| Established | 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Based in | Norwich, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Hell's Gate, Thorpe High School, Norwich | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | BAFACL Division 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division | SFC 2 East | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League titles | 1 (1989) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division titles | 6 (1989, 1996, 2002, 2007, 2022, 2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | <http://www.norwichdevils.com/> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current uniform | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Norwich Devils are a British American Football team based in Norwich, Norfolk.
The Devils most recently fielded a team Division 2 East of the BAFA Community Leagues (BAFACL). The roster is mainly local players and they are currently on a recruitment campaign with the team having successfully completed its associate year in 2017. Since then the team rose from division 2 to the Division 1 South Final in 2023 losing out to Hertfordshire Cheetahs 28-6. However since then the team has been through a dip, dropping down to Division 2 after struggling in 2024 with an 0-8 season and entering a rebuilding phase in the hope of fighting back to Division 1.
The team was formed in 1984 and began league play in 1986. The Devils won their first, and to date only, National Championship later that decade in 1989, beating arch rivals the Ipswich Cardinals in the final by a score of 18–9. The Devils have made the playoffs 12 times since that national title and have won the National Division 2 Title twice since 2000, in 2002 & 2007.
The Norwich Devils Currently train and play their home games at Thorpe St Andrews High school in the east of Norwich. In Recent years they have also partaken in a preseason Game hosted at the RAF Lakenheath Air Force Base against Northants Knights known as Liberty Bowl.
The Norwich Devils hold a hotly contested rivalry with Suffolk-based Ipswich Cardinals with the games between these two always being fiercely contested games. This rivalry spans across any sport in which Norwich and Ipswich teams contest with these two teams being no different with both teams always putting out their best to ensure bragging rights and in some cases division titles can be won for another year. In the past they have both played each other in championship matchups. The first of these was in 1989,where the Devils triumphed 18-9 in the British National Gridiron League Division 1 national championship. They then faced each other again in 2001 in the British Senior League Division 2 Championship where the Cardinals won 47-15. These two teams will on again face each other in 2025 both being placed in the SFC 2 East conference after not facing each other for 2 years due to Norwich's stint in Division however the last time these 2 teams played was the 15th May 2022 in which the Ipswich Cardinals won 8-12 which was Norwich's only loss in the regular season that year.
| Name | Year of Induction | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tony Ryan | 2008 | Inducted for his long-standing services to the club as a player. Played a significant role in the Devils 1989 National Championship team and was still with the club for their first undefeated season in 2002. |
| Wayne Persinger | 2008 | Inducted for his services to the club as a coach and member of the management team. The club's first head coach who also established & ran the club's management structure. |
| Pete Wrigley | 2007 | Inducted for his services to the club as a player and a coach. An offensive lineman on the team's 1989 National Championship; the Devils head coach for 9 seasons, registering 5 playoff appearances in those 9 season including an undefeated 12–0 season in 2002 to take the National Division 2 Championship. |
| Season | Division | Wins | Losses | Ties | PF | PA | Final Position | Playoff Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | British American Football League – Anglian Division | 5 | 5 | 0 | 254 | 204 | 4 / 5 | — |
