History
There have been a number of teams in and around the Sheffield area since the inception of American football in Britain. [1] The Steel City Giants were formed in the 1980s but soon folded in the same era. Until 2008, The Sheffield Tomahawks junior side were the only operating club in the City before The Predators were formed and after finishing their associate period, entered the BAFANL in 2010. [2] [3] The Predators first season in Britball ended with a 0-10 record and finishing bottom of the National Central 2. [4]
During this time they have achieved a degree of success, primarily running the double-wing formation, [5] beating the Peterborough Saxons 39-33 in overtime to take home the Division 2 National Championship in 2012 at the Don Valley Stadium in their home town.
In 2014, the Predators announced a partnership with Structure Sport and Fitness Ltd, a gym in Sheffield, worth over £4000 annually. [6]
In 2016, the club was rebranded as the Sheffield Giants after an online voting poll by supporters and the British American Football. [7] The name change came following the teams decision to boost the appeal of the club, citing that the name "The Predators" was a negative name for attracting players from schools and universities [8]
Youth Team
As well as the adult contact team, the Sheffield Giants also operate both flag football and youth contact teams, the latter is known as the 'Sheffield Giants Academy'.
The Academy began in 2018 with a U16 contact team and has now grown to over 100 players at ages 7 to 19. They are currently recruiting for the non-contact U11, U14 and U17 'flag' teams, along with the U16 and U19 contact teams. All youth teams are inclusive and are mixed gender.
There are two Sheffield Giants flag football teams, a Women's team and a mixed team.
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.
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The BAFANL is 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.
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