BAFANL  PREMIER  SOUTH

vsLONDON  BLITZ

16 GAME  1

Chairman’s Welcome

These messages usually start with a ‘welcome to Finsbury Park’, but a lot has changed in the last few months. This is not a usual game day, and this is not going to be an ordinary season. The London Blitz has undergone an upheaval since the end of last season. We have bid farewell to some real titans of the Blitz, people who were as important as anyone in making the team what it has become. Former Head Coach Mark Moss and Chairman Ed Morgan will be sorely missed, but the foundations that they laid for the team and the attitude which they instilled in the players remains. On top of that, Finsbury Park is undergoing a long overdue rework and so we have been displaced from our usual home. But amongst all of this change is a real positivity; Damian Anderson has taken up the reins from Mark Moss and has assembled a strong staff around him and all are determined to return back to the top of the league. 2015 was the inaugural competitive season for the London Blitz B and it was a campaign that surpassed all expectations. The team developed massively during the course of last year and the preseason has seen the team grow and develop even more. Their expectations are set beyond participation and today they get to test themselves against the Essex Spartans; last year they split the series, so it promises to be another competitive fixture. Both teams are made up of new faces, but today the A team face a familiar old opponent. Fresh off their final victory vs. Solent at the end of last year, the Knights have returned to the top tier of British American Football, facing the Blitz for the first time since 2011. The team is going in a different direction from the one the Blitz encountered last time and promises to present a real challenge. It is the start of the season and anything is possible, both teams have spent the cold preseason months looking forward to this fixture. For the Blitz, this is the first taste of competitive football since the agonising defeat in the final to the London Warriors; a chance to start anew, but not to forget. We have a number of players who will not remember the Knights, and who will not remember the feeling of winning a national championship. There are new faces at every level of the organisation, but all share the same intention, to return to the top of the game, and it starts here.

Farnham Knights

The Knights were formed by a group of American football enthusiasts in 1984. The team played it’s first game in 1985 and, known as the Farnham Knights, joined the Budweiser league in 1986 achieving a 5-5 record under head coach Marc Salazar.

1987 saw the team take the Southern title winning all ten regular season fixtures under Marc Salazar and assistant Frank Snyder. The run ended with a play-off defeat by the Ashton Oilers before the season ended with a win over the Ealing Eagles in the first of the clubs charity games.

In recent years the Knights have seen a spell in Division 2 and Division 1, rebuilding after a 1 year break in 2012. Having won the SFC1 Championship in 2015, the Knights have now been promoted back to the top flight of British American Football and will fight it out in the SFC Premiership in 2016 under renowned Head Coach Steve Rains.

Rookie DB Nii Anteson gives us his experiences of Training Camp

Wounded, weary, withered by the heat of the spring sun, and the somehow more intense heat of competition. But walking. I have survived my first London Blitz Training Camp.

I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting beforehand, but 5:00 am starts and three-a-days weren’t it! That said, I can’t imagine a more fun way to spend a weekend.

As a newcomer (a rookie) the first thing you’re struck by is the strength of team spirit among the group. “Team, Pride, Blitz, Family” goes the huddle breakdown - You quickly learn that’s not just a tagline. This is a family - a band of brothers.

Like all brothers the competition between them is fierce - there are words exchanged, and tensions run high. Like all brothers there is pride in beating the other, but there is also pride in each other’s successes - in the team.

Each day is timetabled to squeeze in as much practice and film time as possible. On the first day we beat the sun out of bed! The first bass thump kicks in from the portable speakers and it’s ‘zero to a hunnid real quick’. The learning curve is steep. Taking the time to look at the playbook beforehand is highly recommended. Study time with my roommate and next-door neighbours definitely helped. Putting what you’ve just learnt in the classroom into action on the practice field is the best possible prep for upcoming games. Everyone is hungry for practice reps, so you have to stay prepared and be ready to jump in, or someone else will.

