East Kilbride Pirates (American football)

The East Kilbride Pirates are an American Football Team based in East Kilbride, Scotland.

They currently play in the BAFL Premier Division and are the oldest surviving American Football team in Scotland.

History

The Formation (1985)

The East Kilbride Pirates were formed in 1985, following a notice appearing in the local newspaper asking any interested parties to attend training. The club was named in a competition through the local newspaper, the East Kilbride News. The winning name was a strange choice, given that East Kilbride is miles from either the West or East coast and therefore unlikely to have any historical connection with pirates. 1985 was a formative year, and the Club played three unkitted games, winning 2 and losing 1.

The Early Years (1985 - 1995)

For the 1986 Season, the Pirates merged with the nearby Rutherglen Ironhogs, producing a suitably sized squad to take part in the British American Football League (Anglo Conference). Things started brightly under Head Coach, Steve Gulley, a player with the Club, as a 13-0 win was recorded over the Clydesdale Colts in the first kitted game. Unfortunately, this was to be the last win of the year, as the team ended up with a 1-6 record.

1987 saw a new Head Coach with the appointment of Bill Walsh (no, not that one!), an American working in East Kilbride. Bill's influence was apparent as East Kilbride went 4-4 to finish second in Division One of the new, Budweiser American Football League.

With Coach Walsh's return to the States, a new Head Coach was appointed in 1988. Another American, Nick Fantini was in town on a 12-month exchange visit, and he agreed to take over the reins during his stay. Unfortunately for both Nick and the Club, the previous year's success had resulted in promotion to the Premier Division of the Budweiser League. The higher standard of football quickly became obvious, as the Pirates tumbled to a 0-10 Season. Included in those 10 losses was a 110-0 defeat at the Granite City Oilers. To date this is still the second heaviest defeat suffered in domestic American Football games in the United Kingdom (only Mersey Centurions 148-6 defeat of Halton Demons in a 1989 BNGL game was more emphatic).

Nick returned home after this Season, but he was to return later. The Head Coach's cap was passed to Alastair Rodger, a Scottish coach who had previously worked with the Clydesdale Colts. Another change in the league set-up saw the Club compete in the Combined Gridiron League (Premier Division) in 1989.

1990 saw the arrival of the British National Gridiron League. The Pirates had a 0-9 season, but this year was to be remembered for all the wrong reasons. During a game at the Dundee Whalers, Pirates' linebacker Kenny Hodge received injuries from which he later died. This was the first ever fatality in American Football in Britain, and if any good can come from such a set of circumstances, then the tightening up of player insurance and ambulance cover which followed was one such benefit. After much soul searching within the Club, the Pirates decided to carry on. The Player of the Year Award was renamed in Kenny's memory.

1991 saw the return of Nick Fantini as Head Coach, with Nick having returned to Scotland. A 3-5-1 season ensued, but the Club was again rocked by the loss of another player. Cornerback Barry Nunn died from a congenital heart disease, and although his death was not football related, the loss was just as great. A new Most Improved Player Award was created to commemorate Barry.

In 1992, with the team still in the BNGL National Division, things started to improve on the field. A then Club record 44-0 win over the now defunct Glasgow Cyclones, and a 34-12 victory at Granite City Oilers being two of the main highlights in a 5-5 year.

On to 1993, and the BNGL Premier Division. Last year's progress continued, and a first ever winning season of 7-3 was recorded. Highlights included a nailbiting win at the Edinburgh Eagles to clinch a playoff spot. Involvement in the playoffs was short, with a heavy defeat in England at the hands of a very strong Lancashire Wolverines side.

The BAFA Senior League arrived in 1994, with East Kilbride in Division 2. In an attempt to improve their standing, the Club arranged to import an American quarterback, Craig Van Ness. Unfortunately, Craig damaged his knee in a skiing accident just before coming to Scotland and was not able to do himself justice. After a month here, he returned to the States. Dunoon based QB, Graeme Henry took over and steered the team to a record of 4-4 in a season shortened by other Clubs failing to fulfill their fixtures.

The Scottish Gridiron Association (1995 - 1998)

The 1995 Season was the first of the independent Scottish Gridiron Association, and the Pirates finished as Conference Champions with a 6-3-1 record. A loss at Dundee was overturned by League officials and the game awarded to East Kilbride after the Whalers were found guilty of fielding ineligible players. The 6 wins also included an awarded victory over Denny Broncos and an unfulfilled fixture at Granite City was declared a. Despite falling at the first hurdle in the playoffs, this was a highly successful year considering the small squad used. An unprecedented number of injuries compounded the problem, but with many players playing both ways, a difficult year was completed with some success.