| 1987 | Budweiser League Division One Eastern Conference | 7 | 3 | 0 | 169 | 79 | 2 / 6 | — |
| 1988 | Budweiser League Division One Eastern Conference | 5 | 5 | 0 | 388 | 195 | 3 / 5 | — |
| 1989 | British National Gridiron League Division 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 209 | 78 | 1 / 6 | National Champions beating Ipswich Cardinals 18–9 Beat Harrogate Hawks 36–16 in Semi-final |
| 1990 | British National Gridiron League Division 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 66 | 270 | 6 / 6 | — |
| 1991 | British National Gridiron League Division 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 84 | 321 | 5 / 5 | — |
| 1992 | British National Gridiron League East Midlands Division | 6 | 3 | 1 | 228 | 107 | 3 / 6 | — |
| 1993 | British National Gridiron League Southeast Division | 2 | 8 | 0 | 109 | 258 | 4 / 4 | — |
| 1994 | BAFA Division 3 Midlands Conference | 1 | 9 | 0 | 99 | 355 | 6 / 6 | — |
| 1995 | BAFA Division 3 East Midlands Conference | 5 | 5 | 0 | 137 | 191 | 4 / 5 | — |
| 1996 | British Senior League Division 3 Southeast Conference | 10 | 0 | 0 | 232 | 57 | 1 / 6 | Quarter-finalists losing 48–25 to Tiger Bay Warriors |
| 1997 | British Senior League Division 1 Southeast & Midlands Conference | 6 | 3 | 1 | 130 | 92 | 2 / 6 | Quarter-finalists losing 20–0 to Nottingham Caesars |
| 1998 | British Senior League Division 1 Southeast Conference | 7 | 3 | 0 | 133 | 178 | 2 / 6 | Quarter-finalists losing 22–21 to Bristol Aztecs |
| 1999 | British Senior League Division 1 Eastern Conference | 2 | 6 | 0 | 80 | 209 | 4 / 4 | — |
| 2000 | British Senior League Division 2 Eastern Conference | 6 | 2 | 0 | 230 | 89 | 2 / 5 | Quarter-finalists losing 12–11 to Redditch Arrows |
| 2001 | British Senior League Division 2 South Conference | 7 | 0 | 1 | 210 | 75 | 2 / 9 | Division 2 runners up, losing final to Ipswich Cardinals 47–15 Beat Lancashire Wolverines 34–20 in Semi-final Beat Yorkshire Rams 17–10 in Quarter final |
| 2002 | British Senior League Division 2 South Conference | 9 | 0 | 0 | 271 | 38 | 1 / 9 | Division 2 Champions beating Yorkshire Rams 17–14 Beat Plymouth Admirals 23–0 in Semi-final Glasgow Tigers forfeited Quarter final |
| 2003 | British Senior League Division 1 South Conference | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 347 | 5 / 5 | — |
| 2004 | British Senior League Division 1A South Conference | 1 | 9 | 0 | 36 | 287 | 4 / 4 | — |
| 2005 | BAFL Division 2 South East Conference | 2 | 7 | 1 | 156 | 264 | 4 / 5 | — |
| 2006 | BAFL Division 2 East Conference | 7 | 2 | 1 | 210 | 124 | 2 / 4 | Quarter-finalists losing 35–14 to Sussex Thunder Beat Colchester Gladiators 32–14 in Wildcard Round |
| 2007 | BAFL Division 2 South East Conference | 10 | 0 | 0 | 224 | 46 | 1 / 6 | Division 2 Champions beating Dundee Hurricanes 26–12 Beat South Wales Warriors 43–28 in Semi-finals Beat Cornish Sharks 26–18 in quarter-final |
| 2008 | BAFL Division 1 South Conference | 1 | 8 | 1 | 104 | 241 | 6 / 6 | — |
| 2009 | BAFL Division 1 South East Conference | 0 | 9 | 1 | 84 | 417 | 6 / 6 | — |
| 2010 | BAFL Division 2 East Conference | 6 | 4 | 0 | 148 | 155 | 4 / 6 | — |
| 2018 | BAFL SFC 2 East | 5 | 3 | 0 | 191 | 188 | 3 / 6 | Quarter-finalists losing 50-0 to London Blitz B |
| 2019 | BAFL SFC 2 East | 6 | 1 | 1 | 129 | 77 | 2 / 6 | Quarter-finalists losing 30-6 to Bournemouth Bobcats |
| 2021 | East Anglia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 214 | 137 | 3/5 | |
| 2022 | BAFACL SFC 2 East | 7 | 1 | 0 | 205 | 69 | 1/4 | Quarter-finalists losing 32-6 to Bristol Apache |
| 2023 | BAFACL SFC 1 Central | 7 | 3 | 0 | 302 | 150 | 1/6 | South Play-off Finalists losing 28-6 to Hertfordshire Cheetahs Beat Bournemouth Bobcats 30-7 in Semi-finals |
| 2024 | BAFACL SFC 1 East | 0 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 290 | 5/5 | |
| 2025 | BAFACL SFC 2 East | 1 | 7 | 0 | 54 | 180 | 4/4 | |
| — | All-Time Team Record | 145 | 138 | 8 | 5070 | 5588 | — | 12–8 |