Elite and B team position groups work through drills together, so as a rookie defensive back that means a chance to watch and learn from some of the best cornerbacks and safeties in the country. Position groups run against each other too, which for me means squaring up to some of the best wide-outs in the country. You don’t have to be undefeated, but you must be undaunted. That’s the crucial thing about camp - it’s one long learning experience. You learn the lesson of the last play, good or bad, and try to put it into practice the next rep.

By the second day, everyone is stiff and sore. The physio worked non-stop. Some have to sit the day’s sessions out. But those still good to go seem intent to share their pain. It’s just as competitive and just as intense. The day ends with a gauntlet drill, essentially a series of Oklahoma drills – not for the faint-hearted. After that we pack up and leave town.

If we compete as hard and are as disciplined in our execution as we were during camp, we’ll have a chance in every game. The thing about brothers is - they’ll compete, they’ll fight against each other, but they’ll fight even harder for each other… Team, Pride, Blitz, Family.

Number Player Name

3 Tim Liechti

4 Shane Afolabi

5 KB Asiedu

6 Charlie Joseph

7 Jeff Davis

8 Sam Marshall

9 Kyle Jervier

10 Jack Daley

11 Ronel Daley-Thomas

12 Josh Adamson

13 Mike Aboujaoude

16 Ben Sarpong

17 Luke Naughton

19 Jonell Pellie

22 Deji Davies

23 Deji Alli

24 Enoch Hankombo

25 Sam Joseph

26 Matt Barrington

27 William Kodjo Davis

28 Temi Oduyemi

29 Jason Selormey

31 Raphael Osei

32 Glen Toonga

33 Stefan Rivera-Gonzalez

34 Jose Van Ooten

35 Lewis Owusu-Afriyie

36 Jordan MacIntosh

38 Aaron

39 Luke Prendergast

41 Jordan Jones

44 Daniel Howard

49 Fab Gargiulo

51 Alex Davies

London Blitz RosterNumber Player Name

52 Matt Eva

53 Remi Akibo

54 Ed Cheadle

55 Sky Modebe

56 James Connolly

57 Scott Hillcoat

58 Max Petitjean

65 Matt Meyer

71 Siever Stubben

72 Joe Awonusi

73 Justin

74 Deejay Ogunkolati

75 Majid

77 Joseph Odeginyon

78 Azmi Sbaiti

79 Bam Olaseni

80 Henry Charlton Weedy

81 Justin Holder

82 Craig Marron

83 Josh Vines

84 Sam Rodgers

85 Fabio

86 Alex Laird

88 Jasper Van Dooren

89 Ricardo Libbert

90 Alan Blake

91 Jonny Ridge

92 Oti Ojuyah

93 Rodon Zeqiri

94 Charlie Cohen

95 Ari Halldorsson

96 Luke Whitney

97 Oli Stein

98 Jamie Charles

99 Kamil Potrec

Farnham Knights RosterNumber Player Name

1 Kris Goswell2 Paul Stubbs3 Oliver Thomas5 Jez McLees6 Stealey-J Wills7 Courtney Goodall9 Alison Berresford10 Nick Roope11 Ally Reid12 Oli DeRuyter13 Mike Bradley-Banszki14 Ben Monk15 Harry Carter16 Alex Providence17 Jacob Nunnerley18 James Crawshaw19 Alex Head22 Ash Dyer23 Andy Gillard24 Joe Criddle26 Aaron Wynne27 Angus King28 Paul Wakeford29 Bart Bashary30 John Symons31 Chris James33 Kingsley Ejiogu34 Shaun Rance35 Mark Halton36 Ben Freeman38 Andrew McGregor40 Anthony Kerbey41 Matthew Rutter42 Aaron Sekwalor

43 Joe Edwards

44 Ricardo St. Hilaire45 Jean-Paul Jones46 Will Paris47 Matt Marriott48 Richard Balderson49 Thomas Wiltshire50 David Francis51 Johnathan Vince52 Josh Oakley53 Murat Gumus54 Laura Hill