Following this relative success, a number of veteran players announced their retirement. Their places were filled by no fewer than 6 of the Junior squad who moved up to join the Seniors, in addition to the new players recruited from Rookie Trials. This left a very inexperienced squad, and despite the late addition of a number of players from the Clydesdale Colts, who were "taking a year out" (but never returned) during 1996, a disappointing Season followed. The Pirates finished with a 2-7 record.

For 1997, East Kilbride lost the services of the former Colts, but these players were more than replaced by the arrival of a significant number of Glasgow Lions players following the demise of what was Scotland's leading Club. The inclusion of both their playing ability and coaching knowledge was a huge benefit to the Pirates who proceeded to go throughout the 1997 Season unbeaten to capture their first Scottish Title. (SGA Bowl III at Caird Park, Dundee)

The Pirates retained their SGA Title in 1998, defeating Dundee Whalers in the Bowl game, just as they had done 12 months earlier. (SGA Bowl IV at Loch Inch, Glasgow)

Return to British Competition (1999)

1999 saw the Pirates return to the British Senior League, where only they and the Strathclyde Sheriffs represented Scotland. While the Sheriffs competed in Division 2, East Kilbride were thrown in at the deep end, as part of Division 1's National Conference. A mixed season followed, with the Pirates winning three of the seven games actually played. This, along with an awarded game saw the Club finish with a 4-4 record, and miss a place in the Bowl game by the narrowest of margins.

2000 saw the BSL realign Division 1, with the Pirates being moved into the Northern Conference. After a slow start, the Pirates went on a long unbeaten run, which only ended in the Play-off Semi Finals. Despite finishing the regular season with a 6-2 record, the lack of home field advantage proved too big an obstacle to overcome.

Another year, another step forward with the Pirates reaching Britbowl 2001 at Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield. The title of Northern Conference Champions was also picked up along the way. What was initially expected to be a rebuilding year exceeded all expectations. The "void" game against Cheshire came about following a serious accident to one of the Romans' players on the eve of the game (thankfully he recovered fully). Also, the away game at Nottingham scheduled for 15th July was conceded by the Caesars.

2002 again saw several changes in personnel and the average age of the side dropped even further. However, the quality of incoming players was again very high. An unbeaten regular season saw the Pirates finish as the Number One ranked side in Division 1. The scheduled first round of the playoffs should have been vs the Chester Romans but the Romans conceded the fixture. The much anticipated semi-final against the PA Knights was played during torrential rain in a mudbath at Brancumhall, and it was the visitors who came out on top after an almighty struggle.

The Pirates made it all the way to the Final again in 2003, again going undefeated in the regular season. The game at Lancashire was postponed twice before eventually being declared a "tie". The play-offs saw a narrow win over Ipswich before again losing out to London O's in Britbowl 2003 in Sheffield

The 2004 campaign came on the back of what many saw as a "winter of discontent". Several players left for a variety of reasons and a new squad was assembled under the leadership of James Dougall who was appointed as Head Coach. An affiliation was also put in place with Clyde Valley Hawks youth team to hopefully ensure a flow of players into the Club in future years. The League introduced a Division 1A, with inter-conference games between Div. 1 and 1A teams. The games against Chester Romans (H) and Lancashire Wolverines (A) were awarded to East Kilbride as 1-0 wins. Play-off participation ended swiftly at the hands of old nemesis, the London O's.

Recent Times (2005- )

2005 saw the Pirates relinquish the Northern Conference title that they had won in the four preceding seasons. Losses in the two opening away games left a mountain to climb, and while the team did qualify for the play-offs with a 6-4 record, it would have been foolhardy to send a small and inexperienced squad to face the London Olympians (formerly the O's). Thus, the game was forfeited.

