019. In 2017 they won Britbowl XXXI in 2017 against the London Blitz at Sixways Stadium in Worcester.
The BAFANL are the primary American football domestic League competition in Great Britain. The League is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate contact football within England, Scotland and Wales. The top level is the Premier Division and the BritBowl is the annual final championship game.
The Manchester Titans are an American football team based in Manchester, England, that competes in the BAFA National Leagues Premier Division North, the highest level of British American Football. The team operate from the National Speedway Stadium in Gorton. The Titans were given British American Football League status in 2003, although they missed the following season in order to be restructured for the 2005 campaign. The team was founded in 2003 by two Ex-Manchester Allstars Youth team players who had been playing their football outside of the city.
The 2015 Birmingham Bulls season was the team's 32nd season in competitive British American Football. It was also the first season under rookie Head Coach Mark Pagett and Chairman Richard Penwright, whilst Rob Amor returned for a fifth year as Club Secretary. The Bulls entered the 2015 season in the second tier following a league restructure, and were considered by some to be favourites for post-season success and immediate promotion back to the top tier.
Mark Cohen is a former British gridiron football wide receiver that played in the British, Danish, German and Finnish leagues, and also the World League of American Football in 1995. He is widely considered one of the best players in British history.
Stephen Hutchinson is a former professional English American football running back for the London Monarchs and the Scottish Claymores during the NFL Europe era. Hutchinson played seven seasons from 1990 to 1999 in the British American Football League BAFL. He played for the London Gators, Rockets and London Olympians helping the Olympions win the 1994 Eurobowl championship. Hutchinson was named the game MVP.
Paul Roberts is a former British American football defensive back who played for the Birmingham Bulls, Redditch Arrows and also internationally for the GB Lions. Roberts is regarded by the Britball community as one of the best defensive backs to play the game in Britain.
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