Number Player Name55 Steve Price57 Dave Carpenter58 Chris Norris61 Rezz-J Wills63 Nyarie Chiriya66 Tom Outhwaite68 Ben Hunt69 Aleksi Makkinen70 Jason Tye71 Luke DeVries72 Colin Marriott73 Toby Lettman75 Dan Hatcher76 John Tarrant77 Tristan O'Keefe78 Matthew Makinson79 Luke Bridcutt80 James Ray82 Aaron Hayes84 Adam Johnson85 Ben Poppy86 Vincent Berry87 Kieran Helps88 Harry Alexander89 Stephen Godfrey91 Kerry Johnson92 Lloyd Scott93 Matthew Niven95 Max Schmidt97 Tom Boreham98 Callum Giblett

Jason HallDavid KerrTom Tame

Ahmad Alothman

DeMarco RyansJack TrueloveVassili Fedotov

Matthew WilliamsRhys Lody

Michael PurdhamBen Armstrong

Salim Ben-RomdhaneMike HarrisJoe PodgerSam Dare

Bruno Schatten

Date Time Opponent Venue Result Score

April 17th 15:00 Farnham Knights Home - -

May 1st TBC Bristol Aztecs Away - -

May 8th TBC South Wales Warriors Home - -

May 22nd TBC London Warriors Away - -

June 12th TBC Bristol Aztecs Home - -

June 19th TBC London Olympians Home - -

June 26th TBC Farnham Knights Away - -

July 10th TBC South Wales Warriors Away - -

July 17th TBC London Olympians Away

August 7th TBC London Warriors Home

Premier South: Schedule

Team Win Loss Tie PCT PF PA

Bristol Aztecs 0 0 0 0 0 0

Farnham Knights 0 0 0 0 0 0

London Blitz 0 0 0 0 0 0

London Olympians 0 0 0 0 0 0

London Warriors 0 0 0 0 0 0

South Wales Warriors 0 0 0 0 0 0

Premier South: Standings

Feature Player: KB AsieduOutside Linebacker #5 Where did your Blitz journey begin? My Blitz journey began in February 2016, having obtained a job in the city after graduating from the University of Stirling in October 2015.

What is your goal for this season? To win the Britbowl.

What do you do to prepare yourself for a game?

• Listen to gospel music/ Hans Zimmer

• Go through my playbook

• Hit the weight room

Who is the best coach you've ever had and why? Coach Batty (Hallam Warriors & Sheffield Predators Head Coach) - Partly because he put a lot of trust and gave individual responsibilities on the field, which allowed me to play to my full potential.

Coach Orr (Former university of Stirling Clansmen Head Coach) - He was very much a father figure who made me feel valued, appreciated, and made me strive to achieve more.

What was the best game of your career and why? Beating the Birmingham Lions (whilst playing for Clansmen) in the national semi-finals in 2015, at their home ground. This was a great achievement as it was the first time in over 10 years that the Birmingham Lions had lost at home.

Another favourite moment was the Sheffield Varsity match, between Hallam warriors and Sheffield Sabres in 2013/2014, which was closely and rightfully won by Hallam warriors.

Feature Player: Joseph AwonusiDefensive End #72

Where did your Blitz journey begin? March 2016. I have recently joined the team after playing for the Huddersfield Hawks, the University of Huddersfield’s American Football team, competing in the North East Conference of the BUCS league.

What is your goal for this season? To improve on technique and get 'football smart’.

What do you do to prepare yourself for a game?Morning workout (something light) and listen to music.

Who is the best coach you've ever had and why? From an American Football perspective it would have to be Coach Adrian (Samuel) - he just understands the game far better than any of my uni coaches. Outside of football I would say my former basketball coach, Coach Sterlin. No one has been able to push me as hard. He taught me the concept of hard work.

What was the best game of your career and why? When playing as an Offensive Lineman, I once got a lateral pass for a 14 yard gain - that was pretty special!

If you could capture your career in one word, what would it be? Progressing

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chairman@londonblitz.com

CHAIRMANHenry  Charlton  Weedy

secretary@londonblitz.comJasper  Van  Dooren

SECRETARY

headcoach@londonblitz.comDamian  Anderson

HEAD  COACH

coachhenry@londonblitz.com

YOUTH  HEAD  COACHJason  Henry