The 2006 season saw another influx of young players for The Pirates, from the nearby Youth and University league teams. They started poorly, recording only one win from their first 4 games, largely due to a season-ending injury to QB Matt McCusker in the opening game at Gateshead; however the season was to turn around in emphatic fashion as Ross Templeton took the snaps and led the team on to five wins out of their remaining six fixtures. A quarter-final win after the long journey to Finsbury Park, London would have set up a much anticipated semi-final against Gateshead but despite a brave performance, The Pirates were defeated. After the close of the 2006 season, BAFL again realigned the league structure, placing the Pirates in the newly formed BAFL Premier League

2007 started off with another trip to Gateshead and a disappointing 5-0 loss to the Senators. One field goal and a safety given on a dubious foul call were all that separated the teams. In the second game, frustrations continued as the Pirates moved the ball well against the Bulls but failed to capitalise on good field positions, eventually throwing two interceptions which led to touchdowns. In the third game, after a flight to Bristol, continuous rain meant fumbles were the order of the day and the Pirates Offense were stagnant and failed again to put any points on the board. The Bristol Aztecs walked away easy winners, scoring on interceptions and their own possession. The fourth game at Crystal Palace against defending British Champions, the London Olympians was called off due to a lack of an ambulance. Game five saw the Pirates rack up their first points of the season, in a spirited performance at Hamilton which ultimately finished in a loss. The first win of the season came in a hard fought performance against the ailing Southern Sundevils in a rainy Hamilton Palace bottom-of-the-table clash, where the Sundevils took an early lead but were eventually outgunned by the Pirates. Game seven saw a depleted squad travel to Warwick to play Coventry and put up a spirited performance in which they outscored the jets in the second half. Unfortunately a first half rout meant it made little difference and it was another long journey home on the back of a loss for the Pirates. The final two home games of the season saw a defeat to the London Blitz, despite an early Pirates lead followed by a 19-6 win over the Gateshead Senators on a day where the score could have been much higher for the rampant Pirates. The season was completed with a 13-0 away victory over Birmingham Bulls.

The off season prior to the 2008 campaign was unusual as the London O's were forced to pull out of the league once the schedule had been set. This meant that the northern teams lost one game and the southern teams lost two, so to even the fixtures, the Pirates also lost an away game to Coventry Jets. On their season opener, they broke a three-year opening day curse by beating the Gateshead Senators comfortably 34-8. Game two saw a spirited performance despite a heavy loss at home to the Coventry Jets, which was followed by a crushing defeat in London at the hands of the reigning champion London Blitz. Game four saw Pirates pick up the pace again with a good win in Gateshead and this was followed by a strong victory away to the Birmingham Bulls, with a travelling squad of only 19 players, to put the Pirates 2nd in the division. In game 6, a tough visit to Aldershot Army Stadium to play the Farnham Knights resulted in a heavy defeat, again highlighting the gulf between some teams in the Premier Division. In an all-or-nothing game seven, the Pirates played poorly and lost to the Bristol Aztecs, ending their playoff hopes. The final game was forefeited by the Bulls, giving a record of 4-4 but leaving many to question the sustainability of the Premier League.

Running concurrently to the kitted league, the Pirates also entered a team into the inaugural BAFA Adult Flag contest and fared reasonably well.

Regular Season Record

2007 Results

Game 1: Gateshead Senators 5 - 0 EK Pirates (L)
Game 2: East Kilbride Pirates 0 - 13 Birmingham Bulls (L)
Game 3: Bristol Aztecs 20 - 0 East Kilbride Pirates (L)
Game 4: London Olympians P - P East Kilbride Pirates (D) - Ambulance didn't arrive. Declared a Tie
Game 5: East Kilbride Pirates 16 - 45 Coventry Cassidy Jets (L)
Game 6: East Kilbride Pirates 28 - 8 Southern Sundevils (W)
Game 7: Coventry Cassidy Jets 41 - 8 East Kilbride Pirates (L)
Game 8: East Kilbride Pirates 15 - 32 London Blitz (L)
Game 9: East Kilbride Pirates 19 - 6 Gateshead Senators (W)
Game 10: Birmingham Bulls 0 - 13 East Kilbride Pirates(W)

2008 Schedule

Game 1: *CANCELLED* 4 May Pirates @ Coventry Jets
Game 2: 25 May Pirates 35 - 8 Gateshead Senators (W)
Game 3: 1 June Pirates 12 - 46 Coventry Jets (L)
Game 4: 14 June Pirates 0 - 42 London Blitz (L)
Game 5: 22 June Pirates 46 - 12 Gateshead Senators (W)
Game 6: 29 June Pirates 8 - 31 Birmingham Bulls (W)
Game 7: 13 July Pirates 7 - 52 Farnham Knights (L)
Game 8: *CANCELLED* 27 July Pirates vs. London O's
Game 9: 24 August Pirates 6 - 28 Bristol Aztecs (L)
Game 10: 31 August Pirates 1 - 0 Birmingham Bulls (W) (Bulls Forefeit)

External links

* [http://www.piratesfootball.co.uk East Kilbride Pirates Official Site]